Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine (2011) (PC) (Relic Entertainment)
Apart from having one of the geekiest video game titles in world history, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine represents an intriguing deviation from the standard third-person action formula. The game not only mixes visceral and satisfying melee combat with shooting in clever ways but also completely discards the cover-based mechanics which have more or less defined the subgenre ever since Gears of War was released in 2006. The use of the Warhammer license also means that the storytelling doesn't quite follow the typical action movie formula, since the Ultramarines are basically a bunch of totalitarian religious zealots with unquestioning faith in their rigidly hierarchical Empire. But I guess they're still easier to relate to than the Orcs (sorry, Orks)...