Bully: Scholarship Edition

 PC
User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 390 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 246 out of 390
  2. Mixed: 108 out of 390
  3. Negative: 36 out of 390
Buy On

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. markwhitton
    Nov 20, 2013
    6
    Although the characters are all fantastically built up and the dialogue is actually funny; unfortunately the game feels repetitive, small and often quite a boring experience… Don’t get me wrong I picked this up in the sales for a quid or two and based on the fact I played the game through, it’s definitely value for money! However, the only thing that kept me interested was the quirkyAlthough the characters are all fantastically built up and the dialogue is actually funny; unfortunately the game feels repetitive, small and often quite a boring experience… Don’t get me wrong I picked this up in the sales for a quid or two and based on the fact I played the game through, it’s definitely value for money! However, the only thing that kept me interested was the quirky characters and the dialogue! The game also seems to suffer from a rather average draw distance, with no slider to increase this, which is one of the biggest gripes I have with it… The city is also quite small, which I guess was to be expected but it lacked any real depth and certainly didn’t enhance the experience! All in all it was a decent game but it just felt like GTA aimed at younger audiences!… Expand
  2. keefbaker
    Oct 17, 2013
    8
    I think of this as Grand Theft Auto meets Skool Daze. Given that both are great games it hardly surprising that mixing these two classics make another great game
  3. finED3
    Jun 5, 2014
    9
    This game has to be the most underrated games of all time after Just cause 2. The PC version might be a little bit badly ported but the game has that F#CK SCHOOL atmosphere and i just love it! The map is not Extremely big but it still has a lot of things to explore. if your interested in GTA you will love this game. Definitely try this one out.
  4. BaronMonaco
    Oct 22, 2015
    8
    Bully is quite unique, you play a teen (with some issues) arriving to his new boarding school, the game is a true satire of the school system, painting useless/abusive adults and a social tyranny amongst students (and it may not be too far from the reality). And so you'll have to earn the respect from every "gang" one by one thanks to a large variety of tasks, some of them pretty uselessBully is quite unique, you play a teen (with some issues) arriving to his new boarding school, the game is a true satire of the school system, painting useless/abusive adults and a social tyranny amongst students (and it may not be too far from the reality). And so you'll have to earn the respect from every "gang" one by one thanks to a large variety of tasks, some of them pretty useless (delivery jobs and so) could have been cut out of the game but some of them are also very imaginative and somehow epic. But overall the main story is very fun, thanks to excellent writing and cinematics providing original and memorable characters.

    As most of the Rockstar games, Bully is set in an open world, and even if it's quite small compared to their other games it offers quite a lot of side activities (mainly collectibles, but also optional tasks, shops, a funfair, etc.) and of course classes you can attend to and pass if you're successful during the minigames. The game will keep you occupy approximately 30 hours if you want it all (15, if you just wanna do the main story) which is very acceptable for this genre without being outstanding.

    Finally let's talk about the main issues of the game, all related to its porting to PC, the graphics didn't improved at all and makes the game look pretty bad for a 2008 release, but most of all the controls aren't user friendly at all and will take a few hours to master (even then it will not be natural). It's a shame.

    Despite this I still love the game, mainly for its originality I will cherish my memories of it and welcome with open-arms a sequel (College edition ?) and it's definitely a good game that will provide good entertainment.    … Expand
  5. Basem101
    Aug 20, 2013
    7
    a real funny innovative and new style game this game has really funny and entertaining missions the story is fine but what is bad about this game are the controls they're really bad that ruined the game for me but in the end it is really good
  6. TheStrange
    Apr 13, 2013
    10
    A great game, I enjoyed the story and the gameplay, the characters are fun, free roam are full of animation. A beautiful game.
  7. adyneghina
    Jan 3, 2014
    9
    One of the most underrated games It's got an great story awesome gameplay and a big world
    Only problem is PC optimization on newer systems which was chaotic until the patch
  8. KegOfGrog
    Apr 20, 2019
    8
    Canis Canem Edit nella versione europea, dove venne eliminato il titolo Bully per rendere meno esplicito il soggetto (anche se la locuzione latina usata come sottotitolo nella versione originale significa "Cane mangia cane" e descrive, quindi, a pennello l'atmosfera del gioco) è diventato ormai un classico.

    La Rockstar è stata furba perché si è mossa in un territorio a lei familiare,    Canis Canem Edit nella versione europea, dove venne eliminato il titolo Bully per rendere meno esplicito il soggetto (anche se la locuzione latina usata come sottotitolo nella versione originale significa "Cane mangia cane" e descrive, quindi, a pennello l'atmosfera del gioco) è diventato ormai un classico.

