Outside of the cliques we have the Bullies. The Bullies don’t seem to have any particular territory, but do tend to dress in a simple white Bullworth Academy shirt, and will attack you anywhere they can.
In order to succeed at Bullworth you’ll need to learn how to navigate these groups and use them to your advantage. As in GTA, you’ll need to keep a close eye on your respect levels, otherwise you’ll find yourself getting attacked by the group you need to help and kissed by the group you need to beat.
Once Jimmy figures out how life works at Bullworth, it’s time for him to start making a name for himself. While Jimmy is free to be as cruel or as nice as he pleases, he does seem to have a code of honour. Petey, one of the weaker kids, is often defended by Jimmy against Bullies, including the very wicked Gary and at one point Jimmy even convinces Russell, the biggest of the bullies, to stop beating up the innocent kids and start beating the punks who really deserve it.
Jimmy’s moral code itself is actually quite deep, at least for a videogame character. He has no problem with violence, or torturous acts, just so long as it’s being done against the right people. In a way he is a scholastic vigilante, standing up for the little guy, however Jimmy is not without his dark side and often won’t do anything courteous without being bribed.
When the time for combat does arrive, Jimmy is nothing if not prepared. In addition to his basic punch and grab combinations, he can also learn some more advanced skills from Gym class, or from the drunken Korean vet who lives behind the school.
Combat is smooth and very reminiscent of The Warriors, however your weapon selection is much more tame. Instead of knives and guns you’ll be using stink bombs, firecrackers and baseball bats. There’s no blood whatsoever in the game, and while that does make it seem less realistic, given the setting and the current political climate in the U.S., it’s completely necessary.
Outside of fighting, there are lots of other activities for Jimmy to partake in. Like any normal teenage boy, Jimmy will spend a lot of time chasing down girls. Usually a few flowers and some chocolates are enough to win a girls heart, but others will require you take them out on a date and win prizes.
Article comments
1 - Ken Edwards
Congrats! Your article was picked for this week's Editors' Picks!
2 - noname
This review, and many others, miss the essential point of the majority of the critics. It's not about the rather bland violence in this game. Most people who are against this game realize it is not a Columbine simulator. Instead, it is the fact that the marketing suggests the idea that it is appropriate fodder for fun and entertainment to abuse your peers. The fact that so many critics have been bullied and belittled for speaking out only further justifies those concerns.
3 - Jason "Njiska" Westhaver
Ok so as the authour of this review i'd liked to make a few points.
First and foremost THIS IS A REVIEW. It's meant to rate the game on it's merits not give a divine social commentary on the whole Bully controvery. So critizing my review for not properly addressing the critizism of marketing is kind of a moot point don't you think? My few references to the critics are largely meant as satirical entertainment. A way of making my review a fun read for the bulk of gamer kind.
Now as for the issue of Bully being marketed as entertainment based on abusing your peers. So what? Are you saying that it's the marketing that's doing harm and not the end product? I'm afriad i just don't follow your line of logic, although i'd love to hear a clarification.
As for the number one complaint of the critics, the ones who claim this game will incite further violence, How the hell can you think so lowly of your children? Have you no faith that they're smart enough to know bullying is wrong? And if not isn't it your job as a parent to educate them on that issue?
4 - Timothy Greathouse
I'm with ya, Jason. Bully won't inspire violence among children any more than KMFDM inspired Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold to open fire at Columbine. Lack of parental presence, guidance and love are the reasons why kids go astray, period. There are a million kids who play Doom and don't shoot other kids. There are a few that do, but to link violnet video games and violence together is an association fallacy.
IMHO, of course, which, admittedly, is anything but H.
5 - Jason "Njiska" Westhaver
Actually Tim there is an easily shown link between real violence and violence in video games, but what that link is, is often ignored by both sides.
There is no doubt in my mind and little doubt in studies that violent people play video games. It's a correlation, that means the two are related. The thing is that violent people play video games becasue violent people like violent things. Video games don't cause them to be violent, they were already that way. Video games just happened to be something that they enjoyed.
In other words there is a shown and proven correlation, but there is no proven causation.
6 - Timothy Greathouse
You're probably right. I barely passed my logic class in college. My point is that a child who plays violent video games and has loving, involved parents to watch over them and guide their moral compass is pretty damn unlikely to pull a Columbine, or anything like it.
7 - Jason "Njiska" Westhaver
And on that we can agree.
8 - Aaman
On Halloween, Gary even dresses up as a Nazi officer (sans the arm band), which is the prefect fit because his character, much like the Nazi's, tries to use charisma and power to dominate others.
Did you mean 'prefect fit' there, as in 'Gary's a Nazi prefect' or was that a typo?
I've just started playing the game and it's neat, but a bit tiresome to be always running from point to point, don't they have bicycles in this school?
9 - Jason "Njiska" Westhaver
What i'm trying to say is that dressing up as a Nazi on Halloween fits with Gary's character because Gary is a character who uses power and charisma to dominate the minds of others just like the Nazi party.
The Nazi's gained power in Germany because they had charismatic leader's like Adolf Hitler Joseph Gobbels that presented arguments with a tone and mannerism that bred confidence in the people and rallied them together.