2. X-Men Origins: Wolverine
This is one of the best examples of a game taking absolutely everyone surprise. No one expected that a licensed game based on a terrible movie would actually be good, especially when the last one (X-Men 3: The Last Stand) was considered to be one of the worst games of all time.
How did it succeed against the odds? Gamers were delighted to find that this was a well-polished game with tons of fun to be had. The combat, though somewhat repetitive, was a blast, and the voice acting was uncharacteristically spot-on compared to other licensed titles. The game was a critical success, but that still didn't convince Sony to greenlight a game based on First Class, but I guess they knew something we didn't.