Bully

Anyone got a chance to play this game yet? It's made by Rockstar, has been in production for (seemingly) quite a while. Not a lot of info was released about it, but it's finally out. IGN gave this game a very impressive 8.9 rating. LINK

Well, based on GTA but only you do stuff what bully does, i might "buy" it

I've been anticipating that game for a while now... yet I don't have a PS2 Bleh, I'll just wait till the PS3 gets cheap, or hopefully Rockstar will miraculously make a port of it to the PC

It's not even out yet and it's already being hounded:

http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/raskin/1906

It's not yet available, but Bully, a new video game from Rockstar Games (the U.S. distributor is Take 2, the same folks who brought you Grand Theft Auto) is causing uproar. The animated game, set at the fictitious Bullworth Academy, features a protagonist who is bullied, faces mean teachers, and encounters the nastiness of clubs and cliques. There is no beating them without joining them in this game set in a bully or be bullied world.

GameSpot, a gaming destination, reports that the Britain-based Bullying Online, an organization devoted to ending "bullying" on school grounds in the U.K., is seeking to have the game banned in the country. According to a BBC report, Bully will change the name of the U.K. release to the less offensive Canis Canem Edit (Dog Eat Dog). It is due for release on the PlayStation 2 on October 27.

Here in the U.S., members of the Washington D.C. based youth group Peaceoholics protested outside Rockstar Games' New York offices. And a Florida attorney, Jack Thompson, has sued to have the game removed from stores. In the US, the game has no rating yet because it hasn't shipped, but it's expected to receive an M for mature (over 17) audiences from the ESRB.

I watched the trailer for the game on GameSpot, and clearly it's a game about bullying that's similar in style and action to Grand Theft Auto. But this game is like your worst high school nightmare, with everything from wedgies, mean girls, and teases, to nasty cheerleaders and catty cliques. As the protagonist, you need to get strong fast as you rise through the challenges of girls that hit; mean, spiteful teachers; and gang plots to make your life miserable.

There are those who think that a game that makes "play" out of bullying is despicable. But in fairness it should be pointed out that this is not a shoot ‘em up game, and there are no guns or blood. Some experts believe it can be a healthy outlet for kids to get these sorts of fantasies out of their systems on the screen and not in the real world. On the other hand, the game shows that to survive the bully culture you need to become one.

What do you think? Will kids know that Bully is a game? Can they find it amusing and keep it in stride? Or do they learn that bullying is acceptable, fun, and even cool behavior? Would you let your teens play Bully?

Last edited by shadowgrin on Mon Oct 23, 2006 2:51 am, edited 1 time in total.

I wish I had the money for this game . I need to release my inner-bully.

Seems a bit silly that to beat bullying, you have to be a bully. It's not exactly sending the right message. But hey, i'll probably downlode it.

hey, i'll probably downlode it

Proof and ban.

I got the game last Wednesday (its out in Canada atleast, I got it for $20 Canadian cheaper than they were selling the usual price, at a Futureshop, a electronics chain under Best Buy. Here's a LINK. Says it was released on October 17. Not sure why the release date in Canada is almost two weeks earlier than the US, maybe the article has the release date wrong), but didn't get a chance to play it until just yesterday. Its fairly decent, if you liked The Warriors, then i think you will like this. I don't know what it is, but there IS somewhat of a GTA factor/feeling present in the game, can't seem to tell what it is, but its much more closer to The Warriors than GTA. Nice game, I think the 8.9 rating IGN gave is correct.