Bully: Scholarship Edition

 PC
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 484 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 314 out of 484
  2. Mixed: 131 out of 484
  3. Negative: 39 out of 484
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  1. ChuckBeef
    Dec 21, 2008
    2
    The control scheme is garbage, to say the least. Being able to remap the keys doesn't really help. There are just too many different keys that are expected to be used in tandem, when there should be only a few which are more context-sensitive. The game looks like crap, and even on a modern system, RUNS like crap. There's no excuse for it, really. This was a low-budget consoleThe control scheme is garbage, to say the least. Being able to remap the keys doesn't really help. There are just too many different keys that are expected to be used in tandem, when there should be only a few which are more context-sensitive. The game looks like crap, and even on a modern system, RUNS like crap. There's no excuse for it, really. This was a low-budget console port like so many games, and like so many games it is crappy as a result. It's like developers have forgotten how to make PC games in the last 10 years.… Expand
  2. dumle
    Mar 29, 2013
    3
    This game really doesn't want me to like it. This game is a pretty bad console port with tons of issues that i wont be able to bring up. Most noticeable would be the 30 fps-cap, and the annoying controls. Add to that frequent crashes, unskippable cutscenes, no autosaves and fixed save points and you get a formula for a bad time. And as it happens i am not entirely in love with theThis game really doesn't want me to like it. This game is a pretty bad console port with tons of issues that i wont be able to bring up. Most noticeable would be the 30 fps-cap, and the annoying controls. Add to that frequent crashes, unskippable cutscenes, no autosaves and fixed save points and you get a formula for a bad time. And as it happens i am not entirely in love with the general gameplay either. The combat is easy, boring and unsatisfying. The stealth missions are just plain horrible. The bikes arent all that fun to use making the getting from point A too point B quite boring. Failure often forces you to replay needless bits and there are some silly reasons for failure in this game that can get a bit annoying. There is also a lot of quite boring missions in this game that centers around the same boring mechanic over and over again which makes the game a bit repetitive. Now the campaign took me around 14 hours to complete and you might wonder why i bothered completing it since i havent done anything else than whine so far. Well the reason is that the game is quite charming. I really like the setting and the story, characters and character interactions are quite charming. And i found myself getting quite immersed in the game-world from time to time despite all my problems with the game. These times are however too few and too short for me to recommend this game. The most common emotion this game managed to generate from me is pure frustration and that is never a good sign. So i do not recommend this game despite its charm. Its simply too rough around the edges for me to do that.… Expand
  3. AlienSpaceBats
    Jul 24, 2011
    4
    A nasty port, I did attempt to play Bully despite its technical flaws but got so irritated by the characters, story and, well, everything ... that little remained to warrant continued investigation.
  4. spydercanopus
    Apr 23, 2011
    2
    Poor port. Can't setup my controller. It doesn't have calibration settings at all. There are also fewer buttons on a "PS3 style" controller than what are needed to perform all the actions, which is very strange... Expect to use the keyboard and mouse if you get this..
  5. Ecaelia
    Mar 2, 2013
    2
    This game has a horrible game play, with the main gripe being a lousy control of the character. Even after tweaking the controls it's barely playable. Graphics is not great but acceptable and story appeared nice for as long as I could bare the controls.
  6. EastonReviews
    Mar 29, 2012
    3
    This should be a movie, not a game; and it would still be pretty bad if it were a movie. The problem is that it's based on school cliches and as a result of something boring, the gameplay was sloppily put together. I recommend this to someone who wants something new but isn't very critical. However, anyone else stay away.
  7. ccrogers15
    Nov 22, 2011
    2
    Horrible graphics, lacking plot line, bad character developement is what makes this horrible game an outcast of all Rockstars products. And whats sad, is i heard number 2 is coming. OH GOD NO! Please do not buy this trash of a game. Use the money on obscure 1 or 2, gta IV, or something decent.
  8. RaymondF.
    Nov 2, 2008
    0
    Utter garbage. Glitches a lot, and freezes near the start on a loading screen. It isn't my system, people on the Steam forums have the same issue. This has to be the most incompetent pc port of the year. How this ever got past QA in the form it shipped in is a mystery. I hope GTA4 is a lot better on pc then this disaster. Plus the textures look extremely poor on some parts,(at least Utter garbage. Glitches a lot, and freezes near the start on a loading screen. It isn't my system, people on the Steam forums have the same issue. This has to be the most incompetent pc port of the year. How this ever got past QA in the form it shipped in is a mystery. I hope GTA4 is a lot better on pc then this disaster. Plus the textures look extremely poor on some parts,(at least the part I was able to play) very blurry and washed out. they didn't spend enough time improving the pc port.… Expand
  9. FGM
    Dec 13, 2016
    3
    Funny story & good idea mixed with bad execution, clunky controls, bad animations, poor graphics, lack of content, half good dialogues. In summary, this game is overly lacking in all departments.
  10. eelegendo
    Dec 21, 2016
    1
    The controls are horrible on the PC. I don't understand how can be any positive review on this garbage. I left at the first lock pick - by then it was enough of useless controls, bad pc port, etc. Games like this should be banned, they just wasting your time. Refund.
  11. Mellow_Online4
    Jun 19, 2016
    4
    Bully is a good game on Wii, Xbox 360 and PS2 but the pc port is a terrible transition. It isn't on the levels of Dark Souls' port or Resident Evil 4's port but there are quite a few issues that has made me more focused on them rather than the actual game and it's content. Here are the problems that rouble the PC port of bully and I'm gonna do something a bit similar to what I did with myBully is a good game on Wii, Xbox 360 and PS2 but the pc port is a terrible transition. It isn't on the levels of Dark Souls' port or Resident Evil 4's port but there are quite a few issues that has made me more focused on them rather than the actual game and it's content. Here are the problems that rouble the PC port of bully and I'm gonna do something a bit similar to what I did with my Dark Souls review. I will upload a review of the console version of bully on metacritic but here on steam, I'm gonna focus on the pc's issues. I will put in the metacritic link here when I get it written: For now here are the issues on the PC version:

