Persona 5 is great, but the kids feel much older than they are. The original Bully is the exception to the rule - most examples of adults writing high schoolers are terrible. My main worry is that the game wouldn’t be written by high schoolers, it would be written by adults. The idea of Bully but on a construction site or in an office or at a mall would be much better than just Bully 2 - actually, if we did keep Jimmy as a 30-year-old man, I can see it working, but also, that feels too contrived. It’s Rockstar, and Bully hasn’t had a game in 15 years - it’s not a cast iron brand. We can’t really have it be Jimmy 15 years on, given Bully is wedded to the idea that it takes place in a school, and there are so many school-based games these days that it feels like Rockstar could do Bully again, but in a different setting. Even if Rockstar and the industry as a whole does revert to smaller, more controlled storytelling, Bully isn’t necessarily the place to head for. Rockstar is notorious for the issue, to the point where perhaps its style, inimitable as it is, is unsustainable. Rockstar is the best in the world at those types of games, and that should probably be the studio’s focus from now on.Ĭrunch comes into it too, of course. Far too many games try to reach that level and fail. GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2 are massive, but they both justify their runtime and scope. Its games take nearly a decade to make, and they’re huge, roving, open-world adventures. At least Bully 2 would be a new game with a new story, but this is Rockstar we’re talking about. But I don’t think it needs one, and with so many remakes and remasters and ports coming out each year, I wish we’d stop looking for a nostalgia fix in gaming so much. If one was announced, I would probably be excited for it.
Related: The GTA Remastered Trilogy Is Your Chance To Fly The Dodo, The Worst Vehicle In Video Game HistoryI have no objection to Bully getting a sequel. While it had some crude humour, it also let you play Jimmy as gay or bisexual - and I always find the idea that we can’t have crude humour these days laughable in a world where Family Guy, South Park, and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia frequently get renewed and continue to pull in huge viewing figures. Jimmy, our protagonist, was a victim of bullying far more than he inflicted bullying on others. While the name ‘Bully’ caused controversy, and was even changed to Canis Canem Edit in the UK because of hysteria over ‘happy slapping’, this is not a think piece about how the world has evolved beyond the need for Bully. But not every game we love needs a sequel. I’ve written about The Simpsons countless times and have seen each episode twice, many more than ten times, while I’ve also explained why Jet Set Radio is the reason I’m excited for Bomb Rush Cyberfunk - even though I think comparing them does a disservice to both. My inner Simpsons fan will hate me for saying this, but I think it’s the best game of those four.
However, unlike those three games, I don’t think Bully needs one. The Simpsons: Hit & Run, Jet Set Radio, and Brutal Legend often find themselves alongside it. Bully is frequently at the top of the list when it comes to ‘games that need a sequel’.