Bully: The Scholarship Edition - First Look Preview

After the hysteria surrounding Rockstar Games schoolyard romp eventually died down, chances are many people probably missed the release of Canis Canem Edit. Little more than an enchanting schoolyard romp that encapsulated the likes of Grange Hill, The Breakfast Club, and let's not forget the classic British comic strip the Bash Street Kids, Canis Canem Edit achieved a healthy 500,000 sales in the UK alone, despite being caught in the quagmire of impending launches for the Nintendo Wii and PlayStation3. So it seems Jimmy has some unfinished work and a new set of fans to entertain with the forthcoming release of Bully: The Scholarship Edition on the Xbox 360 and Wii.

Essentially a Director's Cut of the original PlayStation2 title, Bully on both consoles will feature the original game in its entirety, various extra bits, new content, and a return to the controversial name of the original. While the game's original creator Rockstar Vancouver is overseeing the new content and overall development, development responsibilities for the Wii version rests with Rockstar Toronto whereas tweak-specialists Mad Doc Software are handling the technical aspects of the 360 adaptation with their own in-house engine.

Following Jimmy's exploits through the school year, Bully finds the pug-nosed protagonist aiding and abetting the various cliques that draw the lines between friendship and rivalry. With lessons to attend, an appealing game world to explore, and the trademark Rockstar element of freedom to enjoy, Bully: The Scholarship Edition looks set to extend the "stellar experience" of the original.

Beginning with the Wii version, our demonstration unsurprisingly revealed a game that looks virtually undistinguishable from the PS2 version - although that's not a bad thing given the games late arrival on the format and its visual accomplishments.

Four new classes have been added to the line-up (Maths, Music, Geography, Biology), though we only managed to see the latter in action. Essentially a take on Atlus' Trauma Center, Biology tasks you with dissecting various animals and the occasional alien autopsy! Highlighting the inclusion of a two-player mode, Biology arms you with a scalpel and forceps in an attempt to remove the major organs with the greatest accuracy. Although all of the four new classes feature in both versions, it's the Wii version that's shaping up to offer the most fun so far as Biology is concerned - following incision lines with the thumbstick just can't compete.

Using a traditional control method, Bully takes advantage of the Wii Remote and Nunchuk primarily when Jimmy gets into a fight. Although our reservations over Jimmy punching and kicking as though he's just arrived from Liberty City are still there, being able to literally throw a punch with a quick jab of the Nunchuk or Wii Remote at least helps to improve the sense of immersion and take advantage of the format. Expanding the concept even further Wii owners will also have to practice the context-sensitive gestures for Jimmy's humiliation moves, twisting manically to perform the agonising Chinese Burn or a quick upwards thrust for the quintessential wedgie. Although we didn't have the opportunity to go Hands On it appears that Rockstar Vancouver has created a control setup that will entertain the more traditional gaming Wii owner, whilst bringing something considerably new to the experience.

The 360 demonstration provided an opportunity to sample some of the new content making its way to The Scholarship Edition. In total, both versions offer eight identical new missions to play through, each taking place towards the end of the game but nestled deep within the existing content.

Introducing Rudy, the most inebriated Santa in town and bearing more than a close resemblance to Billy Bob Thornton's Bad Santa, "Miracle on Bullworth St" tasks Jimmy with foiling the plans of his soberer Santa rival. Armed with a baseball bat, Jimmy has to wreck this Santa's grotto whilst fending off the attacks from his little elves. Pulling wedgies on the elves or being on the end of a mini-haymaker captures the humour that was evident throughout the original, suggesting that the new content will sit quite comfortably with the rest of the game.

Without a sign of the RAGE engine, Bully falls into the 'tidied up' category of last-gen games on the Xbox 360. Because of the original game's visual prowess (did I already mention that?) and the touches Mad Doc are adding, Bully is shaping up to be a fine looking title on the Xbox 360 and one that can, stylistically, hold its own against some titles developed specifically for the next-gen. Considerably improved textures, enhanced lighting and shadows are the nature of the adaptation, that little slice of extra gloss to make it all a little more pleasant on the eye - who's going to admit that graphics don't matter these days?