    La Rockstar è stata furba perché si è mossa in un territorio a lei familiare, quello già collaudato con la serie Grand Theft Auto, colonizzando una fetta di mercato un po' trascurata dalle altre software-house: quella della vita scolastica. Se avete giocato a Manhunt (se non lo avete fatto, dovreste!), il protagonista vi dirà qualcosa fin dal primo sguardo; sia esso il figlio di James Earl Cash, il suo fratellastro perduto, o una sua versione da giovane, il risultato non cambia: James "Jimmy" Hopkins è quasi un gemello perduto del protagonista dell'altro gioco.

    Iniziamo dal principio, comunque, nel recensire questo titolo del 2006 nativo Play Station 2, del quale è stato fatto il porting per Xbox e Microsoft Windows nel 2008. La prima regola quando si parla di un gioco di una certa età è contestualizzarlo: non aspettatevi una grafica paragonabile a quella dei giochi più moderni, anche nella Scholarship Edition - rivisitazione che aggiunge una grafica in alta definizione, nuove missioni, lezioni, mini giochi, personaggi e oggetti - tuttavia, quello che pecca in estetica, o nel comprato audio (ripetitivo in quanto effetti e colonna sonora, mentre il doppiaggio originale è più che discreto), lo "guadagna" in termini di ambientazione e story-line e gameplay. Infatti, l'ambiente scolastico americano (così lontano da quello nostrano) è ripreso nella maniera più cruda, esasperata e realistica possibile.

    Jimmy Hopkins è un ragazzo di quindici anni in piena crisi adolescenziale, che sta a noi gestire in tutto e per tutto; possiamo scegliere il suo modo di comportarsi, di agire, di relazionarsi con gli altri e persino il suo look. Ci troviamo a controllare questo teenager problematico, espulso da ben sette scuole per motivi più o meno gravi (tra cui un incendio doloso), che viene abbandonato dalla madre fresca di quinte nozze e dal nuovo patrigno alla Bullworth Academy. È lampante la componente emotiva che spinge il ragazzo a comportarsi come un teppista, a trovare nella violenza la risposta ai suoi dilemmi morali - e non giustificata solo da ragioni di gameplay, quindi, cosa realmente apprezzabile perché' porta acqua al mulino del background del nostro personaggio - poiché' James soffre la mancanza totale delle figure genitoriali. L'unica vera casa del ragazzo sono i collegi dai quali viene continuamente espulso, mentre cerca in tutti i modi di restare a galla negli spietati degli istituti "correzionali" in cui viene spedito di volta in volta. La scuola privata del New England sarà un punto di svolta e tocca al giocatore scegliere in che modo: sarà l'eroe dei secchioni? L'ennesimo bullo violento? Il ribelle incompreso? Il fighetto capobranco?

    Le possibilità, come le fazioni, sono moltissime e questo contribuisce ad aumentare la longevità del titolo.

    Essendo un "tipico" quindicenne dovrete seguire le lezioni, che a seconda della materia vi daranno vari bonus (ad esempio: seguendo le lezioni di inglese imparerete a scusarvi con le autorità, mentre seguendo le lezioni di ginnastica imparerete nuove combo da usare contro i vostri avversari, oppure partecipando alle lezioni di chimica potrete costruire numerosi armi con l'attrezzatura chimica in camera vostra, o ancora seguendo le lezioni di arte acquisirete maggiori capacità nel trattare con il gentil sesso), preoccuparvi della vostra reputazione, compiere vari lavoretti per guadagnare denaro e uscire con i vostri coetanei (cosa utile per aumentare i bonus salute). Inoltre essendo un titolo di genere sandbox, ci offrire la possibilità di scegliere il nostro modo personale per arrivare alla fine di ogni missione e quando svolgerla.

    Questo gioco di avventura open world sembra quasi un simulatore di vita reale (proprio come il cugino GTA da cui ha ereditato le caratteristiche di free roaming), che ci consente di immergerci nel mondo delle high school americane, che siamo tanto abituati a vedere tramite le loro popolarissime serie tv.

    L'unica pecca significativa a mio modesto parere è stata la cattiva gestione del porting, che rende quasi obbligatorio possedere un joypad per sopperire alla scomodità dell'accoppiata mouse/tastiera; che, sfortunatamente, come la maggior parte dei computer-gamer preferisco. Se per Xbox il gameplay risultava forzato, per pc risulta macchinoso e complicato da gestire (fin da subito e' palese la mancanza di impegno nel trasporto dei comandi di gioco).

