History RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap / VideoGames

** Among all the weapons, the pistol is the most hated, mainly because it's the weakest and because its bullets are also used for the most useful chaingun: while ''VideoGame/DOOM2016'' made it a plasma gun with unlimited ammo and a secondary attack which makes it a good emergency weapon, ''VideoGame/DOOMEternal'' simply cut it and made the shotgun the default weapon. [[FanWorks/Doom Fangames and mods]], however, tend to reimagine the pistol to make it a good weapon: for example, ''VideoGame/BrutalDoom'' and ''VideoGame/ProjectBrutality'' (which rely on precise aiming) make it a good option for headshots compared to its possible replacement, the assault rifle.

* While all enemies in ''Franchise/{{Doom}}'' have their fans to various degrees, the Spider Mastermind was the sole exception, as she was perceived as her status as the BigBad of ''[[VideoGame/{{Doom}} the first game]]'' was more perceived as a GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere rather than a serious demon lord (a role that [[VideoGame/DoomII the Icon of Sin]] and [[VideoGame/Doom64 the Mother Demon]] fit better) and because she was an AntiClimaxBoss rather than a well-shaped boss like [[TheDragon the Cyberdemon]]: even the developers thought this way, as her first reappearance in ''VideoGame/DoomII'' is in a level where she is placed under a crusher and [[TakeThatScrappy you just have to press a button to let the level-design kill her]]. However, in ''VideoGame/DOOM2016'', her role as the BigBad is justified as [[spoiler:she is Olivia Pierce, the antagonist of the game, who made [[DealWithTheDevil a deal with demons]] to reach power and is transformed into the Spider Mastermind at the end of the game, and because she is the best designed boss of the game thanks to [[DamageSpongeBoss her massive health bar]], her PlasmaCannon, her power of [[ShockAndAwe electrifying the ground]], her physical attacks, and [[LightningBruiser her impressive mobility]]]].

* While all enemies in ''Franchise/{{Doom}}'' have their fans to various degrees, the Spider Mastermind was the sole exception, as she was perceived as her status as the BigBad of ''[[VideoGame/{{Doom}} the first game]]'' was more perceived as a GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere rather than a serious demon lord (a role that [[VideoGame/DoomII the Icon of Sin]] and [[VideoGame/Doom64 the Mother Demon]] fit better) and because she was an AntiClimaxBoss rather than a well-shaped boss like [[TheDragon the Cyberdemon]]: even the developers thought this way, as her first reappearance in ''VideoGame/Doom2'' is in a level where she is placed under a crusher and [[TakeThatScrappy you have to wait for her to be killed by the level-design]]. However, in ''VideoGame/DOOM2016'', her role as the BigBad is justified as [[spoiler:she is Olivia Pierce, the antagonist of the game, who made [[DealWithTheDevil a deal with demons]] to reach power and is transformed into the Spider Mastermind at the end of the game, and because she is the best designed boss of the game thanks to [[DamageSpongeBoss her massive health bar]], her PlasmaCannon, her power of [[ShockAndAwe electrifying the ground]], her physical attacks, and [[LightningBruiser her impressive mobility]]]].

* While all enemies in ''Franchise/{{Doom}}'' have their fans to various degrees, the Spider Mastermind was the sole exception, as she was perceived as her status as the BigBad of ''[[VideoGame/{{Doom}} the first game]]'' was more perceived as a GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere rather than a serious demon lord (a role that [[VideoGame/DoomII the Icon of Sin]] and [[VideoGame/Doom64 the Mother Demon]] fit better) and because she was an AntiClimaxBoss rather than a well-shaped boss like [[TheDragon the Cyberdemon]]. However, in ''VideoGame/DOOM2016'', her role as the BigBad is justified as [[spoiler:she is Olivia Pierce, the antagonist of the game, who made [[DealWithTheDevil a deal with demons]] to reach power and is transformed into the Spider Mastermind at the end of the game, and because she is the best designed boss of the game thanks to [[DamageSpongeBoss her massive health bar]], her PlasmaCannon, her power of [[ShockAndAwe electrifying the ground]], her physical attacks, and [[LightningBruiser her impressive mobility]]]].

