8. Assassin’s Creed
A fantastic parkour-based traversal system was the main bullet point in Ubisoft’s landmark Xbox 360 launch title. Several other games (including ones on this list) followed after, attempting to cash in on the polished system the developer honed in the Prince of Persia series. That was the centerpiece of the adventure, but it was surrounded by a well-told science fiction yarn that weaved itself through real-life historical elements. It did so with perhaps no small amount of embellishment, but that was part of the fun. Later games in the series would refine and polish the combat system, a defense-and counter system that saw some of its DNA carried over into Arkham Asylum. You know you’re influential when Batman likes your idea.