Bully Banned From Currys & Other DSG Group Stores

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2006-10-18 05:20pm

Title says it all.

The hypocrisy is that they stock all the GTA games and are planning on taking orders for future releases like GTA4 and GTA:VCS. It's probably because it's school kids involved that makes the lick of difference here. Still, at least there's no call for an outright ban in the nation. Rockstar Vancouver are just riding the same wave of controversy Rockstar North created all those years ago.

Post by **Ghost Rider** » 2006-10-18 05:42pm

BWAHAHAHAHA, the saddest part is the game is nowhere near what any of the GTAs portray but because it's kids, it's worse?

Hell, it's a teen rated game...fucking pansies. I mean if they can stock GTA, and screech over Bully...someone needs their head checked.

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2006-10-18 05:45pm

I can only imagine they've never read about it, other than the alarmist headlines that it's GTA, but, y'know, for kids.

They probably expect axe murderers only aged 14 instead and within a school, rather than a city ghetto.

Ah well, less money for them. GAME, HMV, Electronics Boutique, Music Zone, GameStation and Virgin will all enjoy selling this instead.

Post by **Ghost Rider** » 2006-10-18 05:53pm

Admiral Valdemar wrote:I can only imagine they've never read about it, other than the alarmist headlines that it's GTA, but, y'know, for kids.

They probably expect axe murderers only aged 14 instead and within a school, rather than a city ghetto.

Hell 99% of most alarmists of this game believed this. The original thought was this game was where you build a gnag of bullies and rule the school...literally GTA jr.

And since that initial thought read nothing else...because forbid if your intial instinct of a game is wrong. Well, everyone's fave American looney game lawyer tried to get the game banned, failed...but it was funny to hear him follow pattern so easily.

Ah well, less money for them. GAME, HMV, Electronics Boutique, Music Zone, GameStation and Virgin will all enjoy selling this instead.

Indeed.

Dartzap · Post by **Dartzap** » 2006-10-19 03:30am

Ah well, less money for them. GAME, HMV, Electronics Boutique, Music Zone, GameStation and Virgin will all enjoy selling this instead.

What? Last I heared they'd been bought out by GAME years ago!

...and people still buy stuff from Curry's? Loons.

Genii Lodus · Post by **Genii Lodus** » 2006-10-19 09:15am

Dartzap wrote:What? Last I heared they'd [EB] been bought out by GAME years ago!

Actually the company which had a deal with EB in America to use their brand bought a smaller chain using the name Game. The deal with EB America expired so the company rebranded all of its store to the Game brand.

Arrow · Post by **Arrow** » 2006-10-19 09:17am

Dartzap wrote:
Ah well, less money for them. GAME, HMV, Electronics Boutique, Music Zone, GameStation and Virgin will all enjoy selling this instead.
What? Last I heared they'd been bought out by GAME years ago!

...and people still buy stuff from Curry's? Loons.

They were, but there are still stores that have the EB sign on them, and the EB website still exist (but its pretty much a clone of the Gamestop website).

Molyneux · Post by **Molyneux** » 2006-10-19 09:34am

Gamestop and EBGames still maintain different membership programs and sell different gaming magazines.

I've been looking forward to Bully...but it's not near the top of my to-buy list (SPORE! Why do I have to wait so damn long?). I'll let other folks review it, and wait for the price to come down.

Einhander Sn0m4n · Post by **Einhander Sn0m4n** » 2006-10-19 11:44am

Way to go DSG, build a cult following for Bully! Bravo!

Praxis · Post by **Praxis** » 2006-10-23 10:02pm

Wait, Bully is T rated?

I still can't figure out why everybody is fussing over Bully and nobody's fussing over GTA4. I don't think you can even kill anyone in Bully.

Ravencrow · Post by **Ravencrow** » 2006-10-23 10:06pm

Praxis wrote:Wait, Bully is T rated?

I still can't figure out why everybody is fussing over Bully and nobody's fussing over GTA4. I don't think you can even kill anyone in Bully.

Which is why it is T-rated.

They are fussing over it because they interprete the move as Rockstar directly moving in on the kids.

I do wonder if they would still kick a fuss if the game was rated M.... Probably.

CDiehl · Post by **CDiehl** » 2006-10-24 12:14am

It's true, you can't kill anyone in Bully. you can throw firecrackers and fire bottle rockets at people,or bash them with sticks, paddles, bricks and can lids. However, nobody dies. You can't do much to cops or school prefects, and if you persist in fighting them they take you down easily and you lose a bunch of your gear.

Ford Prefect · Post by **Ford Prefect** » 2006-10-24 04:56am

What's rather interesting that Bully (I can't be bothered using the other name for it - lazy) actually has a good message compared to the GTA games. You're not some random thug beating up the weak and helpless; you're a random thug beating up other random thugs in the name of the weak and helpless and dispensing awesome speeches about why picking on others is wrong.

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2006-10-24 05:29am

Praxis wrote:Wait, Bully is T rated?

I still can't figure out why everybody is fussing over Bully and nobody's fussing over GTA4. I don't think you can even kill anyone in Bully.

Certain people were fussing over the game back when it was first announced and throughout development without knowing one single iota what the game was really about or how it played, let alone over what it was even rated.

Jack Thompson repeatedly declared it a "Columbine simulator," despite the fact that the game lacks firearms and the player is unable to kill anyone.

Post by **RogueIce** » 2006-10-24 06:21pm

Ford Prefect wrote:What's rather interesting that Bully (I can't be bothered using the other name for it - lazy) actually has a good message compared to the GTA games. You're not some random thug beating up the weak and helpless; you're a random thug beating up other random thugs in the name of the weak and helpless and dispensing awesome speeches about why picking on others is wrong.

Indeed. So far I've been doing wetwork for the nerds in the story missions more often than not. Sure I can hand out wedgies and such to them, but I can do that to anyone. So far the only fights I've ever gotten into where I get mass jumped are with jocks, bullies, and the "greasers".

Which, y'know, can potentially happen in any real high school. Except Bully has no "real" gangs (as in the "pistol-packin, drug-dealin, kill you for lookin at 'em funny" kind).

One review summed it up nicely: Bully is no worse than what you'd see on a variety of current teen dramas out there (even somewhat tamer, since as far as I've seen there's no actual sex mentioned, just kissing). Which makes it about right for the T (13+) audience.

Unless you want to ban Degrassi and whatever else is popular teen drama these days.

Ford Prefect wrote:You can't do much to cops or school prefects, and if you persist in fighting them they take you down easily and you lose a bunch of your gear.

Indeed. Even lobbing firecrackers at them, I never saw the health bar dip on them. Haven't gotten to bottlerockets yet, but I doubt it'll make much difference. And actually fighting them (even one stinkbomb) is basically like a six-star wanted level in a GTA game; you'd better run, because you ain't gonna win. I'm not even sure if it's possible within the game code to defeat a prefect, teacher, or cop in fighting (and even if you got one, five others are gonna take you down. Hard).

Which is definately different from GTA, where blowing away the authorities is something of a pasttime among various players. In Bully, fighting the authorities means you lose. Period.