** Princess Peach hadn't won over very many fans for quite some time, namely due to being ''the'' DamselInDistress of gaming and having very little personality in most appearances (aside from ''VideoGame/MarioParty'', but there she's hated for an [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard entirely different reason]]). Then came the [=GameCube=] era which, NeverLiveItDown moment in ''Sunshine'' aside, started giving Peach more of an identity. She's a consistently-returning veteran for ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' since ''Melee'' where she is a fan-favorite because of her redesign, flirty and mischievous personality and strange but unique and powerful moveset, she gained countless useful roles in the ''VideoGame/PaperMario'' series ( the first two games has her as a playable SpannerInTheWorks who actively tried to foil the plans of her kidnappers behind their backs and helped during the FinalBattles and Super Paper Mario made her a DeadPanSnarker and fully playable strong-willed ActionGirl) and her various sports outfits and the other outfits she has worn across the series still have lot of fans to this day for "special reasons". It wasn't a massive boost, but she [[TookALevelInBadass steadily became more and more of a competent character]], [[VideoGame/SuperPrincessPeach receiving her first starring role where she beat Bowser and rescued the Mario Bros by herself]], becoming playable in at least two main series titles (Super Mario 3D World and Super Mario Run and even before that there was Super Mario Bros.2), trying to escape from Bowser and taking down an army of Mooks by herself with her ParasolOfPain in Super Mario 3D Land (even if she failed in the end) , showing the full extent of her powers in the ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigi'' series and Super Mario RPG ,becoming a "badass princess" in the Mario + Rabbids games (with her BigDamnHeroes moment in the first game being particularly noteworthy) and even [[spoiler:shooting Mario ''and'' Bowser down when they fight over proposing to her]] in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioOdyssey''. Add this to all of her other playable appearances in the Mario Kart, Mario Party, Mario Strikers, Mario Golf, Mario Baseball, Mario Tennis, Dr Mario and Mario and Sonic series etc as well as her other minor contributions in the main series and RPG series and she nowadays has much more of a following than she did initially.

** Princess Peach hadn't won over very many fans for quite some time, namely due to being ''the'' DamselInDistress of gaming and having very little personality in most appearances (aside from ''VideoGame/MarioParty'', but there she's hated for an [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard entirely different reason]]). Then came the [=GameCube=] era which, NeverLiveItDown moment in ''Sunshine'' aside, started giving Peach more of an identity. She's a consistently-returning veteran for ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' since ''Melee'' where she is a fan-favorite because of her redesign, flirty and mischievous personality and strange but unique and powerful moveset, she gained countless useful roles in the ''VideoGame/PaperMario'' series ( the first two games has her as a playable SpannerInTheWorks who actively tried to foil the plans of her kidnappers behind their backs and helped during the FinalBattles and Super Paper Mario made her a DeadPanSnarker and fully playable strong-willed ActionGirl) and her various sports outfits and the other outfits she has worn across the series still have lot of fans to this day for "special reasons". It wasn't a massive boost, but she [[TookALevelInBadass steadily became more and more of a competent character]], [[VideoGame/SuperPrincessPeach receiving her first starring role where she beat Bowser and rescued the Mario Bros by herself]], becoming playable in at least two main series titles (Super Mario 3D World and Super Mario Run and even before that there was Super Mario Bros.2), trying to escape from Bowser and taking down an army of Mooks by herself with her ParasolOfPain in Super Mario 3D Land ( even if she failed in the end) , showing the full extent of her powers in the ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigi'' series and Super Mario RPG ,becoming a "badass princess" in the Mario + Rabbids games (with her BigDamnHeroes moment in the first game being particularly noteworthy) and even [[spoiler:shooting Mario ''and'' Bowser down when they fight over proposing to her]] in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioOdyssey''. Add this to all of her other playable appearances in the Mario Kart, Mario Party, Mario Strikers, Mario Golf, Mario Baseball, Mario Tennis and Mario and Sonic series etc as well as her other minor contirbutions in the main series and RPGs and she nowadays has much more of a following than she did initially.

