Do you want to play Bully/Manhunt on PS4? Now you can!

Apparently out of nowhere Rockstar has released Bully and Manhunt under the PS4 classics umbrella.

Giant Bomb's very own Brett Gerstmann reviewed Bully on Gamespot back in the day and gave it a favorable review. I remember playing Bully first on the 360 (a less than stellar port) and then on PC, and not finishing it on either try. Not quite sure what always held me back, the story was interesting enough and the mechanics were fun but it was the need to constantly engage with the classes and their mini-games that got a little repetitive after a while. Coming from their more free-form open world games like GTA, the idea that you don't have total freedom to go about as you please and take as long as you like was a slight turn off. That said it was still a fun game and a setting that many of us can sort of relate to - more in the sense of being a teen in a school full of social cliques an the awkwardness that comes along with that.

Manhunt was an interesting game. I don't remember much from it except that Manhunt 2 was one of the few games I really enjoyed playing on my PSP-fat.

Either way, for all the Europeans (so far) the games are available here: Bully / Manhunt for whatever the currency turns out to be for you. (it's £11.99 in the UK, about €15)

They're far too expensive, as all PS2 classics have been, but maybe if/when they go on sale I'd consider it. It's taken the recent Easter sale for me to finally try out Rogue Galaxy, Dark Cloud, and Dark Chronicle. Anywhoo I loved Manhunt a whole lot back in the day - five starred every mission and unlocked all of the skins and cheats. Manhunt 2 was OK, but suffered from a drastically inferior (and also terribly predictable) story.

£12... Jeez, that's Nintendo pricing.

I love Bully, it digs its heels so deep into stereotypes that it becomes acceptable and borderline cool. All the cliques you deal or have dealings with have their own unique gameplay elements they introduce ontop of the fun and simple brawling system from The Warriors (R* re-release The Warriors with netplay coop please). It also has an amazing OST and a fantastic antagonist that manages to rival GTA antagonists without resorting to torture/murder. I'd recommend Bully for sure if anyone was remotely interested.

That being said, I've got it on PC so I won't be getting it here. Manhunt has always intrigued me but never in a way that makes me want to play it. It just doesn't seem like all that great of a game.

@yummylee: I enjoyed the style in Manhunt 2, the whole psychedelic twist. Predictable definitely but still a fun ride and I enjoyed the protagonist being more of an every-man.. well.. sort of.

Bully remains my favorite Rockstar game. The refined gameplay, gorgeous art style, and delightful soundtrack hold up to this day. Here's hoping (yet again) that this re-release signals a possible Bully 2 in development. The logical side of me knows that it's never going to happen, but a guy can dream.

Good write up on Bully. It's leaning into that I think 80's movie style of school cliques and stereotypes but with an overall acceptance that really is fun and works well. I can always enjoy school settings and I think they did it really well in this game.

And on the Warriors, just give me a new sequel or spiritual sequel! I feel like they figured out 3D beat em ups and no one made a game like it.

Bully is still tied with Red Dead as my favorite Rockstar game. Warriors and San Andreas close behind. I'll gladly play it again, then keep crying until Bully 2 comes along.

Wasn't Manhunt 2 rated AO by the ESRB, and thus couldn't come out anywhere except the PC? Wasn't that a big story back when it came out? Did they change the game to lower the rating?

Edit: just checked the wiki, they edited it to make it M.

I love Bully because its almost a Bart Simpson simulator.

Which actually made it more gruesome funnily enough. I mean, these are PS2-era graphics. How gnarly could it really be? But if you instead layer over this bizarre filter, thereby placing a stronger emphasis on the revolting sound effects, then the executions are suddenly made to be that much nastier than whatever the engine could produce.

Manhunt was HORRIBLE to me, the premise was cool but man it controlled like shit. Main reason why i hated the last of us since it reminded me so much of Manhunt. I've seen bully available on pretty much everything but never took the time to check it out.

I bought Bully on PS2 but I think I should've just played it when it was new because I felt it controlled pretty painfully, I didn't get too far with it. I do regret it as a big fan of Rockstar's games and the concept in general.

My memory of Manhunt is that it was super fucking fun but also terribly hard in the later stages (a super dark zoo of some sort immediately springs to mind). Coupled with are undoubtedly dated controls if also consider that a hard game to recommend to modern gamers. If it ever came to the US store I might consider a nostalgia trip, though. I loved all the different kill animations but I don't recall any actual incentive for level two or three kills other than high scores possibly?

The only reason I never played Manhunt twice is that I broke my PS2 headset and never got another. The stuff with the director and having to hold your breath to stay hidden was amazing. I might be willing to pay for it again to be able to play it that way again.

Manhunt 2 was terrible.

As much as I like Bully, I already bought a copy last gen and could hook up my 360 if I really wanted to play it again.

I'm so tempted to buy Bully again. It remains one of my favorite games on the PS2 and the Halloween mission might be my favorite mission in a Rockstar game.

Great. Now that bassline is stuck in my head again.

With all these ports of Manhunt, it's really making me want a new one. Or at least a definitive uncut Manhunt 2, given that even the PC version is missing stuff. I mean, that game would never get slapped with an AO these days.

@shagge: I do recall on the PSP version you could get an uncensored version that removed the mosaic blurring.

I've never played Bully.

Maybe now, I will...

Unfortunately, I think you might be right on that one. I have very fond memories of it though. Through the glorious nostalgia filter it still is one of my favorite Rockstar games besides the very first GTA. But I really doubt even I would enjoy it today.

The PC boxed version was so fucking cool as well - looking like some disgusting snuff film with fake copied CD sleeves and a "snuff mail order" manual.

Next Rockstar PS2 classic to show up is The Warriors please!!!!!!!!

If I got Manhunt off of PSN for the PS3 do I need to buy a new copy?

@ericjasonwade said:

Oh yeah! Very under rated gem.

@omgfather: Yes! Very much so! I don't tend to repeat games I've beaten but I always come back to this one and always enjoy.

@technician: Yes. These aren't "PS2 Classic" titles, they are enhanced "HD" ports. No PS2 Classic releases have been cross-buy nor are they available on PS4.