August 31, 2006 - Though we had already seen Rockstar's PlayStation 2-exclusive Bully in confidence prior to the beginning of this week, we had never actually played it. Luckily for us, the New York-based publisher dropped by our offices to show off the latest version in an effort to update us on its progress. Our early verdict is a mostly positive one too, as the game looks like it's going to be fun when finished.
As most suspected,
Bully certainly comes across as a jumble of The Warriors and Grand Theft Auto. Of course, those similarities aren't in terms of theme or concept, but rather, in regards to its mechanics.
The combat, for example, works like a simplified variation on 2005's The Warriors. In the current control scheme, L1 targets opponents and reveals their health status via lighted circle at the bottom of the enemy's feet. Once a foe has been selected, Square then acts as the single attack button and follows a combo tree similar to what Cleon and the gang had last year (Square, Square, Square; Square, Square, Circle, etc)...
In situations like these, you can fight or talk your way out.
Rather than relying on an assortment of light and heavy attacks spread out across multiple buttons, however, Bully is pressure and context sensitive. That means that where your opponent is located and how long and hard you press the attack button determines what happens next. Early on in the game, Jimmy, the 15 year-old protagonist, can only perform a shallow selection of moves -- your standard punches, a grapple (Circle), Block (R1), kicks when an opponent is down (Square again)... things of that nature -- but as our hero continues to work his way up the ladder, a number of new maneuvers will open up (the majority of which will be taught to you by attending gym class or from a hobo who's also a fighting expert). When powered all the way up, even the Karate Kid's nemesis Johnny Lawrence will fear you.
Perhaps the most inviting thing about Bully's combat system, though, is that it isn't just limited to combo moves and a series of repetitive attacks. Even in the early version we sampled, Jimmy can already pull off humiliation moves from the start (press circle when prompted after you've done enough damage). These humiliations put an automatic end to the fight and add a bit of visual "oomph" to the action. Our personal favorite is the classic "Why are you hitting yourself?" technique that allows you to punch an enemy in the face with his own fists. Players can also expect to use a variety of different weapons with things like Cricket and baseball bats, eggs, and slingshots. But if you're worried about over-excessive violence, don't worry: there won't be any blood, disfigurement, or death.
The Lock breaking mini game is important, someone could be in there!
Read it all HERE:
http://ps2.ign.com/articles/729/729620p2.html
) Just call it 'Bullworth'.
