Bully Critic Reviews

The best games -- games like Bully -- don't concern themselves with technical perfection. They just push headlong into new places and new ideas, leaving behind the ranks of unimaginative, spit-polished safe bets. Bully takes chances, and the gamble pays off big.

Years from now, Bully will stand up on any ‘best of PS2 list’, Jimmy Hopkins will still reign as the coolest kid in school, and hopefully one day soon I will finally find all 76 hidden rubber bands.

The key to enjoying the game really is getting the hang of how the game works and then getting those beefier missions rolling. Bully truly is one of the better games to come out of Rockstar in quite awhile.

Rockstar has really pulled out all the stops here to make Bully an entertaining game that truly showcases the power of the PS2.

Bully takes the previous GTA structure, puts it to use in a school setting, and in the process Rockstar has created one of the most original and fun titles on the PlayStation 2.

If there is anything that can be learned from Bully, it is how a good RPG should be designed. It captures an atmosphere, gives you characters you can approach with some emotion, and manages to contain itself, while not limiting itself, to a point where the game is acceptable for kids.

Bully is a masterpiece in all aspects of the word and in my book, fully worth of at least one sequel.

Immaculately designed and an absolute joy to play through. The best game of the year so far.

Definitely deserving of every accolade it gets, but many of the complaints against its content seem absurd after playing it. There’s no graphic violence, and much of the fighting is done out of either self defense or in defense of someone weaker than their attacker.

Isn’t it about time we stop judging graphics solely on realism and clarity and take a look at the visual continuity and overall artistic craftsmanship? Extremely skilled artists worked day and night for years to create this world and they definitely succeeded in every way.

Rockstar's newest game is easily one of the best games of the year, an adventure game that you should pick up ... regardless of what type of games you are into.

Where the game really shines is in its story, which offers class-based warfare amid jocks, nerds, bullies, greasers, and preppies. As Bully progresses and Jimmy finds himself enmeshed in his struggle to survive, the game blossoms, and players will find themselves desperate to see what happens next.

A rewarding, free-form adventure that takes a surprisingly thoughtful (if cartoonish) approach to high school. You won't be disappointed.

And upon that base of competency, Bully builds an empire of fun, and hits some really high notes - with now perhaps a good time to mention the orchestral soundtrack, which is memorable from beginning to end.

Dated technology aside, Bully's a fresh breath of air in a stagnating game market -- complete with cool art direction, a great soundtrack, a tongue-in-cheek sense of humor and a gameplay mechanic that's new, yet familiar to anyone who's played any of the 'Grand Theft Auto' games.

One of the year's best, because it diverts from "GTA's" hyper-violent barrage of social satire and genital jokes to be something more subtle, but equally meaningful. Young people might not appreciate it as much because they're still living it. For that reason, don't buy Bully for your younger relatives. Buy it for yourself.

Bully is filled with entertaining and diverse gameplay. It’s got a great story with lots of humor and emotion – and just enough violence to satiate all you little bastards out there.

One of those rare treats that ignores the hype to bring us a truly entertaining adventure game that immerses players into its detailed world. It is a fresh and inventive game that, much like its main protagonist, is outright charming.

A more focused game than the GTA series and you're more likely to plough ahead and actually get somewhere with the story. Those of you who found the scale of San Andreas a little bewildering and ultimately off-putting will find a challenge here more to your liking.

Its regimented take on open-world gaming is surprisingly well handled, and Hopkins' quest to put order to what is the Wild West of education, has been built with enough loving care that players will be compelled to follow it to its natural conclusion.