Most recently: Witch&Hero.

Virtue's Last Reward. My expectations for the game were not high, I thought it would have been an average game in the beginning. Then I played the game and said to myself in the end, "WTF did I just play and read". The game delivered something above that I could never imagine.

Bowser's Inside Story too. I came with very low expectations because of the horrid Partners in Time. To my surprise it became one of my favorite games ever. The humor, story, gameplay and soundtrack were all awesome and I really like how the Mario & Luigi series give main characters, within the Mario universe, character. Bowser's Inside Story excelled at that.

It seems that many people here likes Okami. For some reason the game is very boring to me and extremely slow-paced. I have gone past the half point, but can't bring myself to play it.

X-Men Legends II. Western developed, Activision, characters from a comic, glitchy... in short, it sounded like the recipe for a desaster. I got it because it had local multiplayer and found a cheap 2nd hand copy.

It isn't a great game, but ended up being way better than what I was expecting.

Well, judging by your sig and game collection it could very well be that the game is just not for you.

The 7th Generation's biggest and most pleasant surprises for me were:

Bioshock (2007 - X360): The moment I saw this game in action, I knew that this would be more than an average FPS, and I was right about that. But it was also so much more than I ever expected. Such an engrossing, terrifying, mysterious, and wonderful adventure through Rapture.

Super Mario Galaxy (2007 - Wii): Listen, the Super Mario games have always been great, but after Sunshine, I really wasn't sure what to expect out of Galaxy. It looked like, initially, that platforming nirvana would take a back seat to odd gameplay gimmicks (like Sunshine's FLUDD waterpack). But oh man... I was so wrong. The crazy worlds and levels of Galaxy only served to enhance Mario's platforming skills, turning every level into a unique and exciting experience. Galaxy ended up being one of my favorite games of all time... until Galaxy 2 came and blew my mind once again.

Okami (2008 - Wii): Okami was on my radar ever since it released on the PS2, and the moment it was announced for Wii I knew the game would be mine. The game blew me away from the start with its gorgeous visuals and incredible soundtrack. It kept me glued with it's Zelda inspired gameplay and level design. It imprinted itself in my memory with its incredible charm, scope, humor, and sense of beauty and wonder. Great game!

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories (2009 - Wii): I was never much of a Silent Hill fan. Sure, I knew about the series and appreciated its psychological horror elements (especially in this age of over the top action horror), but I never took my time to play a game. But with Shattered Memories, a re-imagining of the original Silent Hill, I was intrigued to take part of this new path that had opened. While I did greatly enjoy the game itself, it was the story itself that really touched me. The story of Harry Mason and his search for his beloved daughter Cheryl came to a conclusion that really took my breath away and actually made me think about my own life in ways I had never done before. For a game to do that... well... that's quite the pleasant surprise.

Batman: Arkham Asylum (X360 - 2009): Video games based on comic book characters have always had quite a low ceiling when it comes to overall quality. As good as previous comic book games were, they were never among the all time greats. Well fast forward to 2009, where the previously unknown RockSteady studios came and blew everyone away with Batman: Arkham Asylum. They used the Metroid series as their gameplay inspiration, which is never, ever a bad thing. Then the iced the cake with an amazing heaping of Batman rogues and the sinister Arkham Asylum location. In the end they created a world and a game that complimented each other wonderfully, and started a series of utmost quality. Awesome stuff.

RR Type V

Fable 1, didn't expect anything from it. I loved it. It had such an unique feeling and atmosphere. Totally underrated. The sequels get worse and worse.

Vanquish
Spec Ops the Line
Just Dance (sue me, its so much fun with friends)

mass effect 2. i never played the series until the 2nd one came to ps3 and now its my favourite franchise by a mile.

The games that blew me away the most ever:

Gabriel Knight 3 - no other game has ever made such a huge impression on me! I recommend it to everyone. I've never played adventure games earlier, but this one was just pure magic, though it's probably less powerful now that all these books by Dan Brown are out. Still - incredible one, my favourite all time;

Metal Gear Solid - all I knew about it was that my cousin was crazy about it. Man, is it good...

Final Fantasy X - my first PS2 and FF game ever. My mind exploded.

Starcraft - I've always been in the Red Alert camp and didn't expect much from this one, didn't really like it from the start, but damn, that multi!! Still play it from time to time.