** Princess Peach hadn't won over very many fans for quite some time, namely due to being ''the'' DamselInDistress of gaming and having very little personality in most appearances (aside from ''VideoGame/MarioParty'', but there she's hated for an [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard entirely different reason]]). Then came the [=GameCube=] era which, NeverLiveItDown moment in ''Sunshine'' aside, started giving Peach more of an identity. She's a consistently-returning veteran for ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' since ''Melee'' where she is a fan-favorite because of her redesign and strange but unique and powerful moveset, she gained countless useful roles in the ''VideoGame/PaperMario'' series ( the first two games has her as SpannerInTheWorks who actively tried to foil the plans of her kidnappers and Super Paper Mario made her a DeadPanSnarker and strong-willed ActionGirl) and her various sports outfits and the other outfits she has worn across the series still have lot of fans to this day for "special reasons". It wasn't a massive boost, but she [[TookALevelInBadass steadily became more and more of a competent character]], [[VideoGame/SuperPrincessPeach receiving her first starring role where she beat Bowser and rescued the Mario Bros by herself]], becoming playable in at least two main series titles (Super Mario 3D World and Super Mario Run and even before that there was Super Mario Bros.2), trying to escape from Bowser and taking down an army of Mooks by herself with her ParasolOfPain in Super Mario 3D Land ( even if she failed in the end) , showing the full extent of her powers in the ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigi'' series and Super Mario RPG ,becoming a "badass princess" in the Mario + Rabbids games and even [[spoiler:shooting Mario ''and'' Bowser down when they fight over proposing to her]] in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioOdyssey''. Nowadays, she has considerably more of a following than she did initially.

** Princess Peach hadn't won over very many fans for quite some time, namely due to being ''the'' DamselInDistress of gaming and having very little personality in most appearances (aside from ''VideoGame/MarioParty'', but there she's hated for an [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard entirely different reason]]). Then came the [=GameCube=] era which, NeverLiveItDown moment in ''Sunshine'' aside, started giving Peach more of an identity. She's a consistently-returning veteran for ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' since ''Melee'' where she is a fan-favorite because of her redesign and strange but unique moveset , she gained countless useful roles in the ''VideoGame/PaperMario'' series, and her [[FanservicePack various sports outfits]] still have plenty of fans to this day for reasons. It wasn't a massive boost, but she [[TookALevelInBadass steadily became more and more of a competent character]], [[VideoGame/SuperPrincessPeach receiving her first starring role]], becoming playable in at least [[VideoGame/SuperMario3DWorld and [[VideoGame/SuperMarioRun] two main series titles]], showing the full extent of her powers in the ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigi'' series and Super Mario RPG ,becoming a "badass princess" in the Mario + Rabbids games and even [[spoiler:shooting Mario ''and'' Bowser down when they fight over proposing to her]] in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioOdyssey''. Nowadays, she has considerably more of a following than she did initially.

** Princess Peach hadn't won over very many fans for quite some time, namely due to being ''the'' DamselInDistress of gaming and having very little personality in most appearances (aside from ''VideoGame/MarioParty'', but there she's hated for an [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard entirely different reason]]). Then came the [=GameCube=] era which, NeverLiveItDown moment in ''Sunshine'' aside, started giving Peach more of an identity. She's a consistently-returning veteran for ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' since ''Melee'', she gained countless useful roles in the ''VideoGame/PaperMario'' series, and her [[FanservicePack sports outfit]] still has plenty of fans to this day for reasons. It wasn't a massive boost, but she [[TookALevelInBadass steadily became more and more of a competent character]], [[VideoGame/SuperPrincessPeach receiving her first starring role]], becoming playable in at least [[VideoGame/SuperMario3DWorld one main series title]], showing the full extent of her powers in the ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigi'' series, and even [[spoiler:shooting Mario ''and'' Bowser down when they fight over proposing to her]] in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioOdyssey''. Nowadays, she has considerably more of a following than she did initially.

*** And finally, the poster child for AmericansHateTingle himself. [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask Tingle]] was hated in the west due to his often creepy design and outright greed in some games. When Tingle showed up as one of the last DLC characters in Hyrule Warriors, people were livid that they didn't get a different character like resident [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff David Hasselhoff]] Skull Kid. Then [[UpdatedRerelease later versions]] came out, having both characters available in the base game; with the salt dying down, people realized how useful Tingle can be when clearing out groups of enemies with his [[ConfusionFu strange way]] [[PlayingWithFire of fighting]]. It's not a huge save from the heap, but people slowly but surely started to appreciate the 35-year-old who believes he's a fairy.

*** The General class was previously seen as a MightyGlacier without enough Mighty, which would always be double attacked and chopped into little pieces before it could get in a word edgewise. ''Fates'' gave it the Wary Fighter skill, which prevents all double attacks and makes it much harder to kill.

