Bully: Scholarship Edition Hands-On

By Jon Miller, GameSpotPosted Oct 17, 2008 4:39 pm PT

The PC version is finally upon us. Is Bullworth Academy still worth the tuition?

Today marks the two-year anniversary that Bully was released on the PlayStation 2 amid a hailstorm of negative publicity, much of which occurred when Florida attorney Jack Thompson attempted to have the game banned from store shelves. Among the controversial content: general bullying, wedgies, stink bombs, all manner of pranks, and boy-on-boy kissing. Since that time, Thompson has been disbarred and Bully received generally glowing reviews. A special Scholarship Edition was also released on the Wii and Xbox 360. Now, finally, it has come to the PC and is just as fun as the original.

Teach the jocks to play nice.

Bully: Scholarship Edition comes with the standard PC features, such as the ability to change resolution and antialiesing video settings, as well as customizable mouse/keyboard controls. Bad-boy Jimmy Hopkins handles just fine, although you may want to increase your mouse sensitivity from the default settings to increase the speed in which you race through Bullworth Academy on your skateboard. For those more familiar with console controls, BSE will also support an Xbox 360 wired controller, which handles swimmingly. And fear not, Rockstar appears to have cleaned up the bugs and crashing issues that blighted the 360 version of the Scholarship Edition.

Unlike the Wii and 360 versions, the PC will not include the local multiplayer minigames, though that's not a surprise given the nature of the platform. In terms of single-player content, it appears to be identical to the 360 and Wii Scholarship Editions in that it includes four new classes (biology, music, geography, math), as well as some new missions. Classes are generally fun minigames, such as dissecting a frog in biology (a breeze with the keyboard and mouse) or playing the school song in what is basically a simplified Guitar Hero. Passing classes earns you new items and skills. For instance, you learn to grapple and execute a three-hit melee combo in gym class from the wrestling coach. The excellent soundtrack and voice acting remain stunning even two years after the original Bully.

These preps are going to learn the hard way.

When we weren't in class, we were performing early story missions, beating up bullies who were always ready to fight, and avoiding school prefects that were hot on our mischievous tail. Breaking into student lockers is a quick way to get your hands on new kick-me signs, stink bombs, and a Bullworth lettermen jacket. Jimmy was quickly becoming a Bullworth Legend after the Big Prank mission in which we lit a bag of flaming dog excrement on fire in front of the teachers' lounge and pulled the fire alarm--Coach was not happy. The conversation system is largely the same, and paying compliments to girls, as well as giving gifts of flowers or chocolate, will lead to a quick kiss. We also visited the boys dorm, changed into nothing more than a pair of tighty whities along with a skeleton T-shirt (left over from Halloween), and taunted prefects with a clear dress-code violation. Then, we searched the grounds for parts that could be traded with the local hobo--a Korean War vet--for new fighting moves.

This PC edition is set for release next week at $29.99, which is a decent bargain for anyone who hasn't played through one of the more original games of the past two years. Stay tuned for the full review.

82 Comments

  • truegamer97

    Posted Nov 23, 2009 7:21 am PT

    Even i can't open it. When i want to play, it's said "Bully requires 32-bit display and vertex and pixel shader model 3.0 support."
    What is happening? I think my PC have all requirements. Help.

  • Karim_sama

    Posted Nov 2, 2008 5:26 am PT

    I have a pretty decent PC and it crashes all the time making the game almost impossible to play.
    I had to make the Pranks on Halloween like 7 times for the game not crash on me.
    And go to the city is a crash for sure.
    Please Game Spot... wright something on it.
    Will Rockstar release a Patch to fix it?

  • Elem3nt

    Posted Nov 1, 2008 3:30 am PT

    Freezes and crashes for me all the time. If this problem is so widespread, how did rockstar not figure thise out sooner. What a crappy port, wish I had my money back.

  • The_MaiN_MeNu

    Posted Oct 30, 2008 4:03 pm PT

    how bout a review gamespot?

  • Sicsicsix

    Posted Oct 29, 2008 12:21 pm PT

    it crashes for me 2.. running on a pretty descent pc but it just crashing all the time.. i havent seen so much bugs though.. i agree to you all.. please release a patch soon!!!

