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Underground > Games & Gameplay >

Canis Canem Edit

18:03 / 23.10.06

I'm intrigued by what is being sold as Canis Canem Edit, which is translated by the people selling the game as "Dog Eat Dog" and could, for all I remember of my Latin classes, be correct. I'm going to refer to it as "Bully" from hereon in, though, because that's what everywhere except Europe and Australia will know it as.

Bully has already come up in the Taboo-Busting thread, to begin with because of the possibility of further 'moral panic' due to... well, read it here yourself.

Now, this is an interesting twist for a media who were already stoked up because they had "Early information released by Take-Two Interactive seemed to indicate that the player would be taking the role of a bully" (from the current wiki ).

What intrigues me more, though, stems' from Phex's hypothesis that the game may turn out to be "GTA for kids"; I have already ordered a copy because it's the only game that I'm slightly interested in at the moment (which is, also, to be fair, partly because I don't have the capability to play high-spec pc games and have but the one console). I couldn't tell you, particularly, why this game has caught my interest. It could be partly because of the subject matter; also, the handling of the game's pre-release media was relatively impressive, as it whipped up a furore without actually announcing any gameplay specifics.

I think it is in fact the controversy (even if none may actually apparently exist within the gameplay.) Consider that the game has only come out today (apparently - I thought it wasn't out until Friday but Play have emailed me to say my copy's been shipped) and yet the entire media furore is impressive. As far as I know (and again this is from the Wiki) for a game that's only been out less than twenty-four hours in the UK, it already has stacked against it:

Bulling Online
Jack Thompson
Keith Vaz
32,000 Belgians and the stores Currys and PC World.

Some might say they're not the best odds.

The part of the taboo-busting thread I'm spinning this partly out of can be found here; do any Barbelites have copies, and/or opinions on this?

20:49 / 23.10.06

Not got it yet, but I will be buying it. I've had my eye on it for quite a time.

The reason I want it really is all down to the school setting. I've been wanting to play an updated take on Skool Daze ever since I had a Speccy, and it's surprising it's been such an untapped setting considering the videogame consumer base.

I dunno, the thought of setting off fire alarms and starting fights in the playground has appeal, and it looks to be backed up by the solid production values and gameplay of most of Rockstar's output. Will report back.

22:19 / 23.10.06

I don't have, nor do I particularly plan on getting it, but my buddy already has his copy. I was watching him play last night and I didn't see anything worse than all those coming-of-age tales that are called heartwarming family films. Yeah, I saw some violence, but nothing more than light schoolyard scrapping and bottle rocket throwing, and this was in the process of stopping a crime. It might be a little objectionable that you improve your fighting skills by training with a homeless guy (and by training with, I really mean, you pay him to tell you a move and then you do it on him three times while he stands there), but again, this doesn't register as horrible anti-social behavior to me. Rather, it reminded me off all the movies where some kid finds the older, streetwise mentor who helps him out in becoming a man.

Granted, I didn't see much of the game, but what I did see didn't seem all that terrible.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

23:14 / 23.10.06

I plan on getting it. Partly because, as iamus says (or implies at any rate), Skool Daze was ace, and I'm hoping for something in a similar vein. Partly because I'm a fan of Rockstar- even when their games aren't that great (Red Dead Revolver) the production values are high- RDR was, for me, a must-have purely for the spaghetti western-ness of it all which was captured BLOODY WELL and the fact that it at least tried new things (the slo-mo targeting, so you got that proper Leone REEEEAAAALLLY slow buildup to the fast bloodshed). Likewise Manhunt, which I know wasn't too well-received but which I was hooked on from start to finish. (Although I do get the feeling RS try out all their ideas for the next GTA on their other games... the ones that work make it, the ones that don't? Well, at least they looked good).

