I could actually think of a few.
Tales of Vesperia - It looked like you were playing an anime. The main cast were all quirky characters, but lovable and sometimes showed a serious side (like one of the things the hero does really early in the game makes him an anti-hero, questioning players to support this guy's actions or not).
It was just weird that you weren't playing the honorable imperial knight guy as the main character, but instead the loner guy that quit the army.
And there was a bloody lot to do next to the nice main story. Totally worth every dollar.
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves - When I started playing it, I was awed by it. Everything from the great look, the adventure story, the sights, the movie-quality cinematics, gameplay (ok, except for the early 'soldier sees you, game over' bit. I honestly hate games with this).
It all just felt so polished. And I even enjoyed the
free multi-player for a few months. Another game being a total bargain. Darn, I haven't played 3 yet...
Batman Arkham City - Everyone here has played it, so I don't even need to explain why.
I'm Batman~ ...at least I was when I was playing it.
I think all of these have set the bar for their genre.