    Questa piccola perla è un must nella collezione di ogni amante dei titoli Rockstar, un titolo innovativo (per i suoi tempi, ovviamente) e satirico che è in grado di regalare ore di divertimento.    … Expand
  9. KamilP.
    Nov 22, 2008
    9
    It is a wonderfull game from masters of GTA style games. It has bad controls but they are easy to redifine.
  10. ChuckBeef
    Dec 21, 2008
    2
    The control scheme is garbage, to say the least. Being able to remap the keys doesn't really help. There are just too many different keys that are expected to be used in tandem, when there should be only a few which are more context-sensitive. The game looks like crap, and even on a modern system, RUNS like crap. There's no excuse for it, really. This was a low-budget consoleThe control scheme is garbage, to say the least. Being able to remap the keys doesn't really help. There are just too many different keys that are expected to be used in tandem, when there should be only a few which are more context-sensitive. The game looks like crap, and even on a modern system, RUNS like crap. There's no excuse for it, really. This was a low-budget console port like so many games, and like so many games it is crappy as a result. It's like developers have forgotten how to make PC games in the last 10 years.… Expand
  11. Dah_Garrett
    Feb 22, 2013
    7
    It's a really fun game, The keyboard controls are a bit awkward but you can change them I really had fun with this one. although the classroom mini games are a bit repetitive same with some of the missions but it is still a wonderful game.
  12. m0rb
    Jul 19, 2013
    6
    first things first: I DO love this game!

    ...but, it IS an EXTREMELY BAD port from console to PC. it really is a shame if this game would have better controlls and tweakable graphics, it would be one of rockstars very best games! but the bad port quite ruins it, I'll have to admit that. - controls: clunky and overall bad. without an original pre-mapped xbox 360 controller,    first things first: I DO love this game!

    ...but,

    it IS an EXTREMELY BAD port from console to PC.
    it really is a shame if this game would have better controlls and tweakable graphics, it would be one of rockstars very best games!

    but the bad port quite ruins it, I'll have to admit that.

    - controls: clunky and overall bad.
    without an original pre-mapped xbox 360 controller, this game is literally UNPLAYABLE and I don't mean "too hard to learn", I mean literally unplayable!

    - graphics: ugly textures that looked bad on consoles and haven't been changed.
    also it looks (and FEELS!) like it is locked at 30 FPS.

    I would say this game were a solid 8 or even a 9, if it weren't for these two very negative points!

    apart from lousy graphics and a sub-par port, I enjoyed this game a lot.

    lessons are annoying mini-games, which isn't as bad as it sounds and gym-class is funny all the way.
    characters are caricatures all seen millions of times, but these clichees are what made this game so charming for me, I really enjoyed it kind of like a "Ferris Bueler(?)/Parker Lewis" simulator.    … Expand
  13. AwesomeGamer
    Mar 6, 2012
    10
    MOST UNDERRATED GAME EVER!!!!!!

    I just dont get how can people dislike this game.. It AMAZING! The story is really, the characters are really likeable, and the game is FUN,, i recommend this game to EVERYONE!
  14. potatoes351
    Aug 29, 2012
    6
    Bully for PC is similar to the Wii port in many ways. It has a terrible control scheme and has no graphical upgrade to speak of, hell it even looks worse. The game retains the tongue in cheek story and excellent...well everything but is hampered yet again by poor keyboard & mouse support and awful visuals.
  15. dajhorn
    Sep 16, 2014
    7
    Bully is a late night snack made from Grand Theft Auto III leftovers. Rockstar did both games, and the latest patch runs perfectly on Windows 8. I better enjoy the writing, stereotypes, and caricatures in Bully more now than when I first played it.
  16. webbs
    Feb 9, 2014
    10
    Any rating under 8 is crap if you say it glitches then you sir or mistress have a crappy computer. Bully is amazing and i have to admit it is goes up there with JC2 and not too far below GTA IV or V
  17. RedolfoDias99
    Jul 9, 2015
    10
    I don't know why people dont like this game, 'cause honestly it's awesome, if you expect a GTA you will get kind of sad, but it is a great game still! in fact I enjoyed it more than GTA IV. It has an intersiting plot, a decent combat system, the main character is very nice, it has awesome main quests. I realy advise you to try this game, it is one of the most underrated of the Xbox/PS2 generation!
  18. LincolnClay
    Jan 10, 2017
    8
    gta+school+no guns=bully. godly amazing game with a great storyline,i first played it on ps2. it was easy in ps2 but pc..the controls..ughhhh,not so much but still it worked like a charm and rocked like a god. it's simply a phenomenal game made by rockstar studios,hope to see bully 2 come out soon as possible. every open world game fan should try out this.