  • Fution2

    Posted Oct 29, 2008 9:46 am PT

    Afraid the bugs are on windows xp aswell , i see everyone is complaining cos it dosen't hardly run on vista but hey i got news for u ... its the same on xp to . Was looking forward to playing this but sadly it just keeps crashing and lagging to a halt , so will also be waiting for a patch to , shame looks a decent game to

  • steveo_justice

    Posted Oct 29, 2008 6:54 am PT

    Man, I'm sick of seeing those Fallout 3 banners everywhere, the BoS guy in em looks like he's from a CGi sequece from 1997.

    Oh and the game will probably be as bad as any other 2 year, last gen port, if you ask me.

  • kaan

    Posted Oct 29, 2008 5:53 am PT

    @totti

    I'm running on xp and the game crashes every 5 minutes forcing me to save after every mission(that is if the game decides to run this time). Definitely returning this if there is no patch after a week.

  • totti_freeman

    Posted Oct 29, 2008 4:40 am PT

    daniel

    the pc bugs r on vista only.tats how i understood.
    i dont think there r bugs on the windows XP too.
    arent there?

  • daniel_kay

    Posted Oct 28, 2008 10:37 pm PT

    I got it on release day and can't even get it to run, i hope they release patches soon otherwise I'll sadly have to return it

    PS: is it really true that you NEED a sound card to play it? (because i got it till the intro sequence and sound played just fine there)

  • kaan

    Posted Oct 28, 2008 12:27 pm PT

    @totti

    Easy, the pc port is full of bugs and crashes that makes it unplayable. Head on to the steam forums to check it out.

  • totti_freeman

    Posted Oct 27, 2008 11:10 am PT

    its already out?then why it has no score yet on PC?can someone pls explain?

  • loveexousia

    Posted Oct 27, 2008 10:26 am PT

    Game already come out.

  • 3249Mor

    Posted Oct 27, 2008 5:52 am PT

    I can't wait to get my hands on it!

  • Silphatos

    Posted Oct 26, 2008 5:16 am PT

    very buggy indeed, especially if you're outside of the school.

  • AADDII558

    Posted Oct 24, 2008 6:22 am PT

    "Rockstar appears to have cleaned up the bugs and crashing issues"
    that's not true, the game is really buggy (invisible floors, game stock on loading screens, etc)
    I want my money back! (or a patch)

  • tidyspidey

    Posted Oct 22, 2008 11:44 pm PT

    absolutely fantastic game - preferred it to GTA IV personally.... best Rockstar game since San Andreas. Now all I want is for them to somehow port San Andreas (or a slimmed down version) to the PSP.... I can dream can't I?

  • Gaaragamer13

    Posted Oct 22, 2008 3:20 pm PT

    I play the first one
    it was great I want it for the 360 now but maybe PC

  • Media_Mind

    Posted Oct 22, 2008 2:38 pm PT

    I think the time has passed...

  • Kaspii00

    Posted Oct 22, 2008 6:40 am PT

    Doesn't look that different from the PS2 version. Hope it's something different, because I never have tried scholarship edition. Or checked the differences.

Bully: Scholarship Edition Quick Links

Summary | Reviews | News | Previews & Features | Images | Videos | Downloads | Answers | Forum | Check Prices

Check Prices: $10.99 – 19.99

GameStop $19.99 SHOP ›
Amazon.com $19.49 SHOP ›
eBay $10.99 SHOP ›
advertisement
advertisement
Click Here
Bully: Scholarship Edition Boxshot Enlarge the boxshot
Bully: Scholarship Edition

Game Stats

  • Rank:
    1,757 of 84,348
    (down by 281)
    PC Rank:
    705 of 12,827
    Highest Rank:
    17 in 2008
    Tracking:
    452 Track It»
    Wishlists:
    205 Wish It»
  • Player Reviews:
    30
    Player Ratings:
    666
    Users Now Playing:
    131
  • Game Universe:
  • Number of Players:

    1 Player Online Modes: Competitive

  • Top 5 User Tags:
    1. bully
    2. bull
    3. edition
    4. gta
    5. rockstar
  • Teen Rating Description

    Titles rated T (Teen) have content that may be suitable for ages 13 and older. Titles in this category may contain violence, suggestive themes, crude humor, minimal blood, simulated gambling, and/or infrequent use of strong language. Learn more

Full Game Details »Close
Also on

Games you may like…

Users who looked at content for this game also looked at these games.

See More Similar Games