Five Reasons Why Rockstar Needs to Make Bully 2

Hey, Rockstar! Give us more Bully

First released in 2006, Bully may well have received the most controversial pre-release news coverage of any game ever.

Created by Rockstar Games, the developer famed for the Grand Theft Auto franchise, Bully – or Canis Canem Edit as it originally was known in Europe – set the criminal antics of Grand Theft Auto in a school setting. “Won’t somebody please think of the children,” cried the mass media.

Turns out Rockstar actually had thought of the children and developed a masterpiece that perfectly embodied everyone’s best (and worst) school memories. Forget guns, road rage, and crime; Bully was Rockstar’s way of showing off it could produce a great game where one of the worst things you could do was wedgie another student.

Bully was a brilliant game. The school setting worked so well: classes added a sense of responsibility and routine to the gameplay, while the Rockstar’s humour was perfectly applied to the teachers and students of Bullworth Academy.

It’s now been over 12 years since Bully was released and the world is more ready than it’s ever been for a sequel. Here are five reasons why we need Bully 2 in our lives.

School’s out forever?

School is an experience we’ve all been through, and it is a popular setting for countless TV shows and movies. But gaming is nearly always truant when it comes to the classroom setting: it’s an area that’s rarely incorporated in western games.

Bully showed that school really can be the best years of your life with an academy that felt alive and offered so much fun gameplay. The structure of the school day gave a layout to each day which was really enjoyable. Time after lessons felt more meaningful as you knew there was a curfew and a cut-off point. Of course, you could skip lessons, but you’d miss out on all the skills and items you get for completing courses. Plus you’d be much less cleverer.

Bullworth Academy is one of the best sandbox settings in any game. With unique scenarios and NPCs ranging from stupid bullies to stereotypical nerds, Bully created a highly enjoyable setting to explore. Sadly this formula has not been replicated since Bully’s release, and would make a more than welcome return in Bully 2.

The endless summer could finally come to an end

Bully brilliantly built the four seasons around its story. Each season saw Jimmy tackle a new group in the school and interact with a range of new characters. But sadly, Bully’s story ended after just one school year, which means there’s still a lot of school left.

Bully ended on an ‘Endless Summer’ once the main story was completed: it was basically a free roam version of the game. This means that Bully 2 could easily pick up where the original left off and offers an easy sequel to the story. Somebody wake Rockstar up as September has almost ended.

Hopefully Bully 2 would be longer too, which means it could implement dynamic seasons like Forza Horizon 4. Halloween night was one of the best experiences in Bully, and having the seasons switch every week would be a great incentive to go back to Bullworth Academy.

The teacher said you can work as a group for this activity

Red Dead Redemption 2 is going to build on the highly successful online gameplay from Grand Theft Auto 5. It’s clear that Rockstar sees the importance of online multiplayer gameplay, and this could lead to some amazing Bully 2 moments.

Imagine if Bullworth’s campus was a shared world and the classes were full of online players. It could well be every teacher’s idea of hell, but that obviously makes it so appealing to most! The ability to cause chaos would be so high, and that alone is enough reason for a Bully 2.

Halloween night pranks would be crazy in a shared online world, and snowball fights in winter would be huge. Online gameplay could well be the worst thing that’s happened to Bullworth Academy, but it could be the best thing to happen to Bully 2.

Rockstar’s dry humour is perfectly suited for the classroom

Grand Theft Auto has set a precedent for Rockstar Games’ style of comedy. Its modern day satire brilliantly blends with the gameplay and depicts some hilarious moments that mock today’s society.

Bully was no different: Jimmy has some great lines based on his observational humour, and the teachers border on ridiculous stereotypes. The crazy Science teacher, alcoholic English teacher, and Lunch Lady Edna with her terrible standards for hygiene.

Rockstar took a time of our life which we all remember and exaggerated our memories to create a parody of school life. Times have changed a lot in the last 12 years, and that means there’s a lot more material to turn into satire. We believe in you, Rockstar.

Ditch class and explore the local area

After the first season in Bully is complete, the gates to the school open and the local town is available. The town features a few shops, but nothing really of interest. Considering how great the cities in Grand Theft Auto are, there’s a lot of room to expand.

The school is always going to be the most important setting in Bully 2, but a bigger town could provide the opportunity for more creative missions and side quests. Jimmy could also unlock different types of bikes, and even a scooter, which could be put to great use in a larger setting.

The carnival also provided some some fantastic moments in Bully. The go kart racing was seriously addictive, and test your strength was always good for some easy prizes. Bully 2 could easily build on this with new events for each season, and new types of attractions. Bully is all about causing mischief, and the more places available to get up to no good, the better.