    My rating for it would be 8.4/10
  19. dumle
    Mar 29, 2013
    3
    This game really doesn't want me to like it. This game is a pretty bad console port with tons of issues that i wont be able to bring up. Most noticeable would be the 30 fps-cap, and the annoying controls. Add to that frequent crashes, unskippable cutscenes, no autosaves and fixed save points and you get a formula for a bad time. And as it happens i am not entirely in love with theThis game really doesn't want me to like it. This game is a pretty bad console port with tons of issues that i wont be able to bring up. Most noticeable would be the 30 fps-cap, and the annoying controls. Add to that frequent crashes, unskippable cutscenes, no autosaves and fixed save points and you get a formula for a bad time. And as it happens i am not entirely in love with the general gameplay either. The combat is easy, boring and unsatisfying. The stealth missions are just plain horrible. The bikes arent all that fun to use making the getting from point A too point B quite boring. Failure often forces you to replay needless bits and there are some silly reasons for failure in this game that can get a bit annoying. There is also a lot of quite boring missions in this game that centers around the same boring mechanic over and over again which makes the game a bit repetitive. Now the campaign took me around 14 hours to complete and you might wonder why i bothered completing it since i havent done anything else than whine so far. Well the reason is that the game is quite charming. I really like the setting and the story, characters and character interactions are quite charming. And i found myself getting quite immersed in the game-world from time to time despite all my problems with the game. These times are however too few and too short for me to recommend this game. The most common emotion this game managed to generate from me is pure frustration and that is never a good sign. So i do not recommend this game despite its charm. Its simply too rough around the edges for me to do that.… Expand
  20. AlienSpaceBats
    Jul 24, 2011
    4
    A nasty port, I did attempt to play Bully despite its technical flaws but got so irritated by the characters, story and, well, everything ... that little remained to warrant continued investigation.
  21. spydercanopus
    Apr 23, 2011
    2
    Poor port. Can't setup my controller. It doesn't have calibration settings at all. There are also fewer buttons on a "PS3 style" controller than what are needed to perform all the actions, which is very strange... Expect to use the keyboard and mouse if you get this..
  22. Ecaelia
    Mar 2, 2013
    2
    This game has a horrible game play, with the main gripe being a lousy control of the character. Even after tweaking the controls it's barely playable. Graphics is not great but acceptable and story appeared nice for as long as I could bare the controls.
  23. AWG
    Aug 12, 2013
    6
    I couldn't enjoy this game as much as I wanted, mostly because of the terrible graphics and control scheme. Also, no Steam achievements make Bully a dull game experience. Yes, you can freely roam around the interesting world (a school campus) and yes, there are many blabbering characters but without any in-game gratification you get bored veeery soon.
  24. tomasz009
    May 24, 2014
    8
    First off I want to say that I didn't experience any bugs in this game, except for one Townie mission where the audio just cut out and spluttered intermittently. Yeah, I played this with the controller though, so there may be problems on mouse and keyboard that I'm not aware of.

    Anyway, this game is great, and is up there in terms of Rockstar Games' quality. The setting is so creative -    First off I want to say that I didn't experience any bugs in this game, except for one Townie mission where the audio just cut out and spluttered intermittently. Yeah, I played this with the controller though, so there may be problems on mouse and keyboard that I'm not aware of.

    Anyway, this game is great, and is up there in terms of Rockstar Games' quality. The setting is so creative - it's not just GTA with a facelift and a young protagonist - you feel like you're part of the school. Going to class is actually fun (except Shop cos for some reason the game thinks I'm NOT turn LS counter-clockwise....arghh), and while I was truant a lot, it was never a chore to abandon missions to go to class.

    Characters - great, I liked the character of Jimmy, as well as the faction leaders; Johnny and Earnest mainly. Jimmy himself is a dick, but he knows it, and he doesn't ever act so maturely that his age doesn't make sense. Gary...well. you don't really see him much, but he is an interesting douchebag when you do.
    The missions were probably the highlight of the game: doing GTA-like things like drive-bys, punchups, and fetch quests with a kid-like twist. Gameplay was always solid, and I liked being able to bust out the skateboard to go somewhere instead of worrying about cars. Most of these missions have parts that are a nod to adults, especially Mr Burton's and that lunchlady's missions (people who have played it know what I mean).

    Finally, the environment of Bullworth and its surrounding towns was surprisingly rich. I found myself wondering if they scaled down the town because without a car, you wouldn't travel around it so fast. This is probably why they squeezed in more detail...and when I found myself on a moped, my suspicions were confirmed. Didn't really feel the urge to explore it outside of missions, though.

