In October 2006, Rockstar showed that complaints about Grand Theft Auto's content didn't faze them. Rockstar's Bully sparked protests outside of Rockstar's Manhattan headquarters. The most infamous complaint was undoubtedly from activist Jack Thompson, despite his never having seen or played the game.
These concerns were soon put to bed when the game was released, as Bully turned out to be more fun and comical than people first thought. The game did have mild violence and some offensive jokes, but it was far from being the outrageous game that some feared. Bully was well-received upon release both critically and commercially. The game is now considered a cult classic, and fans have been anxiously waiting for a sequel for many years. Bully had multiple features and gameplay mechanics that not only differentiated it from the GTA series, but improved upon it in many ways.
10 Main Characters
As of 2017, Grand Theft Auto is the fifth highest-grossing video game franchise ever, yet there are only a handful of memorable characters throughout the games. The most recent game, GTA 5, improved upon this with numerous charismatic characters. But there still isn't a game in the series where every main character has been well-written, brilliantly voice-acted, and ultimately memorable like in Bully.
For example, GTA 5's antagonists were quite run of the mill. Whereas Bully's Gary Smith falls under the same category as Bowser and the Joker as villains that players love to hate.
9 Side Characters
It's not just the main characters that are superior in Bully. The game has a great cast of side characters too who are each bursting with personality. Notable side characters include Russel Northrop, Pinky Gauthier, and Johnny Vincent.
Furthermore, by just walking through the school, players will be treated to great lines of dialog as they watch their fellow students going about their wonderfully dysfunctional daily lives.
8 A Moral Story
Despite the title's name of Bully, the game's main story has players doing quite the opposite. As Jimmy Hopkins, players are tasked with restoring peace to Bullworth Academy, a place that has long been divided by its social groups.
This game's story of going against the grain to spark social and cultural changes was ahead of its time. It will be interesting to see how future GTA titles can compare in terms of storytelling.
7 The Setting
Each Grand Theft Auto release brings with it one of the largest and most impressively detailed maps in gaming. One thing that games with large maps often sacrifice though is a coherently and meticulously designed setting. Bullworth Academy is one of the most memorable locations in a Rockstar game, with Grove Street being one of its few equals.
Furthermore, the game's students are separated into six cliques, Bullies, Nerds, Greasers, Jocks, Preppies, and Townies. These Hogwarts-like categorizations add further personality to the game's setting.
6 Collectibles
Another benefit of Bully's smaller map is the collectibles. A prominent issue with collectibles in modern gaming is that the world is often too big to make collecting items fun. GTA 4, which was released two years after Bully, had a collect-a-thon mechanic with pigeons. It was a smart way to encourage players to explore the game's map, but the sheer size of it meant that very few players even attempted to shoot all of the pigeons.
Bully's map was far more suitable for collectible hunting than GTA 4, which is why collecting the game's rubber bands was so enjoyable. Players were treated to a nice reward for doing so too, a throwable rubber band ball.
5 Repercussions
In most GTA games, players can murder tons of innocent people and police officers, but receive little more than a small fine if they're caught. In Bully, however, players are sent to detention if they break the school's rules. During detention, players are forced to either mow grass or shovel snow.
Some may not like the detention mechanic as it turns the game into a chore simulator. But it forces players to think twice about misbehaving, as there is a genuine punishment for doing so. This makes the game more immersive and adds weight to the player's actions.
4 The Humor
There's no doubt that the GTA games have had many great moments of humor in them. However, none have been as consistently funny as Bully.
Along with the game's excellent cutscenes led by its wonderful cast, just standing and watching some of the school's students can be great entertainment. The game's NPC's interact with one another far more than in GTA games and conversations between the exaggerated stereotypes, like the Nerds and Jocks, can be great fun to listen to.
3 The Items
GTA games undoubtedly have a great range of weapons and vehicles available to players, but they don't provide the range of items that Bully does.
The game lets players wreak havoc with many quintessential childhood items that are used both in story missions and can be carried at all times. Some of the best items include firecrackers, stink bombs, itching powder, and a slingshot.
2 The Soundtrack
The radio stations are one of the GTA series' many iconic features, however, the series lacks a quality soundtrack.
Bully's soundtrack, on the contrary, is one of the best of its era. It was entirely composed by Shawn Lee and features 26 tracks. The main theme is particularly excellent, as it captures the game's setting and is nostalgic to listen to today. Impressively, the soundtrack has amassed almost two million views across YouTube videos of it.
1 It's Timeless Quality
GTA games are products of their corresponding time periods. They are influenced by music, films, celebrities, and news stories that are relevant at the time. This is a great feature of the games upon release, but it ages them considerably as years pass.
Bully on the contrary doesn't give any indication of when it is set, and there are few references to life outside of Bullworth Academy and its neighboring town. This gives the game its own unique feel that still hasn't grown old.