If you read my review of [review=104]Canis Canem Edit[/news] on PS2, you'll remember that Jimmy Hopkins passed the grade with flying colours. It seems he did so well that both the Xbox 360 and Wii are hounding this once PS2 exclusive with scholarships for the new school year.

Bully: Scholarship Edition (the game formerly known as Canis Canem Edit formerly known as Bully) tells the story of Jimmy Hopkins. An angsty young 15 year old, ditched at the gates of Bullworth Academy whilst his mum runs off on a honeymoon with some rich schmoe. You're stuck for the year, so it's time to make the best of a bad situation and work your way to the top of school the only way you know how, with wedgies and stinkbombs.

An open world title in the same vein as the Grand Theft Auto series, but don't be quick to dismiss Bully as GTA light. Bully brings things down a notch, condensing the world around you to focus on the characters and relations. You have a world bustling with life all around you, full of familiar faces living out their days, attending class, playing pranks on each other and making out behind the gym. It makes the game an absolute joy to play. You'll be working your way through the school hierarchy, whilst balancing classes, jobs and all kinds of errands on the side. There's a whole lot of variation in the gameplay and it's a blast from start to finish. Check out [review=104]my review[/news] of the PS2 version for more info on the core gameplay.

With its return, Scholarship Edition brings with it new classes, new characters, multiplayer and console specific features. The Wii has the obvious motion controls whilst the 360 version is sporting achievements and a whole new graphics engine.


Xbox 360 screenshots
Four new classes have been included this time round (Music, Biology, Geography and Maths), bulking up your roster to a full ten classes. Music is your basic variation of bemani gameplay as you click triggers or shake the Wii controls in time to the prompts to ace your performance. Biology is a Trauma Centre-inspired rip-off, dissecting your usual frogs and rats. This is one area where the Wii version is a whole lot more fun, actually. Maths and Geography will both actually put your real-life knowledge to the test, I know I sure as hell failed at locating all the different provinces of Canada. You will need some form of intelligence to pass... although naturally, Google will suffice. The new classes really feel like they've been designed with the Wii in mind, really opting for cursor type, motion based games to optimise use of the controls. They're still fun on 360, they just feel that little less intuitive.

If you were hoping to find new missions to continue Jimmy's story, you're just going to have to hold out for a sequel. The new missions are fun and most certainly a welcome addition, but they don't contribute to the main story. They act to introduce the new characters and blend seamlessly with the existing gameplay, but they are just side-missions with no effect on the rest of the game. None are what I'd call essential playing, but just think of them as short distractions. The mission objectives (with the exception of one music class-based mission) just don't seem to deviate from what we already experienced in Canis Canem Edit.

Multiplayer is a little bit misleading. No, you won't be running around beating the snot out of each other. You'll instead be taking it to the classroom in a string of minigames from the single player game. There are 10 minigames to choose from, mainly made up of classes, with a couple of arcade games and a sideshow thrown in for good measure. It's a chance for two players to put their skills head to head, but my guess is you'll play it a couple of times, tops. There's no online play featured, but then it's really not the sort of title you'd expect to have a thriving multiplayer community.

The new inclusions to gameplay in Scholarship edition are sweetener, but certainly don't think of them as anything close to a deal maker if you already played through the game on PS2.


Compared to the PlayStation 2
Visually, the Wii version looks unchanged from the PS2 release. There are a few sharper textures and little bit of shine here and there, but apart from that it's a pretty straight port. It mightn't be pretty but the graphics maintain the perfect balance between realism and caricature. Oddly enough, playing all three versions side by side, an odd issue seemed to stick out on Wii. Outside of cutscenes, Jimmy's voice has a strange echo effect that leaves him sounding more like Guilty Spark from Halo than a rambunctious teenage boy.

The Xbox 360 version is looking a whole lot shinier around the edges now days, thanks in part to the graphics engine being built from the ground and a generous coat of trusty next-gen polish. Playing this alongside the PS2, you really do realise how much better it looks, although it's far from the cream of the crop for the system. Character models retain the general stiffness about them, specifically in their facial animations. It's by no means a bad thing, maintaining the caricature-like appearance, but let's just say it's not the sort of title you'd use to show off your flashy 40" 1080p LCD. The 360 version places the camera further back than in the other versions, which is all well and good on said large screen LCD, but - call me picky - this kind of seemed to work against the personality of the game, distancing you from your character and the other characters in the game for those of us still with CRT's. Enough of that though, overall whatever version you chose the graphics are decent, but not great. No matter which version you chose there are still some issues (such as pop in), but it doesn't stop the game being any less fun.

If you were considering purchasing the title and have already finished it on PS2, I'd have to suggest that you pass. As someone who finished the PS2 release 100%, I just didn't feel the new content brought enough to the game to justify playing through it all over again. If you are in the same boat, then it's probably best to just suggest a rental, although you will really need to invest the time and play through the whole game once again to really view all the new content on offer.

If you are that desperate for some more Bully action and played it to hell on the PS2, of the two, I'd probably suggest going for the Wii version over the 360. The 360 version is easier on the eyes and opens up a range of new challenges in the form of achievements, but the Wii version brings with it a new control scheme, which, especially in minigames, refreshes various aspects of the game. In chemistry you'll be pouring beakers and lighting Bunsen burners by manipulating the Wii remote, instead of pressing buttons. It sure makes it a whole lot more memorable and in many cases more fun. It's not perfect though, and not implemented every time you'd expect motion control, sometimes feeling like a little bit of a wasted opportunity. On the whole though, Bully sports some of the better, more intuitive, use of motion control on the system.


...and the Wii!
Overall, I cannot really recommend either title if you played it to death on the PS2. My praises for the game still ring true, don't get me wrong. Even though some aspects of the game feel just that little bit dated a year down the track, beyond them remains a title bursting with character and well worth a purchase. Don't dismiss this title in spite of the ever-nearing GTA IV release, Bully is a well worth your time and offers a different sort of gameplay beneath the surface. Be sure to check out [review=104]my review[/news] on PS2 if you want to know more about the game.

If you only own a Wii, you can do a whole lot worse, given the other 3rd party titles flooding the system. And, after all, you'll need something to pass those long months until Brawl finally sees a local release...