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Rockstar's Bully is 17 years old.

entremet

entremet

You wouldn't toast a NES cartridge
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Oct 26, 2017
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Released in 17 October 2006.

We missed this one, Bully is almost a legal adult!

This game was very interesting. I loved the prep school setting. It was surprisingly mature with its themes as well. Originally a PS2 game It later came out for the Wii and 360, which was called the Scholarship Edition. It is shame that it stuck on the 360. However, it is backward compatible on the XB1 and thus the Series consoles. It's also on the 360 Marketplace if you have a Series S, but act fast, that will be closed next year. And the physical version is widely available, but that won't work on the Series S obviously.

Apparently it had a cancelled sequel because it didn't met sales projections.

Here's a fun video essay on Bully.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8NOOETSPrQ

What did you think about this one?
 
The 28th Hour

The 28th Hour

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May 27, 2023
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I don't remember when it was released but was this game more controversial for Rockstar than any of the GTA's?
 
Macca

Macca

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Oct 25, 2017
17,472
The 28th Hour said:
I don't remember when it was released but was this game more controversial for Rockstar than any of the GTA's?
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I think the title if anything made it seem more controversial that it actually was. The likes of Jack Thompson claiming it was a Bullying simulator(he also made a fuss about the fact you could kiss boys in the game too).
 
Hardvlade

Hardvlade

The Fallen
Oct 27, 2017
2,451
Absolutely enjoyed my time with the game. I finished it on PS2 back in the days. I was bummed when I heard the original Xbox version was cancelled, but was happy to see it come to the Xbox 360 with additional content. I managed to get all achievements. I hope we get a sequel to this game some day, it was a lot of fun back then and a new one would be incredible.
 
Derbel McDillet

Derbel McDillet

▲ Legend ▲
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Nov 23, 2022
16,145
Replaying Bully today pretty much answered the whole "why hasn't this gotten a sequel?" thing for me. We just don't do these kind of hijinks anymore. Not saying it isn't possible to make a sequel, but it would be a very different game.
 
HelloItsPulse

HelloItsPulse

Member
Dec 14, 2017
2,090
One of the best games ever made. There's a very short list of games that I believe get every single aspect of the game right, and Bully is on it 100%.

I want a sequel, but I don't think Rockstar of today is capable of making a game like Bully, and they don't think so either considering they've cancelled development of a sequel twice. At this point i'm just happy to have it on my phone and on my Xbox.
 
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entremet

entremet

You wouldn't toast a NES cartridge
Member
Oct 26, 2017
61,216
Derbel McDillet said:
Replaying Bully today pretty much answered the whole "why hasn't this gotten a sequel?" thing for me. We just don't do these kind of hijinks anymore. Not saying it isn't possible to make a sequel, but it would be a very different game.
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Rockstar is not shy with controversial topics tho.

Only reason we didn't get a sequel was because it didn't met the internal sales targets.
 
Derbel McDillet

Derbel McDillet

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Nov 23, 2022
16,145
entremet said:
Rockstar is not shy with controversial topics tho.

Only reason we didn't get a sequel was because it didn't met the internal sales targets.
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Controversial topics isn't the issue. It's the execution.

Like the tonal whiplash of a mission where you're tasked with taking pictures of the mean girl in the bathroom and posting them all over town as revenge for someone. And then a few missions later you see her crying and then go cover up those pictures like you're not the one who put them there in the first place.

The second mission works as a standalone thing. The botched execution is how they got there in the first place.

It touches on things here and there successfully, but the rest is just product of its time mindset.
 
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entremet

entremet

You wouldn't toast a NES cartridge
Member
Oct 26, 2017
61,216
Derbel McDillet said:
Controversial topics isn't the issue. It's the execution.

Like the tonal whiplash of a mission where you're tasked with taking pictures of the mean girl in the bathroom and posting them all over town as revenge for someone. And then a few missions later you see her crying and then go cover up those pictures like you're not the one who put them there in the first place.

The second mission works as a standalone thing. The botched execution is how they got there in the first place.
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Obviously, the world has changed. It would be not exactly like Bully 1. 17 years ago was a long time ago both in time and culture.

But another Rockstar in a prep school setting? I can see that happening.
 

apathetic

Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,885
Loved the scope of the game. A small open world where all the npcs were actual named characters that actually felt like part of the area. Making stuff like getting all the students year book photos a legitimate thing that could be done as all the students you ever see at the school are unique.
 
Tornak

Tornak

Member
Feb 7, 2018
8,416
apathetic said:
Loved the scope of the game. A small open world where all the npcs were actual named characters that actually felt like part of the area. Making stuff like getting all the students year book photos a legitimate thing that could be done as all the students you ever see at the school are unique.
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Imagine what current Rockstar could do with a smaller open world if they were already able to achieve insane levels of density, granularity and depth in the world and systems in a game as massive as RDR2.

That game was more cowboy sim than a Western-themed GTA, so Bully could really benefit from that approach by having an even more immersive and reactive world.

We'll likely never know :_
 
BrickArts295

BrickArts295

GOTY Tracking Thread Master
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Oct 26, 2017
14,010
Very surprised they didn't make another one. A sequel in a college setting (or a public high school) would have been a match made in heaven and a good balance alongside their other open worlds RDR and GTA.

I guess in hindsight the themes of Bully could be somewhat controversial nowadays so I get why they might not want to poke that bear.
 
dreamfall

dreamfall

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,073
One of their absolute best! It was such a fun time, this, The Warriors, Manhunt - I mean it was a wild couple years! I've been replaying it on the iPad, but I still love the atmosphere of the PS2. I still got my dodgeball here!
 
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