Rough around the edges, but Bully: Scholarship Edition is bound to suck you in. The extensive gameplay adds to the fun.
Bully: Scholarship Edition is a version of the original game "Bully". Because the scholarship edition includes exclusive content, it cannot be guaranteed that this review also applies to the original, nonexclusive game.
The story revolves around Jimmy Hopkins, a naughty teenage boy who constantly commits juvenile crimes and has many times been suspended from schools. Once his parents leave on a holiday getaway, Jimmy is left to stay at Bullworth Academy, a boarding school designed specifically for misbehaved children. The food is rotten, and many students are bullies.
The objectives in Bully are composed of attending class, completely missions, collecting items, and being a bully. Classes, little mini games, range from the fun music class, where the player keeps rhythm by playing the drum, to the challenging English class, where Jimmy finds different words that can be spelled out with a certain set of letters.
Despite some slow-paced and uninteresting mini games, such as chemistry where the player follows some very basic on-screen queues, each successful class rewards with new outfits and items. Class is scheduled, and the schedule somewhat hinders other missions, as the authorities will chase Jimmy down if he is not at school at the designated hour.
Outside of the classroom, Jimmy also completes missions, including escort missions, fighting games, and helping another student. These missions keep the game varied and interesting, as rewards are offered in the end and the majority of the plot takes place.
As the game progresses, holidays will occur. Halloween, for example, contains special missions where Jimmy finds pranks to pull on other students and faculty. When several missions are completed, a new chapter starts and new areas to explore are unlocked. Exploring the city, including its shops and carnivals, is entertaining given all the details of the town. Unfortunately, Jimmy's slow travel, even with some vehicles, and class schedules dampen the enjoyment somewhat.
What makes Bully shine is the wide variety of things to do. You can have fights, pick lockers, hide in trash cans, shoot slingshots, throw firecrackers, and do many other things. However, many activities, crimes like violence, vandalism, and theft, result in consequences, being captured by authorities.
Bully is a huge game. The player will probably spend quite a few weeks or even months completing it, even if one becomes bored with the same controls and locations eventually. However, there is no replay value, as the storyline is the main focus of the game.
There are only two save points in the game, the principal's office and the dorm room. Because the player is unable to save during missions and there is no save option on the pause menu, it becomes frustrating to travel all the way back to campus just to save the game.
Pros:
1. Gameplay lasts quite a few months.
2. Many things to do.
3. Fun missions and classes.
4. Great soundtrack.
5. Wonderful attempts at variety.
Cons:
1. Class schedule may impede missions and other activities.
2. No replay value.
3. Saving the game can be a hassle.
The Verdict:
I recommend this game to any hardcore Wii users. The freedom to do whatever one wants, whether it's fighting, stealing, or helping, is the focus of this game's enjoyment. Despite the lack of replay value, there is still much to enjoy in this masterpiece.