Bully: Scholarship Edition for Xbox 360 Reviews by Gamers

...for several reasons. Bully is a somewhat refreshing blast of cool water to the face after seeing so many FPS games being released and hogging so much glory.

I definitely love this game for the GTA-type freedom at a much more kid-friendly theme. However, I should caution those that have older systems that there's a frame rate problem (those that have played Two Worlds should be familiar with the term) and there's no patched released so be aware of that.

Now, Bully has some pros and cons but the pros obviously hold the advantage. You start each day with the burden of heading off to class (two classes a day, easy to challenging mini-game). My only beef is that some ask too much or just get ridiculous. For geography class, you're given a map and some flags and asked to match countries to their flags and while some will think that's easy others might not be as educated to know where Normandy is.

After that you're good to do missions and whatnot until around 11PM where you can be caught for breaking curfew. But what's a game without some protagonist breaking rules for his benefit?

While I'm inclined to say I love Bully, the time system is really messed up. About 2 seconds counts for a minute so an hour runs by pretty fast as you can imagine. This runs especially hard because missions sucks up some time and you can only do 1-2 before you're breaking curfew and you have prefects/cops on your tail constantly.

All in all, pick up the game and it will be apparent if it is your style or not. My bet is, it will be.

Let me preface this review by saying that I did not play Bully on the PlayStation 2 when it first came out. I have read a number of reviews that say if you have played the original, this is not much of an add. Since I didn't play the original, I cannot comment.

I really didn't know what to think when I picked up Bully. On one hand I'd always been curious about the game, and have a great deal of faith on the quality that Rockstar Games is known for. On the other hand, I was never able to bring myself to pick it up on the PS2 and give it a shot. After getting into the 360 version of this game, I can tell you I'm greatly disappointed that I waited so long.

The graphics will not impress, and some of the vocal lines and characters can be repetitive depending on how you play this game, but I think the best word to describe this game is fun. This game is an absolute blast to play the first time through.

The control scheme is very easy to pick up, especially if you have played GTA-similar games before. The missions that you can do, both storyline based and side-quests, are creative and involved, and in true GTA style some quests are very easy while some will provide much more of a challenge.

While there are numerous quests and challenges to complete, one of the most entertaining parts of this game for me was "going to class". From biology to english, you must take main character Jimmy Hopkins through a number of mini-games to pass classes. At the same time, this is not mandatory, as you can play hookie, ditch class and head into the town, avoiding cops and prefects trying to throw you back into school.

The game also has quite deep character interaction, as you befriend and battle with greasers, preps, nerds, jocks, etc. You also try to get some tail from the females at the school, offering roses or chocolates (depending on the girth of your chica).

Overall, I would recommend this game for someone who has not played before - lots of fun to be had.