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Bully's Xbox 360 patch may need another patch
EuroGamer reports that a patch released five days ago, which intended to fix the issues in the Xbox 360 version of Bully: Scholarship Edition, may have caused more problems than it resolved. Reported problems include freezes, along with audio and graphic glitches. Rockstar explained that the issue is with older consoles, but EuroGamer states its (relatively new?) office Elite locks up.We're still waiting to hear from Rockstar about what's really going on, but the company seems to have locked itself in the teacher's lounge and refuses to come out. So, what's the word on the virtual streets? Are people still having problems with their copy of Bully on the Xbox 360?
Bully patch making things worse?
Hey everyone. Remember how the Xbox 360 version of Bully had all those problems? Remember how Rockstar soon delivered a patch to iron out all the bugs? Well, it looks like the patch didn't quite work as advertised. In fact, if reports on the intertubes are to be believed, the patch actually made the game worse for some players. Specifically, there are reports of audio stuttering, which is something we've heard from our own readers, as well as graphical glitches and freezing issues. The question now is whether or not Rockstar plans to patch the patch.%Poll-11759%
Another Week in Europe
Featuring charts from across the region, Another Week in Europe documents the buying habits and quirky tastes of a whole continent of Wii lovers.This week's European charts mark the arrival of a bloodless No More Heroes and Rockstar's Bully: Scholarship Edition. As both are pretty excellent games, it goes without saying that neither was ever going to threaten the likes of smug old Mario & Sonic.But hey, sneering sarcasm aside, No More Heroes actually did a little better than we expected, reaching a respectable 14th in the UK, and 13th in Sweden. Okay, so Game Party (9th) and Carnival: Funfair Games (6th) both horrifically topped Suda's brilliant adventure in the UK, and it failed altogether to leave a dent on the top 20 in Denmark, Ireland, Germany, or Holland, but we're still pleased it came close to a top ten position somewhere.Perhaps surprisingly, Bully: Scholarship Edition didn't fare as well, at least on the Wii. While the Xbox 360 version is performing decently in the UK (5th), Holland (10th), and Sweden (19th), the Wii edition is nowhere to be seen, save for a lowly UK ranking of 26th.Oh, and in case you were wondering, we're sorry to announce that we're down a chart this week, as our usual sources for Spanish data are busy enjoying their four-day Easter weekend. The cheek! They'll be chained back to their desks next week. Go past the break for more charts than there are tulips in Holland. Probably.
Rockstar patches a problematic Bully
It may have taken longer then a week, but Rockstar has finally been able to push their game fixing patch through Microsoft certification with the roll out of a new Bully: Scholarship Edition patch. The patch, which should be applied the next time a player loads the game while connected to Xbox Live, is supposed to correct the numerous Bully glitches and technical issues that gamers have been experiencing since the game's launch. Hopefully the patch does just that, resulting in a Bully that acts more civil and less problematic. That said, if the patch doesn't fix everything, we know gamers will be vocal and verbally let Rockstar have it.[Thanks, TMlad]
Bully patch now on Live, but does it fix anything?
A patch for Bully: Scholarship Edition has been released on Xbox Live in lieu of the "broad worldwide announcement" expected today. But what does it fix? We don't know for sure, and various readers have reported the technical problems are either not fixed at all or in some cases worse. We've contacted Rockstar for more information. If you've downloaded the patch yourself, feel free to give your impressions below.[Thanks, Mark]
Be a Bully, enter the Drillbit Taylor Play & Win
Owen Wilson's comedy Drillbit Taylor will be making its way to theaters this weekend and to celebrate, Rockstar's Bully is partnering up to offer a Drillbit Taylor and Bully Play & Win. And yes, there is a prize. To enter the Play & Win, you can either download the Drillbit Taylor gamer picture pack or register online and even though Bully is sponsoring the giveaway, you aren't required to play it. All you have to do is register by tomorrow, March 21st and put on your lucky underwear in hopes that get randomly selected to win the only prize available ... a 50" Samsung HDTV. Only offering one prize stinks, but anything is possible guys. You can do it!
News on Bully Xbox 360 patch coming tomorrow
MTV Multiplayer has managed to get a statement from Rockstar concerning Bully: Scholarship Edition's missing-in-action patch. While not much, a spokesperson told them that the patch is sitting in the Xbox Live certification queue and that they will have a "broad worldwide announcement" tomorrow. While that announcement could come alongside the patch itself, we're not holding our breath.It's promising to know the patch is awaiting Xbox Live certification, but that process can take some time to get through. After apologizing for the technical issues reported by some Xbox 360 gamers, Rockstar asserted they would get a patch out "within a week." As of this writing, it has been 12 days (i.e. well over a week) since that statement.
