Another Preview, havent read it, but just another great preview i bet.
Bully InfoCanis Canem Edit - Hands On [ Preview ]
TVG goes back to school with Rockstar Vancouver's debut title; does it deserve its rather controversial reputation...
Author: Jon Wilcox | Date Added: 13/09/2006
Ever since its announcement back in Spring 2005, Rockstar Vancouver's recently re-christened Canis Canem Edit (Latin for 'Dog Eat Dog') has been at the centre of controversy. Its previous name of Bully, coupled with scant information about its content aside from a couple of screenshots, acted as a red rag to the right-wing bulls that rear their heads (and outspoken opinions) from time to time. Labelled as a 'Columbine Simulator' by some quarters, Canis went deep, deep, deep undercover; with the result that little was heard of the game for over a year. Following the year-long death rattle sounded by the original Xbox, the publisher also quietly dropped support for Microsoft's debut console earlier in 2006, leaving it an exclusive for PlayStation2.
Recently TVG was invited to attend class (otherwise known as Rockstar London) and see for ourselves what school yard shenanigans we could relive...
They say (whoever 'they' may be) that schooldays are the happiest days of our lives. What tosh. I for one was bullied at school and it turned me into the sadistic and twisted megalomaniac that you see (or more accurately, read) today. But whatever my experiences of more than a decade ago, they're nothing compared to the year long hell that Jimmy Hopkins is set to realise at New England boarding school, Bullworth Academy. Attending the most 'challenging' school in the US whilst his mother enjoys a year-long honeymoon with her fifth husband, Jimmy is to experience the sort of atmosphere that you'd see in a 'serious' episode of Grange Hill; distinct cliques, pranks, and the sort of hellish teaching that you'd expect from a deprived inner city school.
Following a harsh introduction to school life, a small punch up with some of the bullies (which acts as a brief combat tutorial), Jimmy find himself making his first friend: Gary. However Gary may not be the friend that he seems to be, especially when he decides that Jimmy is trying to usurp him in his bid to take control of the school.
Jimmy has the option to chat to anybody that he meets in the world of Bullworth, whether that's in a positive light or whether he wants to be more of a prankster and give them a wedgie. The upside of being nice to people is that if he's in trouble with a certain clique, then others (including the brilliantly stereotypical Nerds...speech impediment and all) may just come to the rescue. Respect is earned and lost according to how the subject of Jimmy's attention; fighting against some bullies will reduce their respect towards him, but if he's defending some nerds then he'll be held in higher regard by the school's brainiacs. Bullworth isn't a boys only school either, so Jimmy will also be able to master the fine art of wooing girls - though box of chocolates or flowers from the town store may help win them over and give Jimmy a kiss.
Obviously an important part of school are the lessons, and Bullworth Academy is no different, with several subjects 'taught' throughout the course of the school year including English, Art, Gym, and Chemistry. Created as mini-games with varying difficulty, Rockstar demonstrated the Art mini-game, which took the form of arcade classic Qix. Drawing the lines as per the 1981 Taito title revealed more of an 'actual' piece of art underneath, whilst Sparx and Fuse enemies are replaced with paintbrushes and pencils. Gym class sees Jimmy wrestle with some of his fellow students, allowing players to expand upon the schoolboy's repertoire of attack and defensive moves. Whilst we didn't get to see it, it was explained that Chemistry classes would allow Jimmy to create his own stink bombs and the like to use against his schoolyard foes.
Following Rockstar's Grand theft Auto series, Canis Canem Edit looks to be a fairly open affair. Players won't be subjected to stringent mission structures, allowing Jimmy to roam the streets and school grounds whenever he feels (though being noticed but those in authority will result in punishment). Besides attending classes (or not as the case may be), Jimmy will progress through the school year by completing the story missions that arise. One of the first missions that we got to grips with saw Jimmy save one of the many nerds that dwell in the corridors of Bullworth from a group of bullies. Taking place early into the first chapter of the game, three waves of two bullies rush onto the hapless whelp, leaving Jimmy no choice but to use his fists (and the odd baseball bat) to beat back his adversaries. Passing the objective will mean that Jimmy will win a skateboard, which comes in very handy throughout the course of the school year.
