December 09, 2006

BULLY is another masterpiece from the guys who brought us the Grand Theft Auto (GTA) series, that is, Rockstar. This time, however, Rockstar has brought out a game which is much less violent than GTA. However, Bully contains a few things that might offend some anti-GTA type gamers because of the language used. Still, like the earlier Rockstar game, GTA: San Andreas, it has received one of the highest ratings a game could get - 9/10. Why? Well, let’s find out.


Story line

Your character is a tough, street smart 15-year-old boy, Jimmy Hopkins. Jimmy has had a troubled childhood (his mother married another man who hates his guts) and is transported to Bullsworth Academy, a college. Like the GTA games, you have to work through the ranks by fighting, helping and gaining friends to make yourself the toughest kid in the town which is easier said than done. In order to reach the top, you have to pass overcome many obstacles. Your enemies try their hardest to stop you so you have to play dirty, get into fights frequently and gain respect.

Game play

Bully is all about the game play. It is so ridiculously detailed that you can’t help but wonder how the developers at Rockstar pulled this off. It has all the ingredients that GTA had with the exception of weapons and the fact that you cannot jack cars and other vehicles. That, in a way, makes sense because you play as a 15-year-old who might look odd jacking a school bus. You can, however, jack bikes, both small and big.

Remaining true to its GTA origins, there is always the law after you if you do something. Instead of the star system, you have a panic metre right next to health. It increases depending on the situation, for instance, truancy. If the prefects catch you bunking your classes, they will run after you like madmen till they catch you and take you to the class you bunked. This is quite irritating especially when you are in the middle of a mission. Also, for some odd reason, if you are out of school and bunking classes, the policemen know what you are up to and take you back to school. So in the school, there are the prefects and out of it, there are cops.

The most important aspect of this game is time. It is displayed on the top right-hand corner of the screen and tells you whether you are late for a mandatory event like attending classes and getting to dorm before the night curfew (curfew also increases your panic metre).

Of course, don’t think of pulling an all nighter because you simply can’t. You begin to feel a little dizzy after one o’clock at night. The screen gets blurry and before you know it, Jimmy dozes off. So you have to get some rest if you don’t want to end up on a sidewalk.

Then there is the health factor. There are many ways to increase your health. The most common way is buying a soda can from soda machines scattered throughout the town or you could pick up fallen fruits form the ground and eat them. Of course, the cheekiest way is to get a kiss from a girl.

You can always bunk your classes but attending them will get you non-financial rewards like weapon upgrades; for example, passing chemistry will earn you upgrades and by passing English, you can apologise to people more effectively. Attending classes are important if you want to make Jimmy’s life in the Bullsworth Academy easier.

There is the money factor. You must have some money in your pocket because without it, you can’t buy things. But that’s not really a problem. You can earn money by doing odd jobs, completing the main missions, etc. There will be always be some people who want your help and if you do it right, you’ll get the reward. You can also bribe people from hurting you or taking you in, for instance, the policemen and prefects.

Apart from the main story missions, there are the side and mini missions. These include bicycle races in which if you can win prizes like new and improved bikes and costumes. There are the full-fledged, easy boxing challenges where you can earn extra money and other stuff. Some people will also ask you for favours for which you get money in return. In one case, you have to escort a nerd, Algie, to the bathroom while protecting him from bullies. Jimmy can also swim like a madman which makes you wonder how a 15-year-old can swim while the GTA characters can’t.

People

Initially, you will have two friends: the clever and sneaky Gary, who guides Jimmy through his life in school and plays a very important role later in the game, and the quiet and friendly Pete, who gives you advice and keeps you updated on the activities in the game. There is Dr Crabblesnitch, the principal of the whole school who simply hates your guts. There is Galloway, the drunken English teacher and Mr Hattrick who’s always after him. Mr Burton, the coach, has some secrets of his own. There is Hobo, who teaches you a few fighting techniques if you bring him a transistor radio. Other characters include Algie, the broad boned nerd, and Mandy, Zoe and Pinky, some of the girls you can date.

There are many people around you. In school, there are the nerds, led by Earnest and can be seen wearing green, sleeveless sweaters. There are the jocks, led by Ted, who wear sleeveless, light blue jackets and mostly hang around the gym and the football field. The preppies, led by Derby, are the privileged and can do whatever they want without dealing with the teachers and prefects. They can be seen around town and wear light blue, sleeveless sweaters. Bullies, of course, are the kind of people you will face when you play the game. You can see them beating up other students who wear loosely worn white shirts.

Greasers, led by Johnny Vincent, are the kids who hang out in alleys and abandoned buildings, wearing black jackets and look tough. They are the most dangerous people around. Townies, led by a guy named Edgar, are rough in their own kind of way. They can be identified by their sloppy clothes and tattoos. Their attitude is hard to differentiate from the greasers. The prefects inside the school and the policemen outside are the authority figures.

Weapons

There are a lot of weapons at your disposal. Nobody dies in this game but one can get badly injured though. Your first weapon is the slingshot which is upgraded after a few levels and has unlimited ammo. There are also stink bombs with which you can temporarily slow down your enemies. Eggs can be used to inflict some amount of damage. You can either buy them or get them from your personal chemistry set. The heavy artillery includes bottle rockets (firework rockets). The most dangerous of them all is the spud gun which can be used to inflict major damage. Finally, there are grenades and fire sticks which explode like fire crackers.

Places and surroundings

Bully, like the GTA series, has a vast area to play in. This is one of the main frame ideas of Rockstar. They want players to enjoy a realistic-looking, vast area in which they can never get bored, even though there is only one place to play in – Bullsworth town. The north side of this town belongs to shopping centres and the Town Hall. The north-west area includes a beach. The lower west includes the college which will be your main activity area throughout the game. The college has a dorm for boys and opposite it is one for girls. There is a gym, car park and library and in the centre is your school building which includes classrooms and a cafeteria complete with a fat cook who doesn’t care about what the students eat.

The south-east area is called Blue Park where the townies reside in their mobile homes. It is a downtown of sorts, consisting of college drop-outs. If you gain respect among the townies, you won’t run into trouble with them except that they will steal your things anyway. There is also the carnival which has everything, from rollercoaster rides which are extremely cheap to a fun house, horror house and games.

The safe houses are the most important places in the game. Your first safe house is the dorm room. When you progress, you have the option to fight to get new safe houses in new locations. You can save your game here, refill your health or play mini video games. Also, you can avoid getting caught by prefects, cops and enemies. You can change your appearance ranging from wearing mascot costumes to biker clothes.

In conclusion, this Bully is so realistic that it blows you away. Fans of the GTA franchise should get this one immediately but there is no blood and gore in it because one feels that Rockstar is targeting a younger audience in Bully which it has successfully managed to do.

The writer is a student at the University College, Lahore