Playstation Games

For far too long, the bullies of Bullworth Academy have been stealing lunch money and making life miserable for students. For far too long, you've taken a back seat as nerds were taunted and put on display. And for far too long nobody has put the bullies in their place. Finally, the time for sweet revenge is here! The Rockstar tradition of groundbreaking, original gameplay and humorous tongue-in-cheek storytelling invades an entirely new setting: the schoolyard. As a mischievous schoolboy, you'll stand up to bullies, get picked on by teachers, play pranks, win or lose the girl, and ultimately learn to navigate the obstacles of the worst school around, Bullworth Academy - a corrupt and crumbling prep school with an uptight facade.

The joy of cliques. View larger.

Payback comes at the most unlikely times. View larger.

Don't put anything past the brilliant nerds. View larger.

Preppie or jock, which will you choose?. View larger.

Life at the academy
The story follows Jimmy Hopkins, a teenager who's been expelled from every school he's ever attended. Left to fend for himself after his mother abandons him at Bullworth to go on her fifth honeymoon, Jimmy has a whole year at Bullworth ahead of him, working his way up the social ladder of this demented institution of supposed learning, standing up for what he thinks is right and taking on the liars, cheats and snobs who are the most popular members of the student body and faculty. If Jimmy can survive the school year and outsmart his rivals, he could rule the school.

Using the "living sandbox" game style similar to Rockstar's previous titles, players complete goals and experiment with items in the game world. A rival may dare you to drop a firecracker into a toilet or scare some sense into the kid who took your lunch money. Don't spend too much time roaming the halls, however, as you may actually be punished for skipping out on important classes. Choices you make outside of school will also impact how friends and foes in the school view you after you buy new clothes and sport a new haircut.

Mini games abound
Bullworth Academy pride themselves in rigidly sticking to the curriculum at all times, to this end consistent truancy will result in punishment. The esteemed staff of the Academy, though occasionally questionable in their recreational habits, ensure that the pupils have a firm grounding in the key academic subjects. Alongside the strict principals of loyalty, trust and ruthless ambition that are ingrained in every pupil in the academy by the principal Dr Crabblesnitch, core subjects include English, Gym, Shop Class, Photography, Art and Chemistry. Each subject comprises a series of five tests to be passed with flying colors. Of course on passing each test a due reward, in the form of gameplay features will be earned by the player. Bullworth Academy's educational system is provided through a host of exciting and innovative mini games lovingly developed by Rockstar Vancouver to accompany the main storyline of Bully.

Do a double clique
Just like any other crumbling prep school, Bullworth Academy has its cliques. You'll have to choose whether to side with football jocks, well-dressed preppies, or try to turn them against each other while you laugh at the antics with your fellow greasers. Clique membership becomes even more exciting as your clique rises to the head of the class- making a name for themselves and striking fear into the hearts of those who might cross you. Don't be surprised if some cliques offer up some surprises, as those bug-eyed nerds just may have the scientific know how to create weaponry that can keep those bullies at bay.

Ready yourself for a hilarious return to campus living with Bully, the outrageously funny debut title from Rockstar Vancouver, available exclusively for PlayStation
$37.99
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As DVD playback made the PlayStation 2 more than just a game machine, hefty multi-media features make the Sony PlayStation 3 an even more versatile home entertainment machine. Features such as video chat, Internet access, digital photo viewing, and digital audio and video will likely make it the central component of your media set-up. Still, it is first and foremost a game console--a powerful one at that.

Under the Hood
The PS3 features IBM's "Cell" processor and a co-developed Nvidia graphics processor that makes the system able to perform two trillion calculations per second. That's approximately 320 times more calculations per second than the PS2. Along with the traditional AV and composite connections, it also boasts an HDMI port, which delivers uncompressed, unconverted digital picture and sound to compatible high-definition TV and projectors. The system is capable of 128-bit pixel precision and 1080p resolution for a full HD experience.

PlayStation 3: Tower of power

A sleek new look

With the wireless, motion-sensitive controller

Blu-Ray is the New Way
Sony's PlayStation 3 games are encoded onto the Blu-Ray disc media format, which can hold six times as much data as traditional DVDs. This increase in capacity--combined with the awesome power of its processor and graphics card--promises mind-blowing games once developers have learned how to fully harness the new console's power. The PS3 will also support CD-ROM, CD-RW, DVD, DVD-ROM, DVD-R, DVD R formats.

Sensational Controller
New gamers intuitively move the controller while playing, even though that movement has traditionally had no relation to what's going on in the game. Sony has picked up on this tendency and is using it to bring a new level of control into the PS3. Inside the controller is a high-precision six-axis sensing system that accurately detects fine movements in pitch, roll, and yaw, as well as three dimensions of movement, to control games. This means that future PS3 games will be controlled by the movements of your hands rather than just your thumbs. For example, you might be able to steer a car by holding the controller like a steering wheel.

While the PS3 controller looks much like its Dual Shock predecessors, it will lack the force-feedback vibration since that would only interfere with the sensing system. It uses Bluetooth 2.0 wireless technology and can support up to seven wireless controllers at a time. It's a hot-swappable system, so if your controller is running low on power, just pause your game and connect a USB 2.0 cable. You can continue playing while your controller recharges automatically.

Plays All PlayStation Games
The PlayStation 3 will be backward compatible with PlayStation and PlayStation 2 games, which means you'll be able to play all your favorite games without keeping all the old systems. The console will have slots for Memory Stick Duo, an SD slot and a Compact Flash memory slot. It comes with a pre-installed hard disc drive, which allows you to save games as well as download content from the Internet.

Gran Turismo HD

Resistance: Fall of Man

A Slew of New Games
A whole host of game publishers are already backing the PS3 and several have even confirmed games for the console. At the 2006 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), more than 30 titles were displayed for the system, including Gran Turismo HD, Resistance: Fall of Man, and Final Fantasy XIII. Previously announced titles include Metal Gear Solid 4, Devil May Cry 4 and Tekken 6.

Online
Sony has stated that the PS3 will have similar online connectivity and services as the next generation of Xbox Live. Calling it "an always on, always connected device," SCEI's chief technical officer Masa Chatani said the PS3 would be constantly in touch with a "PlayStation World" network "fundamentally based on community, communication commerce, and content." Technically, the infrastructure is there to make that connection. The PS3 supports 10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T Ethernet, as well as IEEE 802.11 b/g wireless networking protocols.

Sony has confirmed a lot of information about its newest system, but until the PS3 is out on the market, the rumor mill will continue to churn with gossip -- both unconfirmed facts and bogus news. Nevertheless, with a powerful processor, an outstanding graphics chip, and an impressive list of new games, one thing is for certain: This console has firmly placed Sony on the cutting-edge of video game entertainment and technology.