Patch for buggy Bully on 360 coming next week
Rockstar's been awfully apologetic about the game-breaking bugs and glitches present in the Xbox 360 version of Bully: Scholarship Edition (as they should be). In the latest public apology, a Rockstar Games representative is promising a fix within the next week, in the form of a title update via Xbox Live.The patch will likely fix the audio glitches, framerate stutters, and full-on crashes that have plagued the 360 version, yet have been entirely absent from the Wii version. It is unknown at this time whether Rockstar also intends to offer a disc replacement plan for 360 owners without access to Live (similar to Activision's replacement plan for Guitar Hero III on the Wii). We'll let you know when the buggy Bully patch is finally made available.
Rockstar promises Bully fix by next week
We're sure we don't have to remind any new Bully: Scholarship Edition owners that the game has problems. Heck, we don't even have to remind Rockstar, because they already know and acknowledge the problems. But we do have to tell you that the Rockstar devs are hard at word on a patch which will be deployed as a title update over Xbox Live sometime next week. They also wanted to "apologize wholeheartedly for the inconvenience that this matter has caused some owners of the game". A wholehearted apology and a Bully fix within seven days. Now that's the caring Rockstar we've come to know and love.
Bully: a past of controversy and future of issues
Ironically enough Bully has been one of the industry's main whipping boys since it was first introduced on the PlayStation 2 in 2006. While the recent misinterpretation of the sexual content within Mass Effect has been an industry hot topic in this generation of consoles, the assumptions made about the content in Bully prior to its release were laughably off-kilter. At one point in the controversy industry antagonist, Jack Thompson, argued on G4's The Loop that Bully was a "Columbine Simulator," oblivious to the fact that the ultimate goal of the game is end bullying at Bullworth Academy -- the featured location in the game. While the sandbox nature of the game allows players to be just as much as an advocate against bullies as it allows them to be the ultimate poster child, the internal rules of the game harshly punishes picking on female characters or smaller children. With the recent release of Bully: Scholarship Edition, gamers are treated to a HD upgrade of the controversial title -- or so they thought. Reports are swirling that multiple glitches and game freezing bugs are hindering the enjoyment of the hd-revamp. NeoGAF members have compiled a list of various sources to support the widespread issue. In response, a horrified Rockstar pinned the issues on older Xbox 360 models and assures fans the issue was never caught during quality assurance tests and not the product of a quick release cash grab. The full statement from Rockstar's Sam Houser can be found after the jump. [via Kotaku]
Rockstar working 'around the clock' to quell 360's Bully issues
Having forked over their precious lunch money to recent current-gen graduate, Bully: Scholarship Edition, some Xbox 360 owners have expressed dissatisfaction with the game's technical performance. Though it's unclear whether the issues are widespread, several forum users have noted unsteady framerates, audio glitches and freezing within Rockstar's school daze sim.The company has issued a statement in response to online complaints, vowing to work "around the clock to rectify this situation." A "horrifed" Rockstar president, Sam Houser, pinned the blame on "some older 360s," explaining that none of the technical issues occurred during the game's QA phase. "We would never shove anything out the door - we never have and never will," said Houser. "We apologise to everyone affected for the inconvenience."
