'Bully' shows its muscle with content, but visuals a little wimpy

When it hit the PlayStation 2 in '06, "Bully" was a delightful, original, story-driven piece of software that many gamers shrugged off. A grade school "Grand Theft Auto" seems hard for any disenfranchised youth to ignore, but with the then-newest generation of gaming consoles releasing that year, Bully didn't earn the recognition it deserved. Not two years later, Rockstar's rehashed edition of the game re-enrolls on the Xbox 360 and Wii with enhanced graphics, added missions and other modest content that builds upon the original. The charming, humor-heavy story's still there, but a few repetitive elements and technical hiccups hold Bully back a grade or two.

"Bully: Scholarship Edition" succeeds when it's playing up shared high school angst and antics to fashion a fun, comic tone. When 15-year-old Jimmy Hopkins' mom and latest stepfather drop him off at one of the most corrupt boarding schools in the country, Bullworth Academy, it's clear he's going to have a hard road ahead of him. Five cliques all stake a claim to the school's social circle, and Jimmy has to win their respect to rule the school. Mainly, this means the completion of missions and tasks to earn cash or unlock new abilities and items.

Most of which, unfortunately, aren't very inspired. Whether you're snapping photos for an assignment, chasing down a comic book thief, retrieving expired meat for the cafeteria cook or swimming the lake to grab crabs, too many of the missions are centered on collection. Those that aren't either have you escorting peers for protection, starting schoolyard brawls, racing bikes or are one of the game's well-executed stealth missions, like a late-night panty raid Jimmy gets talked into. Luckily, modest gameplay variation doesn't hinder Bully much. A dysfunctional cast keeps it entertaining from start to 25-hour finish: drunken and disorderly English teachers, cousin-courting preppies, a mean dean that's straight out of "Animal House," muscle-bound jocks, gearheaded greasers that can't forget the '50s, dice-rolling dorks and at least one 16-year-old sociopath trying to take over the school. The exaggerated stereotypes sell Bullworth as a place that deserves a good pranking.

To these ends, you'll utilize Bully's basic, but handy combat system. Don't look for complicated combos here: kid kung-fu is mostly a matter of button-mashing with a hint of nuance, but you'll need to master the lock-on controls to survive many of the game's later missions. Along with wrestling class during gym, any found radio transmitters can be traded with a local hobo for fighting lessons to unlock more moves. It's good that the game doesn't strap you into messy mechanics from the get-go, and players that like to fight can test themselves at a local boxing gym for extra cash.

Bully's also an open-world game, and a mountain of minigames make it a modular, at-your-pace experience that emphasizes the accumulation of items, cash and status. This sense of persistence and ownership over Jimmy's achievements help it shine. It's your choice to attend or be truant, but English, geography, art, biology and chemistry classes are the foundation of Jimmy's growth, earning him the ability to apologize to antagonistic students or cook up homemade bottle rockets and stink bombs. Mowing lawns, paper delivery, customizable clothing and hair, bike racing tournaments, carnival games and an arcade machine or two flesh out Bully's basic activities, and the sprawling suburb and campus has enough crannies to make exploring on a whim worthwhile.

Content-wise, Bully is easily one of the most polished ports of a PS2 title we've seen, so it's disappointing that the Xbox 360 version of the game tacks on technical quirks that prevent it from being a smooth experience. Updated visuals come at the cost of a rocky frame rate -- in some populated or expansive areas, the graphics drag to a modest clip. It's more distracting than damning, but paying a visual penalty for exploring Bully's vast, detailed environments doesn't feel right. The title's Wii release comes away mostly unscathed, but doesn't sport as many minor graphic upgrades. Bully's audio presentation is also a worthy bullet point. Well-acted dialogue makes each character believable, but the game's instrumental score is a tailor-made mix of bass-based melodies and xylophone chimes that boost every aspect of Bully's adolescent scenes.

Jimmy Hopkins' can-do cockiness make him one of the most likable, accessible protagonists in recent gaming. He might amount to an enterprising errand boy when it comes to gameplay, but Bully's originality and high school humor sets it apart in storytelling. Opt for the Wii release to avoid the 360 version's tech hiccups, but even as a rehashed hit, Bully's brand of juvenile hijinks is worth bringing home.

"Bully: Scholarship Edition"

3 stars

Genre: Open-world action

Platforms: Xbox 360, Wii

Fun: Juvenile tone and dysfunctional cast are instantly likable; minigames make attending class fun; colorful open-world setting is worth exploring.

Unfun: Choppy visuals on Xbox 360; samey 'errand' missions; simple combat.