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Canis Canem Edit - Hands On Preview
Chris Leyton
11/10/2006
The school year continues as TVG checks out the first chapter (and a little of the second) behind the forthcoming PS2 title...
TVG recently spent a second term at Bullworth Academy, checking out the entire First Chapter and a little of the Second of Jimmy Hopkins adventures in the game formerly known as Bully. Since the game's official announcement, Rockstar Games have found themselves deluged under a barrage of controversy that you'd typically expect from the divisive publisher; the only difference this time around, there's not really that much to get your knickers in a twist - unless, of course, you're the type that takes offence to the occasional wet willie or a tweaked nipple. Taking influence from a variety of different sources ranging from Donnie Darko to Grange Hill and billed as a comedy/adventure, Canis Canem Edit is exactly that, a prank-filled, gag-crammed romp that proves Rockstar has a funny side beyond the satire that flies above a lot of peoples' heads.
Cast aside to the confines of Bullworth Academy whilst his mother embarks on her fifth honeymoon (a dig at the real issue behind videogame violence perhaps), Canis Canem Edit is the free-roaming, open world title that you'd expect from the creators of GTA, this time around swapping Jocks and Nerds for Ballas and Sindaccos; Slingshots and Stink-Bombs for Shotguns and Narcotics. With the added complexity of attending lessons, a day in the life of Jimmy is never short of things to do during the course of a year that the game takes place.
After embarking on the first of many likely meetings with the principle, changing into the school uniform and attending his first lesson, Jimmy gets up to quite a bit with his dorm-mates Gary and Pete in the first chapter of Canes Canem Edit. Suggesting that the final game will present a spectrum of variety rarely seen in the free-roaming genre, the first chapter finds Jimmy settling in by escorting Algie the nerd from the safety of the library to the nearest toilet; defending Earnest's election speech from an attack of the jocks with his trusty catapult on the balcony above or just starting a messy food-fight in the cafeteria.
A constantly ticking clock governs each day in the game, broken up into two study periods, free time and eventually a lights-out curfew section. Naturally Jimmy is free to do whatever you choose, skipping classes if needs be and trespassing on the school property at night - just beware of the prefects marching up and down the corridors.
Although it's possible to skive lessons throughout the entire game, attendance will bring certain benefits and they're certainly more enjoyable then I seem to remember school. Whether it's searching for words in English class; discovering the Art behind the Qix inspired mini-game; or tapping away on the dance/rhythm mini-game for concocting various substances in Chemistry, each class is broken up into five levels that reward Jimmy with devices such as Firecrackers, Stink-Bombs and being able to kiss better - I'll leave it to you to work out which fits with which. Lesson time requires Jimmy to attend in proper attire, though there's a wide selection of items of clothing to unlock and mix-and-match throughout the game.
Because of the trespassing, truancy and curfew elements, Canis Canem Edit introduces a subtle stealth element to the core action based gameplay. Break the rules too much, however, and it's a trip to the principle with the punishment of mowing the grass forced upon you. Besides the motorized lawnmower, our adventures in the First Chapter also revealed the skateboard (a must for getting around school) and a bike ride into town, with the promise of go-karts and mopeds later in the game.
Setting a game inside a school seems to be a touch of brilliance from Rockstar, there's plenty of room for gameplay variety, story potential and a strong cast of characters; all of which, Rockstar Vancouver seem set to accomplish. Jimmy can interact with any character in the game with a variety of context sensitive actions, such as insults, apologies, swimming or pinching the bums of the female students through to fisticuffs. Beginning with a push or a shove, combat often escalates into full on fistfights, which is probably going to be enough to rustle one or two feathers of the more conservative kind. Although tame in comparison to what we usually see from Rockstar, the punches, kicks and head butts can still appear quite brutal and it's surprising to see that Rockstar haven't used the headlocks, bites and other "squabbling" techniques we seem to remember occurring at school more often then actual fists being thrown. Whether the content and theme of Canis Canem Edit changed during development due to pressures will probably never be known, though it seems Rockstar haven't been tempted to do away with conventional combat completely and surprise everybody in the process. A Humiliation finishing-move is available at the deft flick of a finger, bringing the fight to a conclusion by stamping on a foot or the dreaded Chinese burn! There are of course different codes of conduct, picking a fight with an adult, girl or small child, will send the Splinter Cell styled 'Trouble' meter through the roof and instantly incur the wrath of the presiding prefects.
A mission entitled "That Bitch" finds Jimmy assisting Beatrice retrieve her diary from a cheerleader; who promptly falls in love with the pug-faced protagonist. Although nothing but tame pecks on the cheek and insults to start off, we're informed that the relationship will "develop" over the course of events and that Beatrice will grow jealous if she finds Jimmy chatting to other girls.
After a handful of missions the focal event surrounding Chapter 1 is Halloween, a chance for pranks and hi-jinks aplenty, which Rockstar Vancouver haven't shied away from. Skeletons' hanging from the ceilings and everybody dressed in costumes presents Jimmy, Gary and Pete with the perfect opportunity in the "Big Prank" mission. After completing a handful of pranks such as applying the compulsory 'Kick Me' stickers on several characters back's and laying down a few stink-bombs, Jimmy and Garry feed rancid meat to Chester the mascot dog, who promptly drops the load required for the obligatory dog-crap-in-a-flaming-bag.
Our brief adventure with Chapter Two took in three different missions, such as retrieving the bottles of alcohol to cover up a teacher's problem and retrieving a camera as a reward; straying outside of the school grounds and performing a few errands around the town for the chef and a boxing contest to earn a few readies. The school itself is an expansive location brimming with detail, whether it's sliding down the banisters, setting off fire alarms or slipping on banana skins. Although our trip around Bullworth was brief and to the point, it suggests that the game will be as lengthy as Rockstar's previous works with claims of between 30-40 hours of gameplay in the final game.
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