8. Call Of Duty: Black Ops
I lost interest in the Call of Duty franchise after the second Modern Warfare, so no one was less excited about Black Ops than me. In fact, I recall a lot of ill will being directed toward Treyarch. You may recall the turmoil going on at Infinity Ward when the men in charge were basically fired, and people were less optimistic about another "World at War" offering by Treyarch. Simply put, we were expecting the demise of the franchise that had begun to wear out its welcome.
How did it succeed against the odds? While Modern Warfare and Modern Warfare 2 managed to bring in around $700 million each, Black Ops made over a billion, completely shattering expectations. And for good reason. Black Ops managed to present new multiplayer modes and a unique Cold War setting that helped keep the Call of Duty franchise from slipping into a repetitive bore (at least for a little while). Oh and it gave us zombies again.