    PROBLEM 1: Poor mouse and keyboard support. I know that Bully has rebindable keys, but even if u rebind them, the controls will still be a mess. Running around will be awkward and you will find yourself running into walls and run into something when running around a corner. Controls are the worst when you're on a bike. Bike controls are similar to that of GTA SA's bike controls but add in the bad controls of the gameplay when you're on foot but imagine you're on an ice rink. When you make a turn, your bike will turn and possibly knock into something because the camera's hard to control and it will also veer into another direction and crash into something else.

    PROBLEM 2: Frame rate dips. Bully's frame rate ended up dippping into the 10's and sometimes into the single digits when I was performing certain actions and they did this throughout the whole game and they dipped alot when I wa indoors especially.

    PROBLEM 3: Missing environmental textures. Some textures throughout the environment (especially in the alley areas) are either missing nd have a white bloch in it's place, have an incorrect colour tint to it or are poorly textured and make it look like the developers snotted on the camera.

    PROBLEM 4: Frame rate locked. The frame rate was locked t 30 fps, a common problem that I've seen popping up repeatedly when I talk about bad porting. I have had a few friends say that they were able to get the game to 40 fps, but they needed to go into the game's files and delete all of the environment's shadows in it's file in order for it to get 40 and that still isn't a much better frame rate. Even after doing this, my friends still said they had repeated dips in frame rate into the single digits, even with the shadows deleted.

    Bully is a very good game on all of the other systems other than the PC. Bully isn't the worst port in history but it still isn't a good port.    … Expand
  12. redeyedwerewolf
    Jun 27, 2020
    0
    Bought it , then immediatly refunded it, I dont know how they want us to review a game that dosen't do its job. ACTUALLY WORK. The PC port of this otherwise amazing game is such a joke and shows how pathetic and lazy rockstar games are.
  13. joao_da_silva
    May 15, 2020
    0
    Probaly one of WORST GAME of rockstar. Unfair and full of bugs and glitches doesnt deserve a continuation. Rockstar, throw this game on limbo.
  14. Bodislav
    Jan 9, 2022
    4
    Boring .

Awards & Rankings

72
#72 Best PC Game of 2008
21
#21 Most Discussed PC Game of 2008
20
#20 Most Shared PC Game of 2008

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
72

Mixed or average reviews - based on 11 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 11
  3. Negative: 1 out of 11
  1. 1UP
    42
    Bully's biggest problem is that it's a shoddy port job, rife with technical missteps that wouldn't warrant comment if they weren't so profoundly damaging to the game.
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  2. IGN
    78
    Uninspired classroom minigames and PC-specific porting and performance problems continue to frustrate our experience with the game, but never so much that we weren't willing to load it back up again to uncover the next chapter of the story.
    Read full review
  3. GameStar
    84
    Welcome to Bullworth Academy, a melting pot of high school stereotypes. Outsiders are making plans to rule the world, teachers terrorize their pupils, sports aces and rock 'n rollers try to impress the girls while the posh students wrinkle their nose. While the GTA-style game itself is well done, the technical conversion to the PC is a bit sloppy. Should you ever be asked why video games are a cultural asset, show them Bully.
    Read full review
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