*** Liquid is disliked for being an EvilIsHammy stock villain with an IdiotPlot plan, literally replacing the far more interesting TheDragon figure of Ocelot, and having a shallow motivation for his evil compared to the nuanced motivations of many ''Metal Gear'' villains. One chapter of the book goes into detail about Liquid's backstory, justifying his nihilism and desperation, while also portraying his actions as admirable, even forgivable responses to a life of being treated like dirt and intentionally driven mad. Otacon even comments that he can't see Liquid as being truly evil, and the book clearly states that Solid Snake found love and joy in fighting his brother by the end, something only implied in the original.

* Sometimes this can happen entirely without conscious effort on the creators' part. Take Nero from ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry4'' for example; When it was first revealed that he and not series lead Dante would be the protagonist for the installment in question, disgruntled fans decried him for [[ReplacementScrappy aspiring to Dante's position]]. Then subsequent trailers came out, dropping [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome Moments of Awesome]] for Nero, and hate gave way to... like? The additional cool feats he pulled off in the full game endeared him even more to fans (although Dante dramatically [[OvershadowedByAwesome overshadows him in awesome]]). Nero was also accidentally rescued from the scrappy heap when ''VideoGame/DMCDevilMayCry'' was released. [[http://youtu.be/b0a_QlurNZU?t=24s In this example, the Gaming Brit took back every negative comment he said about Nero when seeing Dante's characterization in the reboot.]] Fully cemented by ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry5'' where fans expressed much delight upon the game's initial reveal at seeing him, with most of the marketing focusing on him over Dante. By the time of the ending, Nero has come completely into his own as a character and stepped out of Dante's shadow, enough for him [[spoiler: and his father Vergil]] to pass the torch to him as the series' primary devil hunter.

** ''Metal Gear Solid 4'' started Raiden's climb out of the scrappy heap, but ''VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance'' definitely finished it. The game received near universal praise. [[WebVideo/TheAngryJoeShow Angry Joe]] felt that the union between Kojima Productions, who'd made all of the ''Metal Gear'' games up until that point and handled story and direction, and Creator/PlatinumGames, creators of hits such as ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}'' and the ones responsible for level design and gameplay, was a "match made in heaven." Mat and Pat of WebVideo/TwoBestFriendsPlay also had a lot to say on the matter, noting that a decade earlier they never would have believed that Raiden would one day be more awesome than [[VideoGame/DMCDevilMayCry Dante.]][[note]] ''Revengeance'' came out soon after the [[VideoGame/DMCDevilMayCry infamous reboot]] of the ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'' franchise. Whereas fans were pleased with and excited about the revamped cyborg Raiden as well as the prospect of the creators of this such as ''VideoGame/{{Okami}}'' and ''Bayonetta'' working together with Kojima Productions, there was a ''massive'' outcry against the radical changes to the classic ''DMC'' characters displayed in ''[=DmC=]: Devil May Cry''.[[/note]]

** Some fangirls have shifted to a more favorable opinion on Kairi due to the shift in [[SheIsAllGrownUp appearance]] and {{p|luckyGirl}}ersonality from ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI'' to ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII''. The fact that she receives a keyblade either [[BrokenBase increases or decreases this status.]] Played straight in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII'' Re:Mind. After her lackluster performance in the vanilla game, Re:Mind had her [[TookALevelInBadass took several levels in badass]] by not only holding her own against Xemnas, but finally finally becoming playable [[spoiler: and helping Sora defeat ''Armored Xehanort''.]] It was enough for her to reach MemeticBadass status in the fandom.

*** Odin, Selena and Laslow were originally hated for being blatantly obvious [[{{Expy}} Expies]] of Owain, Severa and Inigo from ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'' (due to those three being [[PopularityPower voted the most popular child characters in Japan]]). Then the game came out and it turned out that [[spoiler: they literally ''are'' Owain, Severa and Inigo and not just carbon-copies of them, and their CharacterDevelopment and OlderAndWiser nature since ''Awakening'' has been very well-received.]] They're now some of the more popular characters in the game.

* The ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' expansion ''Cataclysm''[='=] entire ''raison d'etre'' is to rescue the most hated zones in the game from the Scrappy heap, by nuking them and building new quests around picking up the wreckage. As this is ''World of Warcraft'', at least one quest will actually be about picking up wreckage.

** Happens to Garrosh in Cataclysm. He [[spoiler:publicly executes a Horde general that bombed an Alliance village full of innocent people (by dropping him off a cliff), and tells Sylvanas off for using the val'kyr to raise more Forsaken, saying she is going against nature and is no better than the Lich King.]] Sadly, while it may have shifted the opinion of casual Warcraft fans in his favor it did little to improve his reputation with the most die-hard haters. And as a result [[spoiler: Blizzard dropped [[WhatCouldHaveBeen whatever plans they had for him as a character]] and [[FaceHeelTurn set him up as]] the BigBad for the next expansion]].

** It fully happened with ''Legacy of Romulus'' by adding the Romulans to the game, complete with a great backstory, finishing the Klingons, and the beginning of making a complex story arc starring cast members from the series. Later, it really proved it by introducing a new LoveToHate villain in the form of [[spoiler: Dr. Eric Cooper or rather his Undine duplicate]] and making him an ArcVillain to ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'''s Tuvok, an attack on Earth and Qo'noS, the end of the [[ConflictBall Fed-KDF War]].

** Fi in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild Breath of the Wild]]''. Her single appearance in this game is [[spoiler: when her signature chime can be heard after Link has fallen from fighting so much he is on the brink of death. This chime alerts Zelda to the fact Link can be saved with the Shrine of Resurrection. In other words, she ended up saving Link's life.]] The lack of her CaptainObvious and bland characterisation really helps.
* Zeke in the first ''VideoGame/{{inFAMOUS}}'' game was a bit of a {{Jerkass}} who would not stop calling and insulting you and constantly put himself in danger because he was jealous of Cole's super powers. [[spoiler:His betrayal in the game's last quarter]] didn't help either. In ''VideoGame/{{inFAMOUS 2}}'', though, he undergoes some serious CharacterDevelopment and becomes much more helpful and sympathetic, building various [[GadgeteerGenius devices]] for Cole and being [[MissionControl essential to progressing through the game]].

** Carver Hawke in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' spent the entire first act [[TheResenter constantly bitter]] of their [[AlwaysSomeoneBetter older sibling]] being before being PutOnABus after joining [[spoiler: the Templars]] or the [[spoiler: Grey Wardens.]] Even the companions in-universe found Hawke's little brother to be an annoying presence for his constant complaining. After the release of the DLC ''Legacy'', fans were pleasantly surprised that suddenly Carver [[TheBusCameBack returned]] with a ton of character development, newfound maturity and self-depreciation [[spoiler: (particularly if he became a Warden)]].

** When James Vega was first revealed, many people complained about him because of [[DelinquentHair his design]], [[ReplacementScrappy the desire of old characters as party members]], and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking being a human]]. Nowadays, people actually find him likable thanks to a well rounded personality and being [[HiddenDepths more than he seems]]. There is even a small group of people wishing he was a love interest, [[spoiler: leading to some rejoicing when this option was added in the ''Citadel DLC'']].

** [[AssInAmbassador Udina]], of all people, actually gets some degree of rescuing. Where in previous games he seemed like an unrepentant {{Jerkass}}, his behavior is toned down quite a bit and he becomes more helpful in his desperate desire to get aid for Earth. Even [[spoiler:the attempted coup]] has a legitimate reason behind it, and he comes across as almost sympathetic, since it's left ambiguous [[spoiler: whether he was [[BrainwashedAndCrazy indoctrinated]], [[{{Greed}} greedy]], or [[WellIntentionedExtremist just plain desperate]]?]]
** Kaidan originally received flak for being a MasterOfNone and coming off as TheGenericGuy compared to the rest of the crew. With many people choosing to [[spoiler: save Ashley over him on Virmire. As many felt she was the more interesting and useful member.]] Then came ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' where thanks to the revamped power system he developed into an extremely useful JackOfAllStats. Being made a bisexual romance option and his characterization being fleshed out helped as well.

** As Runescape's storyline became DarkerAndEdgier, the BigGood god Saradomin gradually became more and more of a self-righteous, hypocritical, arrogant KnightTemplar who has led entire ''races'' to their doom in the God Wars. The quest "The Death of Chivalry" turns this into CharacterDevelopment, as Saradomin's [[spoiler: failure to use [[OnlyThePureOfHeart the Wand of Resurrection]]]] forces him to confront his crimes and hypocrisies, and [[CharacterRerailment he resolves to overcome his pride and become the good god people see him as]].

** In ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosMelee'', [[Franchise/{{Pokemon}} Pichu]] was widely disliked for being [[JokeCharacter one of the worst-designed characters in the game]], due to having mostly ineffective attacks, incredibly low survivability (due to being the lightest character in the game), and, of course, its infamous recoil damage. In spite of this, however, many were pleasantly surprised to see it not only come back for ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'' along with everybody else, but also return with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUlk-lWunNU its design greatly overhauled]], bringing it from an incredibly ineffectual FragileSpeedster joke of a character to [[LethalJokeCharacter a surprisingly potent]] and agile GlassCannon, even while still having its trademark recoil damage.

*** Through ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]'', the Bosmer (Wood Elves) comprise some of the most annoying characters in the series, drawing significant hatred from the fandom. Male Bosmer in particular are [[TinyGuyHugeGirl diminutive]], [[UglyGuyHotWife ugly]], and, from a gameplay perspective, are best used in ForestRanger-type builds but are even outclassed there by much "cooler" races who can function just as well in that role, such as the Dunmer (Dark Elves) and CatFolk Khajiit. Fargoth, Gaenor, Glarthir, Maglir, the Adoring Fan...the list of Scrappy Bosmer goes on. That changed significantly in ''Skyrim'', where the entire race [[TookALevelInBadass takes a level in badass]] and become a WoobieSpecies due to their [[FantasticRacism genocidally racist]] Altmer cousins occupying their homeland (Valenwood), and Bosmer go from being hands-down the least popular race to one of the fandom's favorites.

** While ''Skyrim'' did an admirable job at rescuing series' Scrappys, it also made the Altmer (High Elves) into one. Between the events of ''Oblivion'' and ''Skyrim'', under the fascistic and genocidally racist leadership of the [[ANaziByAnyOtherName Thalmor]], the Altmer broke away from the Cyrodiilic Empire and re-formed the [[AntiHumanAlliance Aldmeri Dominion]] of old. As mentioned, they forcefully annexed Valenwood and got the Khajiit of Elsweyr to join as vassals using some BlatantLies. They launched the [[GreatOffscreenWar Great War]] with the [[VestigialEmpire vestigial]] Empire and, though the Empire fended them off, were able to secure a peace treaty (the White-Gold Concordat) with exceptionally favorable terms to the Dominion. Throughout ''Skyrim'', ''everyone'' comes to hate the Thalmor, [[MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch even Altmer players]], with "ScrewYouElves" practically becoming a rallying cry for the fandom. The developers, perhaps realizing that players were associating ''[[AllGermansAreNAzis all]]'' Altmer with the Thalmor, acted quickly to rescue them in ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsOnline''. The Altmer win back a great deal of their respect from many fans by credit of the sheer lengths they go to win the trust of their allies (including one quest where they pull a race-wide BigDamnHeroes on a besieged city) and counting a good number of likable and badass [=NPC=]s on their side.

** Shuichi became [[BaseBreakingCharacter incredibly divisive]] the second where it was revealed that [[spoiler: he ended replacing Kaede as the main protagonist. While he is still divisive due to how big of an EnsembleDarkhorse Kaede is, and how some people don't think he measures up to her or the other protagonists, some fans ended up liking him for his character arc and how he is ''not'' the driving force to the motivating everyone in the ending as he needed to be brought back from the DespairEventHorizon from his friends thus proving that he was not a rehash of the other past protagonists. [[http://news.mynavi.jp/ad/2017/entertainment/danganronpa/sp_r/ The official character poll for the game]] even has him as the most popular character in that game, proving that while he still has detractors, he also has many fans. ]]
* Basically, every game that involves ''{{VideoGame/Persona 3}}'' slowly does this to Ken Amada, to the point where currently, he's more of a normal BaseBreakingCharacter since some people will never let [[WhamEpisode October 4th]] down. The Answer of ''FES'' shows how Ken got his Persona after his mother's death was ignored by the police. ''Portable'' adds him in as a social link, somewhat alleviating his OutOfFocus nature in the base game. ''Persona 4 Arena Ultimax'' shows Ken moving on with his life and allowing himself to be a normal kid, though he still jumps into battle if his friends are in danger. ''Persona Q'' has him get along well with Kanji and [[spoiler: and reconsider revenge against Shinjiro, even though it's a moot point thanks to his memories being erased]] and is a decent support character when he used to be a LowTierLetdown. And finally the [[Anime/Persona3TheMovie film adaptation]] allows Ken to be friends with Shinjiro before finding out [[spoiler: he is the reason his mother died]] and therefore make the entire situation seem more tragic, as opposed to being seen as UnintentionallyUnsympathetic.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}'', Mayor [=MacCready=] of Little Lamplight is notorious for being one of the most aggravating kid characters to appear in the series (well, besides [[VideoGame/{{Fallout 2}} Myron]] of course, [[HateSink but he qualifies as another trope entirely]]). He returns as a character in ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 4}} as a [[MrViceGuy flawed but likable]] young fella who [[OldShame doesn't really like talking about his time in Little Lamplight]], and is pretty handy with a rifle.

