Bully: Scholarship Edition

Dodgeball against the jocks sounds like a pretty good way to get your feet moving, and I think Bully gives you enough to do that you won’t spend the whole workout watching someone talk. I’d stick with the schoolyard chaos and accept that some missions are going to ask you to slow down.

Gameplay

What I like about Bully is that its troublemaking has a purpose beyond making a mess. Jimmy is working his way through a school full of cliques, and taking on the jocks, helping the nerds, or setting up the preppies gives the action a little social context. It’s not a deep study of adolescence, but it is a funny place to spend time, and I’m fond of games that let you solve a problem by being a bit of a nuisance.

Dodgeball is the kind of activity I’d happily do between missions, because it gets you into the action quickly and makes sense without a lot of setup. The fights and other challenges seem like a good change of pace too, though I’d expect some of them to demand more attention than just running around and pressing buttons. Sometimes I want a game to keep the legs going while my brain takes a short break, and sometimes it’s nice when the game has other plans.

The school setting also means you’re going between classes and story missions, and that’s where I think the workout rhythm gets uneven. The conversations and story bits give the characters room to be funny, but they’re still a stretch where your hands are busy and your legs may be waiting for the next thing. I don’t know that I’d want every run to be built around that stop and start, but it sounds manageable if you’re happy to treat the slower bits as recovery.

There’s a lot of appeal in the small-scale teenage nonsense. Pranking the preppies and trying to keep the different groups from making your day worse is a much sillier setup than saving the world, and I think that helps the game stay light even when it’s sending you into a mission. Jimmy also gets to kiss a girl and navigate the school’s social hierarchy, which is a lot to fit between classes. High school apparently has a very busy schedule.

I’d expect the story to do more for me than the action on its own, so I’d play missions when I wanted a bit more focus and use the less demanding activities when I wanted to settle into a steady pace. There’s enough variety in the premise that I wouldn’t want to skip all the story, but I also wouldn’t force myself to follow every conversation while trying to keep a comfortable cadence. It’s okay to let the belt keep moving while Jimmy listens.

Category Score: 2 out of 3

Treadmill and Bike Compatibility

I’d use an Xbox 360 controller, which the listed inputs support, and I think that makes a big difference here. The basic appeal is running around a school, getting into scrapes, and doing activities like dodgeball, not aiming a cursor at tiny buttons while your hand bounces. I’d still start at a pace where you can steer without feeling like you’re guiding a shopping cart down a hill.

The missions are the part I’d be more careful with. Fights, dodgeball, and other timed challenges call for attention and button timing, so I’d expect to ease off the pace when those come up, especially on a treadmill. On a bike, those moments seem a little easier to manage because your upper body can stay more settled, though you still have to keep an eye on what’s happening. I wouldn’t try to win every challenge at sprint speed. Jimmy has enough problems already.

For a steadier workout, I’d spend time on activities that let you move around and explore rather than trying to power through a difficult mission. The school routine gives you places to go, and you can choose to do a little side activity instead of making every minute about the story. I don’t know how well I’d handle quick turns when the treadmill has me bobbing around, so I’d keep the pace comfortable and save the more hectic parts for when I’m not pushing hard.

This isn’t a game I’d put on and forget about. You’ll have to pay attention to where you’re going, and the story can pull you into a conversation just as your legs are settling into a rhythm. But the controller support and mix of lower pressure activities make it feel workable, as long as you’re willing to adjust your effort instead of treating every mission like a race.

Category Score: 2 out of 3

Computer Requirements

The minimum requirements are old enough that I’d look at the graphics card first, but this shouldn’t need a modern gaming machine. A computer meeting those listed older graphics requirements should be in the right range, and the storage space needed is modest. It’s more like checking whether the old computer in the closet still boots than shopping for a new one.

Category Score: 3 out of 3

Conclusion and Score

Bully sounds like a fun choice for a moderate workout, especially if you enjoy its schoolyard humor and don’t mind easing up for story missions or tricky challenges. I’d skip it for an all out, no interruptions run, but for a mix of moving around and taking the occasional break, I’d give it a try.

Overall Score: 2.33 out of 3