9. Bully
Rockstar were always going to feature heavily on this list, but it's by switching focus completely from more adult fare and into that of high-school/Harry Potter-style vibes that many peoples'
greatest game of all time was born. Playing as the unwanted Jimmy Hopkins who's dumped on the doorsteps of Bullworth Academy, you were then free to do everything from have snowball fights with the other kids, attempt to take a slingshot to the teacher if you didn't like what they were saying, defend nerds from other bullies, raid the girl's dormitory and more. Charm is a rare ingredient in Rockstar's titles, but Bully was positively dripping with it in everything from one of the best scores in recent memory to the fact that as a child whose parents didn't want anything to do with him, it allowed for you to play Jimmy however you like. Everyone who's been through high school always fantasised about punching that one kid with an attitude, sticking up for someone on the receiving end of undue punishment - or just running amuck within this context and seeing what they can get away with - and Rockstar ticked every box with a feather-topped quill in the process. Oh, and the most understated thing that went against all the complaints this would encourage children to skip school? The lessons in-game actively gave you stat bonuses and new moves to play with -
just like real life.