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Why Robin Makes Batman Better For me, it was one of the last console generation’s finest hours. With Bully, Rockstar managed to focus the GTA formula inside a smaller, tighter environment while also benefitting from a fresh setting and plenty of humour.
31 complaints against a TV ad for Take-Two’s Bully: Scholarship Edition were dismissed by the Advertising Standards Authority. The complainants said that the ads “glorified and trivialised” bullying, but the ASA found that the ads themselves were not in violation of any standards.
According to GamesIndustry, the ASA did find the game distasteful, but was not glorifying violence because of its “comic and exaggerated” nature:
“Although many might find the name and content of the game to be in poor taste, the content of the ad was unlikely to cause serious or widespread offence”, it said.
ASA dismisses Bully advertising complaints [GamesIndustry.biz]
According to a report from GamePolitics, the judge who presided over Miami lawyer Jack Thompson’s Bar trial has recommended to the Florida Supreme Court that he be found guilty on 27 of 31 charges of professional misconduct. Of the 27 recommendations of guilt, twenty-one are from a suit related to Grand Theft Auto and four are from an attempt by Thompson to have Rockstar’s Bully declared a public nuisance.
Judge Flavio Rabello has barred the sale of Bully in Brazil, following requests for its banning from a youth centre in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. State prosecutor Alcindo Bastos says the reason for the game’s banning stems from the fact “the aggravating factor is that everything in the game takes place inside a school”, which is apparently “not acceptable” considering how much fisticuffs feature in the game. Distributors and retailers have 30 days to comply with the order. Brazil judge bans ‘Bully’ [globeandmail]
Before I go on, we haven’t heard squat about this from any of you, but others have, so who knows. Commenters on Larry Hryb’s Microsoft blog have been complaining that the update intended to fix a bunch of serious issues with the 360 version of Bully instead leaves many of the game’s glitches unaffected, and some users have even reported it’s made things worse. Shame, really. Feel free to post below how it’s all gone for you. Thursday news ‘n stuff [Microsoft, via Eurogamer]
Rockstar’s promised patch for those experiencing issues with the 360 version of Bully has finally arrived. It’s a fairly small update and will fix all those frame rate, audio and other petty annoyances. And now if you’ll excuse me I have some boys to kiss. In the game, not in real life. Well maybe in real life to, who knows. I’m feeling saucy today.
Bully Patch News Coming Tomorrow Rockstar, who said two weeks ago that they were “working around the clock to rectify” the framerate issues and freezes that plagued older Xbox 360s playing Bully, told us today that they plan to update everyone on the patch tomorrow. Why not today? Not so sure.
One of the more light-hearted controversies surrounding the release of Bully in 2006 was the fact the game’s protagonist, Jimmy, could kiss boys. If he wanted to. Like kissing girls, there was no real point to it, but hey, if you wanted to, the option was there. If you’re a 360 achievement completist, though, it might now be less of an option, with one of the game’s achievements requiring you to be kissed by 20 lads in return for 20G. Which is surely the list’s highlight. Sure, others include egging cars and completing classes, but are they called “Over the Rainbow”? No, no they are not. Bully: Scholarship Edition Achievements [IGN]
British publication Telegraph.co.uk has published an article warning parents about the dangers of a “new” violent video game called Bully. Wait, haven’t we heard all this before? Yes, we have. We heard this same outcry when the original version of the game came out for the PS2 in the UK and Rockstar had to change the name to Canis Canem Edit. Well, it seems that with the re-release of the game in its Wii and 360 form, Rockstar is pulling no punches and changing the name back to Bully. This move has of course caused yet another burst of concern from parents and anti-bullying groups. Two UK chains, PC World and Currys, have already refused to carry the game and if the protesters have their way, more will follow. But, will they really be able to completely quash the sales of a game that has already gotten through the gates once before?
Video game glorifies bullying, say critics [Telegraph.co.uk]
Although there is some confusion as to the release date (Gamestop says March 3, IGN says March 11, Rockstar says there is no firm date yet) some details on the new version of Bully are starting to surface. It looks like there will be added content and (for the 360 version) achievements. New content includes four new classes (Biology, Music, Math and Geography), eight new missions, new items, more wardrobe choices, two-player minigames (offline) and new awards. I’m glad to see Rockstar making an effort to improve and add on their already great game unlike some publishers who seem to be happy re-releasing the same games a year or two later on another system with no extras. I’m not going to mention any names, but you know who you are. By the way, Rockstar, I’m still pulling for that boy kissing achievement.
