Author: Logan Pendragon
“Bully, one of the better games.”
Bully Review
Overall Rating: 9/10
Overview
Ah, this is another game by a powerful company called Rock Star. I don’t generally like there game’s, I don’t like nudity and all there grand theft auto series has way too much. However this was one of there game’s I picked up, and just because I haven’t played the later grand theft auto’s I played the first few of them, and I also know how the newer one’s function, I just never directly played them. To me this is one of the best games ever made. It has some of the best systems and best stuff fin the game I have ever found in any game until this very date. It was a very thorough game with lot’s of different mini systems all done heroically, it was a very, very powerful mission based game, and one of my favorite games to date.
Game Play
This game is just the best. Bottom line, best game play I have ever encountered. Things I have never seen before in my life, I have seen in this game, functionality wise, and all other affects. For now just game play, the game play itself was utterly amazing. This slow paces mission based system that was deeply vocal story driven, very powerful storyline, drives you to play any more. There are literally hundred of different things you can do in the game, as well as ton’s of different vehicles and different types of those vehicles that you can unlock. For instance each thing has it’s own entire system built in, Each side thing, I will mention all of this under engine, but for now, for instance the bike’s, there is an entirely in depth system built in for riding the bike, explained later, and another one for the skateboard, entirely Then they have the “bully system” I can’t just describe how many different things were built into the game, and how deep each and every individual one is, I will go into detail about all this later in the engine section but I can’t just describe it well enough in word’s, it’s amazing. Overall the game play continues to say in the top of it’s game no matter what you are doing, whether it’s swimming, eating, biking, skateboarding, BMX racing, go cart racing, at the carnival, with your girlfriend, in class, skipping class, playing pranks on people, protecting people from bullies, collecting the collectables, looking at your extensive stat sheet, or something else, no matter what, throughout all of these thing’s the game play never fall’s short, not even once, well maybe in one thing, which I mention during the area I speak about the game engine.
Storyline
This is one of the game’s other strong points. It’s a very powerful story driven, mission driven game that is split up into 6 chapters, with lots of missions and side missions spread out in between. The story mission itself is played from the perspective of a high school student at a new school, seemingly this possibly doesn’t have a lot of good possibilities for a story line, well I thought that at first but I was sorely mistaken, the way to story follows the main character, and everything is 100% vocal, and the acting, it really can draw you into the story and make you feel like you are back in high school, in that high school in that role, doing the things that he is doing. The story itself has a rather obvious ending, but the last couple of characters of what happens to a few of the character’s, some of that stuff makes you think, I am glad I watched this ending, it’s one of the ending with only 1 loose end that didn’t get tied up, but if you think about it you won’t really care anyone you can just use your imagination.
Graphics
The graphics are of course grade A. The character models are totally perfect, they are flawless, and look very realistic, the main character looks like a real high school student, the area, and water graphics are also very nicely done.
Engine
* Fighting system is very deep, very fulfilling. You start off with some basic attacks, and then you learn more later on from a hobo, and from other side missions. In the end you have a very well rounded fighter, that is very well rounded, as well as some mini game’s to bring up your punching strength. So overall you end up with a powerful young boy that can open a can of whoop ass in the end. You also get to beat the hell out of different groups of people you don’t like throughout the game.
* Relationship system is very deep, allowing you to end up having “indirectly, and unfaithful” 5-6 girlfriends throughout the entire game, that even get jealous if they catch you kissing one of the other one’s. The system also extends to relationship system with the different factions, ranging from 0% (them hating you) to 100% them absolutely loving you. You even eventually get them fighting with you when you get in a fight, or running to help you, and obviously in the end, they all go to 100% making you loved by everyone.
* TONS of mini-systems. They are listed below
* Swimming system – he realistically swim’s, they also took into account current, proper swimming technique swimming speed, and other factors that are normally present in real like
* Biking system – Very realistic bike structure, you can eventually get your hands on multiple different bike’s (bicycles), plus a few other faster vehicles. The bike system take’s everything into account, the weather, the terrain, the handling of the bike, the speed you are going at, and also has lot’s of races for you to race in to really round out the biking system in general, and give you something practical to do with it.
* Skateboarding – Very realistic as well, it take’s into account the weather, terrain (for instance during the winter when it snow’s it actually slides around but not too much, just enough to give it that realistic but not ridiculous affect that a lot of game’s tend to give when it comes to sliding on ice. Also if you are on the road or concrete it goes pretty fast, it goes slower on rougher terrain and grass. As well you actually see his leg’s are realistically doing what a real person would do on a skateboard, and the way it starts going on it’s on downhill but starts slowing down uphill also make’s it even more realistic, and more that you can feel like you are really riding it.
* Weather system – deep weather and season systems allowing you to go through all 4 seasons, and multiple types of weather, from rain, clouds, snow, and everything else that normally happens.
* Character building system – you build your stats for your character through un lockables by doing bunches of side quests and finding lots of un lockables throughout the game.
* Job system – You can take side jobs like paper boy, and lawn mowing and both are separate systems in themselves, and both are built rather powerfully, and allow you to really feel like you are mowing a yard and doing a paper route.
* VERY deep errand system – Pretty basic structurally, but they only come out at specific time’s, and there are a lot of them in the game total
* Completion system – a way for you to tell when they consider you having acquired 100% total game completion
* Clothes system – deep setup allows you to change his clothes in and out buy clothes, get hair cuts, tattoos, and numerous other things that make the game seem just that much more realistic
* You can throw snowballs too
Sound and Music
The sound and music are very addictive, and really match whatever situations are going on. The bike sound affects, and skateboard sound affects are heavily realistic, as well as the fighting and racing sound affects, every thing sounds as real to true life as it can be. Even the fire alarms when you pull them.
Replay Value
There is only one ending, and there is only one main character you can choose from, and nothing really random occurs necessarily, but the true nature of the game itself can make anyone easily be able to sit down, beat it from beginning to end, and start on it again afterwards, and make it at least half way through, and still play it again a few week’s later, the simply nature of the game play makes it very easy to pick it back up again after you beat it, especially if you don’t have anything else to do, you won’t have this bored aggravation accompanying you when you attempt a second play through
Overall Positives
* Lot’s of systems
* Great music
* Great graphics
* Great sound affects
* Great character models
* Great interaction with the environment and with the characters around you
Overall Negatives
* The further in the game you get you will notice the general lag in a few elements in the game, it only happens later in the game and you barely notice it, but you see it starts loading slowly, some time’s the terrain skips or a second, and it even locked up on me one time, during a critical moment, but that’s the only negative to the game.
Closing Remark
Bottom line this is one of the best game’s I have ever played, with some of the best ideas and concepts that have ever been conceived to date for a video game, very powerful story and overall something I recommend to anyone, even if they play it casually a few hours each week you won’t regret it when you really get into the heart of the game and see how good it truly is.
* Everything in this review is from the perspective of a programmer; I do a lot of programming, so some of it comes from a technical point of view. I have been playing game’s as well for a very, very long time, so when I do a review I do it with a lot of comparison’s in between other game’s and based on the game’s engine (and comprised systems).
Version History
9/7/2014:
– Added overall rating.
– Added upper links, preparing to submit to Gamefaqs.
Release Date:
– Initial Version