    Yeah, so, Bully's a great game if you want to feel nostalgic over your New England school days, as well as beat up some preppies and nerds, GTA-style. I'd give it 8.5/10.    … Expand
  25. johnathanhellbourne
    Aug 16, 2009
    8
    It's a GTA themed game except that the pistols are slingshots and the protaganist is having puberty but It feels better than the GTA series main reason is tha I don't have to spend half the time going to point A to B just for an stupid race ar an gunfight, this game has a small map that can reduce the freadom but because you can stray of the path and dying is sometimesIt's a GTA themed game except that the pistols are slingshots and the protaganist is having puberty but It feels better than the GTA series main reason is tha I don't have to spend half the time going to point A to B just for an stupid race ar an gunfight, this game has a small map that can reduce the freadom but because you can stray of the path and dying is sometimes impossible, and seriously if you complete art class you can kiss a girl and get health (or body armor) but still it has some probles most boss characters from the factions(bully, nerd, preps, greasers,etc) the camera angle is stucks and especially the nerd boss the camera angle is very horrible I died three times, and also the overall camera angle is sometimes anoying when you ride a bike the camera autolocks on the back, that restrains you to fire projectiles at enemys, and geography class it's really horrible and besides what does it unlock? I don't kno and I don't care and math class it's practically useless it just gives you clothes I expected better than that, an graphic textures is a bit low(for the PC) anyways the control may be sometimes a pain because of the combat that lacks depth, and an anoying camera it's still fun… Expand
  26. Ps3blaze22
    Mar 6, 2012
    10
    MOST UNDERRATED GAME EVER!!!!!!

    One of the BEST games ever.. Simply AMAZING! The story is really, the characters are really likeable, and the game is FUN,, i recommend this game to EVERYONE!
  27. ThatGamerGuy
    Mar 13, 2014
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I love Bully its fun and a gta game for kids. Its the the first rockstar game i played and still my fav game to date. The twist in the 1st chapter where garry betrays you AMAZING. But its opinion and i accept that. The soundtrack is stupendous with perfect music by Shaun Lee… Expand
  28. EastonReviews
    Mar 29, 2012
    3
    This should be a movie, not a game; and it would still be pretty bad if it were a movie. The problem is that it's based on school cliches and as a result of something boring, the gameplay was sloppily put together. I recommend this to someone who wants something new but isn't very critical. However, anyone else stay away.
  29. ccrogers15
    Nov 22, 2011
    2
    Horrible graphics, lacking plot line, bad character developement is what makes this horrible game an outcast of all Rockstars products. And whats sad, is i heard number 2 is coming. OH GOD NO! Please do not buy this trash of a game. Use the money on obscure 1 or 2, gta IV, or something decent.
  30. RaymondF.
    Nov 2, 2008
    0
    Utter garbage. Glitches a lot, and freezes near the start on a loading screen. It isn't my system, people on the Steam forums have the same issue. This has to be the most incompetent pc port of the year. How this ever got past QA in the form it shipped in is a mystery. I hope GTA4 is a lot better on pc then this disaster. Plus the textures look extremely poor on some parts,(at least Utter garbage. Glitches a lot, and freezes near the start on a loading screen. It isn't my system, people on the Steam forums have the same issue. This has to be the most incompetent pc port of the year. How this ever got past QA in the form it shipped in is a mystery. I hope GTA4 is a lot better on pc then this disaster. Plus the textures look extremely poor on some parts,(at least the part I was able to play) very blurry and washed out. they didn't spend enough time improving the pc port.… Expand
prev
Page:

Awards & Rankings

72
#72 Best PC Game of 2008
24
#24 Most Discussed PC Game of 2008
20
#20 Most Shared PC Game of 2008

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
72

Mixed or average reviews - based on 11 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 11
  3. Negative: 1 out of 11
  1. 1UP
    42
    Bully's biggest problem is that it's a shoddy port job, rife with technical missteps that wouldn't warrant comment if they weren't so profoundly damaging to the game.
    Read full review
  2. IGN
    78
    Uninspired classroom minigames and PC-specific porting and performance problems continue to frustrate our experience with the game, but never so much that we weren't willing to load it back up again to uncover the next chapter of the story.
    Read full review
  3. GameStar
    84
    Welcome to Bullworth Academy, a melting pot of high school stereotypes. Outsiders are making plans to rule the world, teachers terrorize their pupils, sports aces and rock 'n rollers try to impress the girls while the posh students wrinkle their nose. While the GTA-style game itself is well done, the technical conversion to the PC is a bit sloppy. Should you ever be asked why video games are a cultural asset, show them Bully.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »