Canis Canem Edit (Bully) Preview

Bully, the notorious forthcoming Rockstar title managed to generate so much controversy from certain quarters that they opted to change the game's name in PAL territories. Now known as Canis Canem Edit - Latin for "Dog Eat Dog" - the game is nearing completion and is due to hit shelves later this month. Rockstar recently invited BigPond GameArena in for a sneak peak at this one in action and things are looking pretty good. Read on for all the details.

Canis Canem Edit

It takes a special kind of country to influence an outfit like Rockstar to change the name of one of their games; luckily for us, Australia is such a country. Or maybe it was Britain. Or another PAL country. Whether it was a pre-emptive move to pacify the ignorant or maybe a sudden liking for Latin, we've ended up with the one-time Bully being dubbed Canis Canem Edit, or "Dog Eat Dog".

Rockstar games attract a lot of attention from areas of the community - sometimes justified, sometimes, not-so-justified. After playing through parts of Bull-er Canis Canem Edit, the reaction by some people complaining about everything from the old name to the perceived subject matter seems, well, idiotic.

Reading through some of the misinformed 'commentary' about the game had me flashing back to a scene from the 80s classic, "Amadeus". In it, Mozart (played by Tom Hulce - who should have stopped after it, cos things went rapidly downhill) is forced to defend his vision against a snarky clique of ignorants, incompetents and prudish has-beens. "It's not indecent", he cries, "it's highly moral!" - a claim received with scepticism.

Now I'm not saying Rockstar are Mozart, nor am I saying that Canis Canem Edit will be still played centuries from now, but there's a parallel here. And the lesson is that art subverted to cater to the lowest common denominator makes losers out of us all, long term. And that invariably, the criticism leveled at CCE is much more likely to come from those who've heard about the game, rather than those who have seen or played it. And we hear loads of things, but that doesn't necessarily make them true. Except for all those rumours about Tom Cruise. Believe those.

So, unlike what you may have heard, CCE is not "a brutalising journey into teen subjugation". It's not "a bastardisation simulator". It's not even "desensitising a new generation of easily impressed youth" (note, the inverted commas are mine). What you have instead is a satirical tribute to the coming of age/rites of passage that (mainly) guys go through in their teens. Think Dead Poets Society, Grange Hill, DeGrassi, even Grease.

The story is pure summer teen movie. Jimmy's mum and her umpteenth stepdad ditch him at Bullworth Academy - pretty much the last rung on the school ladder for the frequently expelled. Jimmy has to negotiate the various cliques at school, get an education, and find out who his real friends are.

And here's the point. Jimmy isn't a victim, nor is he a roided up Rambo. He's an ordinary kid, with a bit of attitude. He's easily related to. He's everyteen. Rockstar avoid edging into cheesy better than any company out there - and once again they get the personality just right for Jimmy. Whether you're still in school, recently left or its a faint memory, his irreverent character and the main people around him do strike a chord. There's the brain dead meatheads, the sarcastic instigator, the friendly wuss, the nerds, the chicks you claim you wouldn't touch with a bargepole (but did) - all of that. And it's fun.

A day at Bullworth Academy consists of routine. Your alarm bell goes, and then you have two lessons a day to attend, whilst you have a series of GTA-style missions. Just how you break out of that routine or conform is largely up to you, although the more you transgress the rules, the more obstacles get in the way. Policing the rules at Bullworth are prefects and teachers - they're much like the cops in GTA, although your scale of misbehaviour is a lot more subtle here. Do "bad" stuff like pick on little kids or girls, and you'll attract a lot more heat than just throwing some fist at some chump asking for punishment.

After the school bell goes, you have a window of time to knock over missions and expore. Once curfew hits, you've got to go covert, otherwise you're busted back to your dorm.

The cool thing about CCE is that everyone in the school grounds is an individual. You don't get random generic people milling around. Whilst playing, Rockstar staff lapsed into referring to different people in the game by "their" name - merely because after playing the game for countless hours you get to recognise the individuals - just like school, work and whatnot. They move about the game world logically as well, so you won't pass a mate going in one direction and then see them walking past you 50 metres later. It adds to the feeling you're in a story, rather than a game.

Combat in the game is handled pretty well. There's no machineguns, pistols or heavy ordinance - its all stink bombs, fire extinguishers and slingshots. Fisticuffs and wrestling moves also allow you to get in up close and personal, and you even get a chance to perform a suitably humiliating finishing move if you're quick enough. Once again - you're not ripping someone's spine out through their sphincter - you're pulling wedgies and suchlike. Good clean high spirited fun.

The great thing about Canis Canem Edit is something that holds true of other Rockstar games. And that is persistence with the story. They don't take the easy option and self satirise, rather they commit to an approach and follow through without getting all self-conscious. That's the difference between an artistic outfit, and a group of code monkeys. So while you will spend some time evaluating the graphics engine, the side missions, and the rest, ultimately with CCE - you're paying for a cool storyline, and like GTA - a long lasting trip into a great game world.

Stay tuned when we jump feet first into Bullworth Academy in the full review of Canis Canem Edit - coming soon!