I didn't recognize Goldeneye because the screen wasn't divided into 4 mini-screens.
And also because that screenshot clearly isn't from Goldeneye 64.
Probably from either Goldeneye Source or the remake that was on Wii/360.
Damn it, I thought it looked too posh
10. L.A. Noire (2011)
I'm only familiar with a few Rockstar Games, such as Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption, but from what I gather they generally always create great concepts with environments that are second to none. L.A. Noire is unique in allowing me to be a part of this 1940's neo-noire crime tale, and does something that I've seen before in video games. The only complaints I have this game is that it is repetitive with the crime solving, but the narrative, gameplay, atmosphere, and especially the music overshadow my only gripe. While there are car chases and gun fights, it's different experience because of a slow pace, even meditative, crime solving element that is core of this game. The focus isn't on how good you are at scoring headshots with a pistol but instead your ability to read a suspect's face and determine if he or she is telling the truth, holding something back, or flat out lying.
The facial expressions and voice acting are absolutely on point. Every wrinkle, twitch, downward glance, grimace, and hard swallow is from an actual actor playing a part using this amazing technology. With it, you have pick up on the facial ticks and eye darting to detect inconsistencies in testimony. You really have to pay attention, and have the clues to help you determine whether the person you are interrogating is telling the truth, lie, or doubt. Some of the lying is completely obvious, while others you have to pay attention to the mannerisms, like is someone's mouth thinning or are their eyes looking away. L.A. Noire isn't all about badgering people. There are more action oriented missions in this is still an open-world game. You're free to deviate from a case and explore the faithfully recreated 1947 Los Angeles. You can't run wild like in Grand Theft Auto, for every civilian killed and property damage will have an effect on you ranking up in the LAPD. This a very immersive world Rockstar has created.
9. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (2010)
I am a HUGE fan of the Assassin's Creed franchise. So much that you didn't see any of them early in my list just for the sake of variety, or else I would have listed maybe 2 more of these games. There are some stinkers in the franchise, such as AC: Unity and AC III, but there are other that are masterful open world goodness, like Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood. Brotherhood is the third game overall, but the second game in the Ezio saga that started with Assassin's Creed II and ends with Revelation. It takes place in the Italian Renaissance. While Assassin's Creed II took big steps from the original Assassin's Creed game with new mechanics, new setting, and variety in the gameplay, Assassin's Creed Brotherhood had a much harder task as it was still set in the same time period. However, what makes Brotherhood distinguish itself from the excellent Assassin's Creed II are the secondary mission goals, and the ability to call upon a guild of Assassins at your disposal.
Just like the previous games before it, you’ll spend most of the game climbing huge, medieval buildings, free-running across rooftops and slaughtering roving packs of guards as you chase down the game’s story missions. However in Brotherhood, the fights have been retooled with a few new moves. You spend some time riding on horseback, and you can even attack from the horse. Brotherhood introduced a crucial spec in the Assassin's Creed games which is the ability to switch your attention from one attacker to the other, especially after you killed someone. At a certain point of the game, you’ll earn the ability to recruit Assassins by helping out citizens the guards are harassing. These recruits can then be trained, starting out as weak apprentices and gradually earning experience until they’ve become top notch fighters. You then can call on up to six of them at virtually any time to swarm your enemies like raptors, or to just take out every onscreen baddie at once with a hail of arrows. To earn experience for your recruits, you’ll need to send them on timed missions. This concept has been used in AC Black Flag and Rogue, only with ships!