Class clown

by ERIK LEIJON

There has always been a dichotomy in video game creation. Either you pushed in the Tetris direction—creating a game based on a simple yet fun concept—or you went the Amiga II text adventure route, thinking games could tell a story on par with your favourite book or movie.

The line has skewed somewhat, but in the end a game developer is going to build a video game premise either on a gaming idea or a story idea. Bully: Scholarship Edition (XBox, Wii/Rockstar, Mad Doc) is a slightly enhanced re-release of the controversial 2006 game Bully and, gameplay-wise, it barely makes the grade.

It’s not the Columbine-simulation that anti-game crusader Jack Thompson would have you believe—it’s a full season of Freaks and Geeks, with some side quests tossed in to give the illusion of gameplay.

Imagine playing Bully without the cutscenes. Truthfully it would probably be one of the worst games ever: the fighting system is horribly monotonous, the missions are short and all involve running from one location to another, while the conversation scenes lack the depth of Mass Effect. Even the classes—which are merely timed-button sequences—play like a banal version of Rayman: Raving Rabbids. Still, Bully can be quite a fulfilling experience, only because the colourful faculty and student body that inhabit Bullworth Academy make for pleasant company.

Sent to the comically horrific boarding school by his mother and stepfather, wayward teen Jimmy Hopkins must attend class, manoeuvre through the various cliques, deal with overzealous administrators and chase skirt, in this Grand Theft Auto-style action game.

It’s a setting that’s been done to death by John Hughes, but uncharted waters for a video game. All the awkwardness, the triumphs and the stereotypes that exist in high school are represented here in a series of funny cutscenes. Jimmy is your typical slacker, but the player has the choice to make him the most feared bully, the defender of the nerds, the ’roid raging jock or the suave ladies’ man.

This would be very interesting if the game missions weren’t as bland as algebra class. Every action has a deliberate result: beating up a jock will endear you to nerds; helping a girl get her notes back will earn you a make-out session, but there’s no subtle growth during the game.

Even worse is that the built-in clock is extremely fast and the load times are unbearable, giving you precious little time to complete more than a mission during an in-game day (Jimmy passes out at 2 a.m.). Eventually you’ll find yourself rushing through the missions as fast as possible just so you can watch another character-developing cutscene and avoid nightfall.

Bully: Scholarship Edition is a story at heart told in video game form. Games don’t always have to be constant barrages of action and exploding corpses, and most of the appeal of Bully is in the unique setting. I would have preferred the developers slow down the clock and let me experience Bullworth Academy on my own terms.

Drums of war

Conceptually speaking, Patapon (PSP/SCE) is the polar opposite of Bully. This portable title—from the makers of LocoRoco—combines elements of classic role-playing games and real-time strategies with music games.

The Patapons (not based on the classic French kids’ song) are cute and deadly googly-eyed warriors who respond to your drum commands. Keeping with the beat, you can order your ever-expanding army by performing four-note button combinations.

If you take the time to explore the deep pre-battle organization system, there’s much fun to be had, otherwise the repeated button sequences might prove repetitive.