Xbox 360 Fanboy

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.

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]

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!

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.

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]

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]

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]

Flying low enough to escape our radar, Rockstar recently revealed that the once scheduled for release last Winter Bully: Scholarship Edition will now be hitting retail shelves on March 4th (March 7th for the UK) and will come packed with new content not seen in the original PS2 version. New content like eight new missions, four new classes (biology, music, math and geography), two offline multiplayer mini-games, additional unlockable items and awards. So, if you've had PS2 Bully envy for a while now, then it's looking like your wait was well worth it as the 360 version will be far superior. And the game's $49 retail price tag shouldn't hurt either.

Yesterday, Rockstar announced that its semi-controversial classroom game Bully will be headed to the Xbox 360 this Winter. Bully: Scholarship Edition will expand upon last October's PS2 release by including enhanced visuals and adding additional content, although Rockstar has yet to talk about any specifics.

We're pretty sure 360 owners will embrace what Bully has to offer, seeing that it received rather favorable praise last year and with the promise of additional content we can't help be somewhat Bully'ish. Get it? Bully'ish ... bull, bully ... yeah.

[Thanks, homer34]

Those who waited with baited breath only to learn that the new 360-exclusive game from industry badboy Rockstar is based on Forrest Gump's favorite sport reacted with mixture of why and wtf? The basic gameplay action of table tennis (or Ping Pang Qiu as it's known in China) has a long and storied history in the video game world. Nevertheless, I get the feeling that gamers expected more grit from the creative minds that made running over hookers a national pastime.

Rockstar has taken enormous heat the past few years, as evidenced by this recent petition signed by Wailing Mothers Against Playground Cruelty. One has to wonder if  the accumulated bad press, not to mention the disaster brewed by a certain incident involving overly-warm Folgers, played a role in the company's sudden enthusiasm for competitive table tennis. Maybe Rockstar is eager  to prove that they don't need mature content to capture our imagination. Or maybe they're just relieved that Hillary Clinton can't make Pong 360 an election year issue.

Far too many of us have praised the joys of classic arcade gameplay (and complained about the idiocy of  edgy-for-edgy's-sake fare like True Crime: NYC) to prematurely bitch about a game that could turn out to be the King of Ping. That said,  I would hate to see Rockstar trade in its bloody chainsaw for a pong paddle just to appease a few grandstanding pols and clueless parents. Somebody has to carry the torch for embedded sex and violence.

You can't help but think that Rockstar is a little less Billy Idol these days and a little more Drew Lachey.