Feels just like any other Rockstar game. This may be good or bad depending on how you look at it.
You play through the game as Jimmy Hopkins, a 14-year old boy who gets left of at a boarding school because his mom and her boyfriend wanted to take a one-year honeymoon. Jimmy gets left off at Bullworth, a school that is separated by their many cliques including: the Nerds, the Preps, the Jocks, and my favorite, the Greasers. These cliques are colorfully interpreted, each clique with it's own unique member.
At first, not too many are fond of Jimmy, but he's soon taken in by a fellow student by the name of Gary. Now, the relationship between the two isn't exactly a friendly one, more-so a love-hate relationship. Both are outcasts and Gary only wants to use Jimmy to help him (Gary) take over the school. The only reason Jimmy, hardly, agrees is because Gary claims that Jimmy will also have control of the school. However, you soon realize that Gary isn't exactly the best ally and Jimmy sets off to take over the school by himself, pitting him against all the cliques to let them know that he is after them. The story is without a doubt, the strongest point in the game, which says a lot because the game is full of solid, strong points.
The game starts off strictly within the confines of Bullworth, and you are expected to attend two classes throughout the course of the day. If you choose not to, you are considered truant, and if you are caught by one of the many prefects, they will send you to straight to class. Now, don't get me wrong, going to class has it's benefits. For example, say you decide to go to Chemsitry. If you pass each of the 5 classes, you will gain access to special weapons such as stink bombs, firecrackers, and itching powder.
Once you get past the first chapter, you are then allowed to roam about town and do favors and missions for the various townspeople, again, each with their own unique traits.
The sound in the game is superb, as each clique can is distinct and unique, with no two members whom are completely alike. The wonderful voice-acting can be attributed to this. However, while the in-game soundtrack can get very repetitive, it can easily be dealt with through the use of a picture-in-picture TV.
Graphically speaking, this game is nothing special. Then again, you shouldn't expect ANYTHING out of graphical-capability from a Rockstar game. They focus mainly on gameplay and story, not to say that it's a bad thing, but a little tweak here and there wouldn't hurt.
So if I have so many positive things to say about this game, why does it only earn an 8.6 you ask? The thing is, this game isn't too different from every other Rockstar game. Grand Theft Auto and The Warriors are very similar games that have the same engine. This can cause the game to get stale very quick, but if you haven't played any of the other games before, then picking this up shouldn't be a problem. It's a good game with a lot of depth and it gets better and better as you