Vindicated by History

Overview
Vindicated by History is a subjective TV Tropes trope that gained the attention of Mike when he was playing Sonic Heroes in (find stream). Rapidly becoming an inside joke being brought up almost everytime a Sonic game is played.

Vindicated by History is described by TV Tropes has: "A few exceptional (or lucky) works with unexceptional debuts will be rediscovered and reanalyzed, and in some cases may even become critical darlings or timeless classics in the eyes of the public after about 20 years, usually when their authors/producers are no longer around to bask in their belated fame. Unconventional and gloomily-themed works that star little-known actors are the most prone to this.

Inevitably causes most critics to rush to hail them as classics that were grossly misunderstood in their time, but now can be worshiped as the masterpieces they truly are. Oftentimes people in general forget that they were bombs to begin with. Parodies and Critical Backlash inevitably follow in their footsteps."

Usage
Vindicated by History is commonly used when Mike plays Sonic the Hedgehog games that are particulary bad (ex: Sonic Heroes/Sonic and the Black Knight) or more rarely when Mike just plays a bad game. Because of the fact that almost every Sonic game in TV Tropes features this trope it rapidly became a reccuring meme.

Uses of Vindicated by History in TV Tropes

 * Sonic Heroes;
 * Vindicated by History: In comparison to the other Sonic titles released during this era of gaming, while it's still not at the level of Adventure 2 in the eyes of the fandom as a whole, Heroes has garnered a much more favorable reception in the years following its release, with some going as far as to hail it as the closest a 3D Sonic game has ever come to capturing the style of the Genesis era installments (a feat only rivaled by the later-released Sonic Lost World).
 * Sonic Storybook Series;
 * Vindicated by History: More and more people have warmed up to these games, Black Knight especially. Some even think that Black Knight is the best Sonic story, striking the right balance of dramatic action and family-friendliness emblematic of the franchise. Its handling of Sonic, both in terms of writing and Jason Griffith's voice acting, have been especially retroactively appreciated
 * Sonic and the Black Knight;
 * Vindicated by History: When it was originally released, this game received mixed reviews across the board and was mocked by critics and fans alike for giving Sonic a sword (when he's never needed to use weapons in past games). However while some aspects are still divisive amongst the fandom to this day (mainly Sonic wielding a sword), many fans have since looked back at the game more positively and finds aspects of it to be amongst the best the franchise has ever done, such as its story, villain, voice acting performances, and Sonic's character.


 * Sonic 06;
 * Vindicated by History: A character-specific example as opposed to the game overall, but Silver's reputation has warmed over the years after this game release thanks to the following video games and comics featuring him. Some retrospective reviews even look back in his role for this game and state that his gameplay was interesting and his storyline had potential, but were poorly executed. While a fair chunk of fans still dislike him and the memes aren't bound to go away, he's one of the most highly requested characters to return to a main game. Plus, when one looks up character popularity polls for the series, it isn't uncommon for Silver to be behind Shadow and Sonic himself.
 * Sonic Unleashed;
 * Vindicated by History: The game was subjected to mixed to negative reception back in 2008, with the Werehog in particular catching a ton of heat. It reviewed poorly enough that it was among the games Sega de-listed to help rehabilitate the brand in 2010. While the game remains heavily divisive in the years that followed, it isn't uncommon to find more defenders towards Unleashed, celebrating the game's creativity and production values, graphics that hold up well today, the varied but excellent soundtrack, and a plot that is generally considered solid. Nowadays, the title often comes up in HD Remaster and PC Port requests, especially after the release of remasters and PC Ports of other PS3/360 SEGA titles that were released at the same time as Unleashed, such as Bayonetta, Vanquish, Valkyria Chronicles, and Resonance of Fate. The game was even relisted and rereleased to retail stores after delisting it in early 2010.
 * Vinesauce; Characters Frequent Guests; Mike;
 * Vindicated by History: Mike often plays games which despite being poorly recieved at the time are considered hidden gems, chief among them Sonic Heroes and Sonic and the Black Knight.