I do, however, think that as is their wont, Rockstar will be playing on all the bad publicity they can get. Sure, being withdrawn from some stores may have hurt San Andreas (but it's not like they didn't make a packet out of that one) but could it be that they realise the shift in the market towards online purchasing? If (and I have no idea of sales figures, this is pure speculation, but it seems plausible) they realise the way this is going, doesn't it make more sense to get your game banned in shops, if people are going to buy it anyway? Cuts down on the advertising budget... you still sell the games... that looks like sound marketing to me.

But MOSTLY I'm going to buy it because it looks fun.

17:56 / 26.10.06

It is fun.

I've got past the first chapter now, and things are starting to open out a little more.

More News As It Develops!

18:23 / 26.10.06

Did I really play this for eight hours on the trot last night?

Without really moving much?

I think I did.

It's good. More GTA: Focused than GTA: Lite.

Will also get back in a bit.

MattShepherd: I WEDDED KALI!

18:30 / 26.10.06

Still called "Bully" here in North America, incidentally.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

18:39 / 26.10.06

(mod hat- Feverfew- your Jack Thompson link goes to the same place as your Bullying charity wikipedia link).

Elijah, Freelance Rabbi

20:59 / 26.10.06

Found an article on Kotaku about a store in Ireland not selling the game to minors, not for the violence, but for the fact that you can play the game in such a way that your characters love interests are male rather then female.

I find it interesting that Rockstar opted to include the option of playing the game as a gay character, and I wonder how much storyline impact the choice you make has.

22:05 / 26.10.06

I bought this today. I was aware of the title when it was called Bully, but when the Jack Thompson stuff started happening, I just started to ignore most coverage on the game. It never seemed to relate to the game mechanincs, just the controversy surrounding the game and Jack's latest shenanigans. I was reminded about the game a few days ago over at Towleroad, where they were reporting about the different orientation possibilities of the main character.

When I saw it in the shop, it took a quick read of the back of the box to realise that it was actually Bully. From the front cover I was convinced it was a football game or something, but no. Still haven't played it though. My Playstation 2 is nearly five years old and it's showing serious signs of wear. I keep getting the dreaded disc read error message, so tomorrow I'll be opening it up and adjusting the voltage.

Phex: Dorset Doom

22:08 / 26.10.06

From the video (posted elsewhere) it looks as though the gay seduction happens in a similar way to the Sims games and the romance part of San Andreas- you build up respect/friendship with a character to a certain point then give them some flowers, then you kiss them.
As GayGamer says: "After a little talking and a bouquet of flowers he was more than willing to get down to business, and he and our hero Jimmy really seemed to enjoy it. I was shocked later, when I went into the town near the school, to find my blond hunk holding hands with a red haired jock while waiting in line for the movies. Needless to say, my heart was broken."
It is an interesting concept, though I don't know without playing the game whether its a design feature (whether, like the girls in San Andreas, there are certain NPCs who are seduce-able and some of these NPCs are boys) or whether every NPC at Bulworth Academy can be won over by flowers and the X button.
Either way, if Jack Thompson finds out he'll, to use a phrase from my own school days, 'have an eppy'. Murder-simulators are one thing, but boy-kissing? Not on Jack's watch! Jack's a man who likes his beer cold and his boys not making out.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

22:08 / 26.10.06

Elijah- Your link just seems to go to the site, rather than anything relevant.

Sorry, I'm not being snarky, I would really like to read the thing you're talking about, and your link doesn't go there. Unless I'm missing something.

22:29 / 26.10.06

As far as I can tell there are only a handful of seducable male NPCs in the game, and I don't think any of them are mission-critical.

The girls, on the other hand, are all game for it as long as they're of age (there are two age groups, little kid and teenager). There are at least two or three so far that I've seen who require dating to progress.

02:59 / 27.10.06

Latin for "Boy Eat Boy" plz!

08:32 / 27.10.06

Kotaku link. Also found on Kotaku: "GayGamer's Fruit Bruit writes that there are at least four guys in the game open to a little hot guy on guy wet-lip action". So it doesn't look like just anyone can be seduced.

