9. Tomb Raider
If you told me I'd ever like a Tomb Raider game again, I would have...well I would have just disagreed because I'm not that dramatic, but it would have been a harsh disagreement. Granted, Tomb Raider: Underworld proved that Lara Croft still had a zealous fanbase, but it was hard to picture one of these games ever achieving mainstream success. Until they just decided to reboot the whole thing, which is actually a great method for tired video game franchises (sometimes). The team behind this game decided to take a page from the success of the Uncharted franchise by focusing on narrative and atmosphere over more classic staples of the franchise (of which there are still many).
How did it succeed against the odds? Tomb Raider was gritty, bloody, and gorgeous. The environments were nicely rendered, and the combat was on par with the best third-person shooters out there. The game won a lot of critical praise and even managed to set franchise records, turning 13 year-olds all over the world into fans of Lara Croft-er-uh I mean Tomb Raider.