Bully took the open-world formula Rockstar had been perfecting with Grand Theft Auto and moved it to a much more contained setting that was, at the same time, just as rich in detail: Bullworth Academy, a boarding school with its own social hierarchies, cliques of nerds, jocks, and bullies, and a protagonist, Jimmy Hopkins, who has to navigate it all through wit and the occasional punch.
Its mix of school satire, class missions, and freedom of movement made it one of PS2's most beloved and discussed games, and its influence is still felt in the school-set open worlds that appeared afterward. It still holds that rare balance between teen comedy and solid sandbox design.
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