Wii version of Bully might be the better port
On numerous gaming forums, we've been reading about people having problems with the Xbox 360 port of Bully: Scholarship Edition. According to many owners of the game, the 360 version constantly freezes and suffers from poor framerates. There have also been some complaints about glitches and audio drops, which have led many to conclude that it's a shoddily made port.Fortunately, it seems like these issue aren't present in the Wii game, but we figured we'd check with our readers to be sure. Have any of you picked up a copy of Bully yet? If so, have you encountered any problems, or is the game running smoothly for you? Gallery: Bully
Return of Bully means more controversy
Color us not at all surprised. With this week's release of Bully: Scholarship Editon, we're seeing a return of the controversy that swirled around the game upon its original PS2 release in 2006. Emily Noble, president of the Canadian Teachers' Federation, called for the game to be removed from shelves this week, saying "We're asking retailers to be responsible. Yes, they can sell it and make a buck out of this, but is this the kind of marketing that they want to be [doing], selling games that glorify violence?"McGill University's Michael Hoechsmann provided a more rational take, calling attempts to ban the game "flailing at windmills" and saying "As tempting as it may seem, I'm not so certain that banning this will somehow result in a more peaceful and more loving school population."Though we're sad to see this silly controversy rear its head again, we do want to give big ups to Hoechsmann and reporter Jill Mahoney for providing a dissenting opinion.[Via GamePolitics]
Shipping this week: Army of Bully edition
The Xbox 360 plays host to three new games this week. We're not quite sure which one tops the list honestly. Army of Two is probably the most talked about recently. Given its rocky development cycle and the fact that there aren't any major reviews up yet, we're remaining cautious. Bully: Scholarship Edition also releases this week, marking the first time that Microsoft console owners will get a chance to try it out (now with achievements!). And then there's Major League Baseball 2K8, about which we haven't the foggiest. Anyone out there longing to pick up one of these this week? Army of Two Major League Baseball 2K8 Bully Scholarship Edition [Via Joystiq]
Wii releases for the week of March 3rd
This week's releases have something for just about everyone. You can be a hero on the baseball diamond, in the classroom or ... wherever it is that ninja train. A bamboo thicket? Well, whatever, the joke had no chance, anyway.The point is that there are some decent games available this week. That is, unless you hate America's pastime and aren't a fan of Rockstar or things that train you to be a more effective killer. If that's the case, then try to find ways to pass the time before a certain something releases. Major League Baseball 2K8 Bully Scholarship Edition Ninja Reflex %Gallery-14099%
Checking out Bully: Scholarship Edition
Hitting North American shores on March 4th (the rumor was only one day off) and March 7th for the UK, Bully: Scholarship Edition will be bringing extra content to Wii gamers that skipped giving this a wedgie when it released on PS2 back in 2006. What we would like to know is if you feel like participating in this class come March when it releases?[Via Joystiq]
Point your pupils at Bully: Scholarship Edition trailer
If you skipped 2006's PlayStation 2 debut of Bully, you missed out on a lot more than a nostalgic video game trip through your long-forgotten school daze. All the drama and legal flailing surrounding the release would have you believe that Bully: Scholarship Edition is the definitive version of Rockstar's homo-erotic, teacher killing sim.It's nothing like that, actually. The true nature of the game, which involves disease-ridden lunch ladies and epic wedgies, can be gleaned from the trailer embedded after the break. Let us know if it's convinced you to enroll in class on March 4th (March 7th in the UK).
Bully stirs up controversy in Britain ... again
Poor Rockstar -- the games publisher and developer just can't get any love in the U.K. Britain not only bullied Bully the first time around, forcing the game to change its name to Canis Canem Edit, but The Telegraph is now criticizing the new Wii and Xbox 360 versions. The latest gripe comes fresh after the Manhunt 2 controversy, which has yet to be resolved completely.The Telegraph disapproves of the game because it "features a shaven-headed pupil who torments fellow students and teachers at his school." Like many video game critiques, this opinion is mostly inaccurate and also alarmist. An organization known as BeatBullying is also unhappy with the new Bully, claiming that Rockstar tried to bribe them for their support with a donation. Certain retailers like PC World and Currys refuse to even carry the game.Rockstar is known for pushing the envelope with edgy games, but we have to imagine that they're tired of all these headaches by now. We know we certainly are.
Again, Bully becomes the center of controversy
With Bully: Scholarship Edition's upcoming release this March, the anti-bullying activists and UK's media are again throwing a temper tantrum over Rockstar's "controversial" game. Did we mention they aren't happy?When released on the PS2, the UK version of Bully underwent a name change to Canis Canem Edit (that's "Dog Eat Dog" in latin) which was probably an effort by Rockstar to keep the controversy to a minimum. But this time around, the 360 and Wii version will forgo a latin name change and be called Bully: Scholarship Edition and that doesn't seem to sit well with anti-bully activists. And even though Bully is a rather tame game whose story doesn't specifically reward bullying, it's made by Rockstar and deals with touchy subject matter, so this kind of controversy is expected. It's controversy Rockstar is all too familiar with.[Via Game Stooge]
Bully causes Brit-troversy a year late and a pound short
Like trying to resuscitate a year-old corpse, the UK's Telegraph attempted to reinvigorate controversy about Bully now that it's coming to Wii and Xbox 360 in March. The Telegraph gets mileage out of the non-troversy by pulling a Manhunt 2 and explaining that acting out movements with the Wiimote is what makes this game relevant again as an issue. What also seems to stick in some people's craw is that the ridiculous renaming of Bully to Canis Canem Edit (Dog eat Dog) in the UK is out and the original name is back in. Now that the game has been out for a while, is it too much to ask that critics play the game before commenting on it -- scratch that, of course it is. Anybody who has played Bully knows that it is a smart satire of boarding school and protagonist Jimmy Hopkins is clearly more of a lover than a fighter. We're just hoping that the Wii and Xbox 360 versions of Bully are precursors to a sequel announcement.[Via GamePolitics]
