Top 10 WatchMojo Video Game Lists That Haven't Aged Well

Every anticipated list eventually becomes dated. With some games, though, it can start to look like they’ll never come out. Such was the case with “Kingdom Hearts III.” After waiting over a decade, we cheekily implied in this video that the game will “probably never” get released. While this was intended as a joke (kind of), Square Enix proved us wrong in time. We might’ve jumped the gun the following year by putting “Kingdom Hearts III” on our Most Wanted Games of 2018, but at least we finally got to play it in 2019. If we could go back, we’d tell our younger selves to never say never… and to cancel our preorders for “Mass Effect: Andromeda.” Oh, the wasted potential…

Although we aim to make our lists as timeless as possible, we’d be lying if we said that WatchMojo doesn’t occasionally succumb to recency bias. In October 2013, “Bioshock Infinite” was still fresh in our minds, topping our list for video game stories. However, when we reevaluated the list years later, we found that another game released in 2013 held up a lot better on a narrative level. For our 2018 redux, we placed the original “Last of Us” #1 while “Bioshock Infinite” didn’t even make the Honorable Mentions. This isn’t to say that we think the game aged poorly, as there’s still a ton to admire. In retrospect, though, we don’t think the story is quite as smart as it thinks it is.

“Shadow of the Colossus” is full of emotional moments and most would agree that the saddest sees Wander’s loyal horse Agro fall into the river. Had Agro’s journey ended there, her place on the Top 10 Saddest Deaths in Video Games would’ve been more than warranted. In the end, though, Agro limps back to the temple, alive and mostly well. So, why did we include Agro on this list? Honestly, we have no excuse. We guess you could say that we were still finding our mojo in 2014. If oversights like this showed us anything, it’s that we needed to up our research going forward. Well, you know what they say: live and learn or die stupid. We’re just glad that Agro lived.

We’re getting into retro WatchMojo territory now. We like to think that our channel has come a long way since 2012 when some of our videos were only about three or four minutes. It’s not the length that dates this video, however. It’s mainly the #4 entry where we said all of Sonic’s friends are annoying and forgettable. In the comments, fans rushed to the defense of Tails, Knuckles, and especially Shadow the Hedgehog. Sometimes we underestimate how passionate Sonic’s fanbase is. While it can be frustrating keeping track of everybody, it was an unfair generalization to say that ALL of Sonic’s friends are obnoxious. So, when we revisited the list in 2015, we limited ourselves to just one Sonic character. Seriously, buzz off, Omochao.

We’re going back even further for this list to the year 2011. Like a lot of our lists from this era, the video quality isn’t great and the script could’ve been more fleshed out. Still, we’d look back at this Top 10 with some pride if it weren’t for several obvious omissions. “The Force Unleashed,” “Jedi Academy,” and “Republic Commando” all would’ve been worthy of shout-outs. People were especially disturbed by the lack of “Battlefront” and its even better 2005 sequel. Suffice to say, the Force wasn’t strong with this list, hence why we remade it in 2015 with “Battlefront” displayed in the thumbnail and “Battlefront II” taking second place. Hey, if George Lucas can update the movies several times, we can tweak our lists.

Since this list came out in 2013, we haven’t seen the Philips CDi or Virtual Boy pick up many new fans. Even if some of these selections were justified, this list was rightfully criticized for several reasons. The Sega CD, while flawed, had some gems like “Snatcher” and “Sonic CD.” The Magnavox Odyssey was a product of its time, but it was also revolutionary, being the first home game console. And don’t even get us started on this video’s factual errors. The Odyssey came out in 1972, not 1975. We also stated the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer “retained its staggering $700 retail price until the bitter end,” which isn’t true. Six months following its debut, the 3DO had its price slashed by almost $200.

You can tell that this list was a product of 2012 based on the low-res gameplay footage and the run time, which clocks in at just under four minutes. Looking back, Top 10 PS3 Fails probably would’ve been a more accurate title, as we gave little focus to past-gen missteps like the 2004 Holiday Demo Disc. On top of all that, some of our selections were minor quibbles rather than legitimate fails. Sure, PlayStation’s mascot confusion can be frustrating. When there are so many memorable candidates, though, it’s hardly a failure. Sony hasn’t strayed far from their original controller layout over time, but why drastically overhaul a classic? We didn’t even mention the dreaded Yellow Light of Death. And yes, we realize we mispronounced “Linux.”

You don’t need to point out the irony that so many of our “Top 10 Fails” lists are tied to WatchMojo’s own failures. In this video’s case, we have a few regrets. The Gamecube’s design is much more charming than we remember and we probably should’ve mentioned Nintendo losing Rare to Microsoft. The entry that really doesn’t hold up, however, is the 3DS. When we published this list in December 2011, the handheld console was still struggling from its disappointing launch. We were quick to assume that the 3DS was dead and buried, which couldn’t have been further from the truth. Not only did Nintendo turn things around, but the 3DS family went on to sell over 75 million units, practically printing money.

Although we said these five developers could “do no wrong” in 2018, they’ve all come under fire since. “The Last of Us Part II” not only divided players, but provided a window into Naughty Dog’s reported “crunch culture.” CD Projekt RED’s reputation took a hit thanks to “Cyberpunk 2077’s” buggy launch and toxic workplace accusations. Rockstar North is trying our patience by not announcing “GTA 6” already. The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing v. Activision Blizzard is still unfolding. As for Nintendo, there’s a lot to unpack, but we’ll just say this for now: $50 for the Switch Online Expansion Pack? Are you kidding us! As majema007 wrote, “this aged about as well as milk left outside to spoil in the summer sun.”