Due to the school setting, guns and the like are nowhere to be seen in Bullworth. Catapults, itching powder, banana skins, and stink bombs are the order of the day, and are vital in Jimmy's defence against the school bullies. Having already been expelled by a number of other schools, it's fair to say that Jimmy knows how to use his fists. Kicking and punching are the basic two moves that the new boy can perform from the outset, though Jimmy's repertoire will be expanded upon throughout the game. Humiliation is another factor of school life that will be familiar to many people, and Canis Canem Edit is no exception. During scraps, the option is there for Jimmy to humiliate his opponent, which can be anything from giving them a Chinese burn or pushing them to the floor. These moves can only be performed at certain times however, and are indicated by a red fist symbol on the HUD. Fights in the game will never end with the death of an opponent; instead when their health reaches zero, the bully just runs away.
Beyond the first chapter, Canis Canem Edit's boundaries push beyond that of Bullworth Academy, going into the surrounding town of Bullworth and its small number of distinct areas. Each of the cliques in the school have an affinity to one of the districts, which can come in handy when - for instance - Jimmy is ordered by the Biology teacher to infiltrate the Frat house and kill the prize Venus Fly-Trap that is there purely to 'taunt' him. In this instance, which was demonstrated at Rockstar, Jimmy has to go to the posher part of Bullworth and buy a new 'Preppy' top and have an appropriate haircut. Only then will he be allowed to enter the Frat house...
TVG also got the chance to play through another mission that took Jimmy on another excursion out of the school limits. Given the objective of collecting a number of items for the school's hygienically challenged cook (apparently sneezing into a pot of food 'adds flavour'...), Jimmy has to visit several of the stores around the retail district of the town. Since Jimmy is under-age, he's unable to take to the wheel of the cars and motorbikes that appear on Bullworth's roads, but that doesn't mean that the tearaway is left walking (or running) around. Bikes and his trusty skateboard are on hand for Jimmy to get from one area to another with relative speed (even in the corridors of school, though this is an act of rule-breaking). Don't expect Tony Hawk-style tricks in Canis either, as ollies are the extent of Jimmy's skateboarding prowess...he is just a kid after all.
The final mission that we tried out saw Jimmy race against a group of Greasers, who favour loitering around tweaking their bikes. Set during the height of winter, the mission can be hardwearing on thumbs as we tried to get Jimmy to pedal faster. In a nod to the likes of Road Rash, the bikers (including Jimmy) can punch each other as well as throw eggs and stink bombs at one another. It really shows the sort of variety that we can expect when Canis Canem Edit is released in a few short weeks.
It wouldn't be Rockstar if Canis didn't court controversy, and there are still elements within the game that could be seen as dubious - a mission where Jimmy has to collect dirty 'laundry' from the girl's dorms for the Gym teacher is one such mission that treads the line. That said, the humour in the game is overtly Rockstar in every sense, so there was always going to be double-meanings and cheeky comments making the script. In a nod to their premier franchise Rockstar has also included collectible items that are dotted around the various locations in the Canis world.
Like any school, Bullworth has its own set of rules and regulations that pupils must not break, such as hitting girls, prefects, or teachers, skateboarding in school, or playing truant. Being a kid, Jimmy will also need his sleep back in the dorms, so whilst roaming around after-hours can be done, he will fall asleep if it gets too late. Crossing those lines can mean that rule-breakers will have to face the voice of authority in Bullworth, the Headmaster. As you'd expect, punishments are dished out in Canis Canem Edit much in the same manner as the real world with confiscations and tedious chore-like activities. For instance, during the Winter Jimmy be forced to dig out the snow from around the teachers' cars; at another time of year mowing the football pitch may be the punishment of course. Usually these chores will be time-based, where failure to complete the task will mean that Jimmy will have to repeat his punishment...until he gets it right.
First off, a word to the right-wingers who condemned Canis without knowing much about it: it is not a Columbine Sim or a lesson in effective bullying. It's looking more like Grange Hill, Napoleon Dynamite, and Dennis the Menace rolled into one...a mischievous romp of pranks tomfoolery that looks set to cause a pang of recognition from anybody who has been to school. For the record, Canis Canem Edit looks to offer Rockstar a further string to their bow of titles when it's released at the end of October in North America and Europe thanks to pseudo-nostalgic content and trademark Rockstar humour. On unanswered question to Rockstar though: if successful, what's the chance of Canis 2 taking place during Jimmy's second year at Bullworth???