Phex: Dorset Doom

16:14 / 30.10.06

As predicted, Jack Thompson: Ace Attorney has issued a statement about teh gaying in Bully:
From Kotaku:

Re: Gay Sex in Bully Video Game; Retail Sale of Sexual Material Harmful to Minors

It turns out that the school violence simulation game Bully also contains homosexual activity between the game's hero, Jimmy Hopkins, and other male students.

It is my legal opinion that the sale of this game to minors, which is presently occurring at your stores in Florida, violates Florida's "Sexual Material Harmful to Minors Statute," Florida Statute 847.102. Each such sale to a minor constitutes a separate felony. Such sales are occurring to children of all ages because of the game's wholly inappropriate "Teen" rating, as opposed to the "Mature" rating it deserves. A recent Reuters story indicates that parental concern about this is growing, as reportage of this new video game industry scandal is making headlines today around the world.

I already have pending a Florida lawsuit to stop the sale of Bully to minors, and now that we know that it contains not only high levels of unpunished violence but also homosexual acts the lawsuit will be amended to proceed against it and some of you who are defendants therein on these dual grounds.

I suggest strongly that all of you cease and desist all such sales in the United States immediately. Neither the game's maker, Take-Two, nor the Entertainment Software Rating Board, told you of this homosexual content, which constitutes a fraudulent and deceptive trade practice, in my opinion, on their parts, and I have alerted the Federal Trade Commission to this.

However, now each of you knows, and from now on, from this minute forward, you are all on the hook.

You hear that girly-men? You're ON TEH HOOK! Jack's the big fish in this pond and it's dog-eat-dog so it's his way or the highway. Baby.
Yeah, I have no idea what it means to be on the hook, but I'm sure it's hella awesome. Or wicked bad, I can't really tell.

16:42 / 30.10.06

i just have to say to someone, anyone, that this jihad against bully is, possibly, the most retarded project attempted by humans.

it just hurts my brain to think about people putting time into this. like a ice cream headache ... but replace the ice cream with human stupidity.

it huuurtttssss ....

sorry.
had to vent.

22:14 / 30.10.06

Err... Two persons kissing is "sexual material"?

Is that from the country whose ex-president never had sex with a certain White House intern?

Can we sue Jack Thompson's lawyer for hateful speech which may cause distress in queer teenagers?

* * *

What is Bullying Online's statement on Bully? They look like a decent organization (at a superficial glance, I had never heard of them before) and I think it would be rather sad if they took a stance against a game which happens to be a very relevant social commentary about bullying and a great way of blowing off steam without harming actual people.

It should be cause for worry that the bully is a cultural icon that is big enough in itself to inspire a mainstream video game.

* * *

I bought the game a few days ago and so far, it rocks! I can't wait to make out with BOYS!!!

And I get to fulfill all those revenge fantasies from my high school years.

I love the quality of Rockstar's artistic vision. Many of its games (Vice City, San Andreas, The Warriors and Bully come to mind first) were fantastic tributes to movie genres. This is an aspect of the studio that is often overlooked.

Instead of criticizing the games for their content, maybe we should just admit that we all get off on beating the crap out of virtual people and authority figures. These games probably help a lot of us to remain sane individuals capable of functioning in society... Err, wait – that's counter-revolutionary! Down with Rockstar! :P

18:43 / 02.11.06

I'm very much still enjoying this. I've pacified the Preppies and the Greasers, and am now apparently moving on to pacifying the Jocks via the Nerds. There is one thing, though - the density of humour, a lá the GTA games, seems somehow lighter and fluffier in Canis. The jokes aren't quite as thick and fast, somehow.

Still a lot of fun, though.

Elijah, Freelance Rabbi

20:29 / 02.11.06

Sorry about that Kotaku link earlier, linking to blogs has always made my head hurt.

I might buy a new PS2 for this and Guitar Hero. My PS2 is from launch day, and is for the most part a brick.

17:04 / 03.11.06

... And now I seem to have completed it, even though I'm only, apparently, 67.8% of the way through it.

A little short, but, otherwise, a lot of fun.