hey guys IGN played Bully check it out:
http://ps2.ign.com/articles/729/729620p1.htmlAugust 31, 2006 - Though we had already seen Rockstar's PlayStation 2-exclusive Bully in confidence prior to the beginning of this week, we had never actually played it. Luckily for us, the New York-based publisher dropped by our offices to show off the latest version in an effort to update us on its progress. Our early verdict is a mostly positive one too, as the game looks like it's going to be fun when finished.
As most suspected, Bully certainly comes across as a jumble of The Warriors and Grand Theft Auto. Of course, those similarities aren't in terms of theme or concept, but rather, in regards to its mechanics. The combat, for example, works like a simplified variation on 2005's The Warriors. In the current control scheme, L1 targets opponents and reveals their health status via lighted circle at the bottom of the enemy's feet. Once a foe has been selected, Square then acts as the single attack button and follows a combo tree similar to what Cleon and the gang had last year (Square, Square, Square; Square, Square, Circle, etc)..
Rather than relying on an assortment of light and heavy attacks spread out across multiple buttons, however, Bully is pressure and context sensitive. That means that where your opponent is located and how long and hard you press the attack button determines what happens next. Early on in the game, Jimmy, the 15 year-old protagonist, can only perform a shallow selection of moves -- your standard punches, a grapple (Circle), Block (R1), kicks when an opponent is down (Square again)... things of that nature -- but as our hero continues to work his way up the ladder, a number of new maneuvers will open up (the majority of which will be taught to you by attending gym class or from a hobo who's also a fighting expert). When powered all the way up, even the Karate Kid's nemesis Johnny Lawrence will fear you.
Perhaps the most inviting thing about Bully's combat system, though, is that it isn't just limited to combo moves and a series of repetitive attacks. Even in the early version we sampled, Jimmy can already pull off humiliation moves from the start (press circle when prompted after you've done enough damage). These humiliations put an automatic end to the fight and add a bit of visual "oomph" to the action. Our personal favorite is the classic "Why are you hitting yourself?" technique that allows you to punch an enemy in the face with his own fists. Players can also expect to use a variety of different weapons with things like Cricket and baseball bats, eggs, and slingshots. But if you're worried about over-excessive violence, don't worry: there won't be any blood, disfigurement, or death.
But fighting isn't all there is to Bully, as a large portion of the game will also be devoted to performing favors in order to gain respect from the local cliques. Like Grand Theft Auto, story missions are spread out all over Bullworth's campus and are activated by stepping into familiar colored circles. Once started, these missions are told in a very GTA-like fashion with a number of in-game cutscenes, plenty of dialogue, and some occasionally-bizarre requests.
Let's examine one of the most disgusting favors that Jimmy has to lend, for example, helping the cafeteria cook do her job. A morbidly obese middle-aged woman with a mucus problem, the cafeteria lady sends Mr. Hopkins out on an errand to help her collect ingredients for her next dish. After sneezing and coughing into the food she's already preparing, she'll give you the list of items and then off you go to find them. For missions like these, no fighting or confrontations are necessary -- it's just your basic fetch quest with a time limit.
Going to class everyday is yet another series missions and they're definitely among the most important. Not only will they teach Jimmy new techniques and abilities for use in his everyday life, but it's also his responsibility as a student to attend them (don't go and you'll be chased by prefects who take you straight to the principal's office). If you've played GTA, then most of the classroom mini-games should feel pretty familiar... especially given the fact that they're your basic rhythm tests ala the dancing and lowrider bits of San Andreas.
Being successful in different classrooms means that you can get a number of cool goodies too; do well in shop and you'll be able to upgrade your bicycles (you're too young for cars); excel in photo class by snapping pictures of preset locations and you'll earn a photo album; paint nicely in art class and you'll become better at talking with women (which increases your chances of getting kissed, and therefore your health); fix the word jumbles in English and your apology skills will increase when confronted with bullies and teachers; and of course, if you do well in chemistry, you can make cooler and more elaborate items with the chemistry set in your bedroom.
Speaking of Jimmy's bedroom, it's quite an interesting hub. In addition to the aforementioned chemistry set, there's also a closet that allows you change clothes whenever you want (be it casual threads, a school uniform, hats, or even pajamas). Picking the right clothes can be a very important choice, as what you wear and when you wear it not only affects how cliques and prefects react to you, but also your overall well-being (forget to dress warm in the winter and you'll slowly freeze -- altering your performance).
Jimmy's room serves two other functions as well. 1.) It acts as a trophy case of sorts, by collecting mementos of various accomplishments on (in the form of posters, pennants, and other objects that slowly fill your room) and 2.) It's where you sleep. Sleeping isn't something you can just skip either, as staying up too long before your next day will make you drowsy -- blurring the screen and making it harder to see. It also slows down your reaction times and overall running speed.
Oh, and on the subject of running, Jimmy has multiple speeds when moving. In addition to just walking forward, players can also jog by holding down the X button or break into a full sprint if they tap the button repeatedly. Naturally, since Jimmy is a kid and kids never get tired, there is no stamina to worry about and you can run as fast as you want for as long as you want indefinitely.
But what about the presentation? Well visually, Bully is still a work in progress and suffers from noticeable framerate issues and slowdown when navigating the larger areas. That said, the environments themselves look great. Given that the game is on a smaller scale than GTA by a large margin, it allows for a lot more detail, better draw distance, and more objects. The visuals certainly aren't going to match current PS2 kings like God of War, Metal Gear Solid, or Shadow of the Colossus, sure -- but they're definitely a step above Grand Theft Auto and The Warriors.
The presentation's real standout so far, though, is the acting and the storyline. In typical Rockstar fashion, Bully is full of sarcastic, weird, and endearing characters (there are more than 100 unique NPCs in all, plus scores of nameless fillers to supplement them). Even at this early juncture there is plenty of personality that sets it apart from the competition, and if all else fails we're still really interested to see where the plot goes across the game's five expansive chapters. The completely original and mischievous Cruel Intentions soundtrack also deserves a mention here, as it supports the cutscenes and everyday navigation quite well.
Other little tidbits we noticed that we thought were cool included a very impressive stat tracking feature (that monitors almost every statistic you can think of), some pretty hilarious store names in the town (one of the barber shops is called "The Happy Mullet"), the strategic placement of bus stops for quick travel back to Bullworth, and the inclusion of the same spray paint mini-game from The Warriors.
One area we'd really like to see Bully improve upon, however, is the with the response time of the camera and character movement. When playing through our demo session, Jimmy felt somewhat delayed in all his actions while the camera was too quick and twitchy at the same time. When put together, it did create obvious issues with getting around Bullworth. With any luck this will be fixed.
All told, after spending roughly 90 minutes with Bully we definitely walked away better informed and more intrigued. The game certainly is seriously funny (re: hilarious) and has the potential to be one of the year's elite PS2 titles thanks to its wholly unique concept. There's still a lot left to see before we'll know if it succeeds, of course, but for now we remain optimistic and look forward to getting our hands on it once again.
