I would much rather have Bully 2 than GTA 6

I doubt we will ever see as monumental a launch in the gaming industry as the one GTA 6will have. This series has only continued to break records with each release, and now that it’s been over 10 years since the last game, GTA fever is at an all-time high. The trailer alone has racked up over 209 million views in the past 9 months. That obviously won’t equate directly to sales, but it would be hard to imagine GTA 6 not setting all sorts of records during its launch. Everyone is waiting for that release date to plan their sick days, and publishers are doing everything they can to avoid launching anywhere near this juggernaut.

The industry needs a hit like GTA 6. This is the game that will force any holdouts to upgrade to current-generation consoles, or maybe even the PS5 Pro if the differences are substantial enough. However, I can’t help but feel out of touch when it comes to how excited so many people are for this game. I know it doesn’t carry the same brand recognition or status as GTA, but I strongly believe that a Bully 2 would be the better game had Rockstar put the same level of time and attention into it.

Grand Theft Auto isn’t fresh anymore

The open-world genre is full, and there’s nothing left to parody

Grand Theft Auto capitalized on shock value and innovation to hit mainstream notoriety at a time when few games were able to. It’s easy to forget now that we’re so accustomed to it, but even the name was enough to draw controversy, which Rockstar was keenly aware of and planned for. All the outrage and negative press only served to bring more curiosity and interest to the game, but the games themselves had to live up to that level to not just be a flash in the pan.

Every major GTA game has had something up its sleeve that raised the bar for the industry. GTA 3 set the template and scale for all future open-world games to follow, GTA 4 introduced a level of realism and simulation never seen, and GTA 5 featured a biting social commentary and created an online community that has thrived for over a decade. That’s a simplistic and basic overview but demonstrates the point that, with each outing, Rockstar was pushing the boundaries to keep its crown as the best open-world game on the market.

Looking at GTA 6, I don’t see anything I’m all that excited to experience. Sure, we’re in a new setting, but beyond the graphics, what am I getting that other games don’t offer now? I’m certain the story and performances will be great, the world vast and lively, and plenty of ways to pass the time or cause chaos, but that’s all familiar territory. Even the nature of GTA satirizing American culture doesn’t have any room to breathe because, quite frankly, we’re living the most extreme parody possible already.

Bully 2 would be familiar but fresh

The first was a cult classic for a reason

For anyone who skipped Bully, no doubt you at least heard of it. This was essentially the GTA formula but framed around a prep school. You had classes to go to, bullies to fight, a campus and town to explore by bike, and weapons like slingshots and firecrackers to use. The scale was pulled way in for this game compared to the massive cities of a GTA, but made more intimate and intentional.

Bully 2, theoretically, could be a complete simulation of one or more student’s lives at a boarding school. Knowing how well Rockstar can craft these epic, years-long narratives in games like Red Dead Redemption 2, imagine what could be done with such a tight cast of students and faculty during the most formative years of their lives. It would also give the team an excuse to back down a bit from the constant need to keep pushing the violence and carnage. Let us run wild, sure, but kids don’t need rocket launchers, jets, and monster trucks.

Rockstar

Honestly, the biggest reason I want to see a Bully 2 is for all the reasons I can’t directly point to. I have no idea what Rockstar would do with another Bully, which is infinitely more exciting than GTA 6 where I largely know what to expect. GTA 6 will be great, no doubt about it, but I don’t see how it will be unique. Bully 2 could have all the same appeal but in a form no other game has explored.