* Tom Nook from the ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing'' series. In the first game, he was known for his [[MoneyFetish money driven personality,]] his forced [[ForcedTutorial part-time job]] and his insistence on [[ButThouMust upgrading your house]] to send you thousands of Bells into debt. This was made even worse with his joke comments that he'll "send his goons after you" if you don't pay your debt, even though he never punishes you for not paying. This didn't sit well with fans that at one point, ''Magazine/NintendoPower'' had a poll of user voted villains, in which [[RonTheDeathEater Tom Nook was high up on there.]] Later games starting with ''Wild World'' and ''City Folk'' would start to soften his character and explore more into his generous side. Starting in ''New Leaf'', he became a real estate manager, meaning no part-time job and [[SignificantWardrobeShift a nifty new sweater-vest]]. He also no longer forces you to upgrade if you don't want to. In ''Happy Home Designer'', Tom Nook revealed that he donates 90% of his earnings to orphanages in nearby towns, which made it more heartwarming when you consider that the Nooklings were orphans that he himself adopted. Tom also acknowledges that people think he's a cold-hearted businessman, but he ultimately doesn't mind if people use him as a scapegoat, as long as he can enforce the importance of paying one's dues. In ''New Horizons'', he's given a Hawaiian shirt and shorts and now has an attitude much more akin to a charming uncle than a ruthless loan shark. These days, Tom Nook has far more fans than haters.

** Hanzo brought a lot of baggage with him, carried by his status as a TierInducedScrappy in his [[VideoGame/{{Overwatch}} home game]] as well as the over-saturation Overwatch had been getting throughout 2017. It only got worse after his release, since he was a buggy, underpowered mess. Then it got ''so much worse'' when he received buffs, becoming one of the most reviled {{Game Breaker}}s in a long time. Eventually though, Blizzard managed to tone down his kit[[labelnote:*]]which was already vastly improved from Overwatch's version, since [[ThatOneAttack Scatter Arrow]] could only split if it hit a wall instead of always splitting[[/labelnote]], crafting him into a skill-intensive assassin. While he can still do some gross things, his monstrous skill floor makes good Hanzo players more impressive than anything, and scares off the infamous "Hanzo main" crowd. It also helps that all of 2018 had no new Overwatch heroes, calming that group as well.

* While virtually no fans of ''VideoGame/{{Mega Man|Classic}}'' games ever hated Roll, due to her being seen as the cute, benevolent face of what robotics ''could have'' been, and thus, part of what you're fighting for as the hero, in the ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom'' games she was something of a TierInducedScrappy--in fact fans jokingly gave her her own tier because none of the other tiers were thought to be bad enough. In ''VideoGame/TatsunokoVsCapcom'', she definitely TookALevelInBadass with some rather devastating combos, many of which end with her ferociously slamming her mop into downed opponents' groins.

* ''[[VideoGame/MechWarrior MechWarrior Living Legends]]'' was plagued by many of its assets being nigh-useless for months or years on end. The Osiris light mech, for example, [[JokeCharacter was infamous for being a complete death trap]] - almost no armor, pitiful weaponry, a huge chassis that was next to impossible to miss, and with a mediocre (for a light) top speed. Or the Atlas, which was too expensive, lacked the armor that a slow mech needs, and didn't carry sufficient firepower, being outgunned by many mechs 20+ tons lighter. [[ScrewedByTheLawyers The tragic final update]] [[note]] The [=MechWarrior=] license was yanked from the development team by the developers of VideoGame/MechWarriorOnline[[/note]], 0.7.1, included a complete balance overhaul and balance pass on effectively every asset, buffing assets that were in desperate need of help (and nerfing those that were [[TierInducedScrappy too powerful]]). The Osiris had its [[LightningBruiser armor buffed, better jump jets, and way more firepower,]] the Atlas became cheaper, [[SuperToughness better armored]], and [[CloseRangeCombatant better at killing things up close,]] among hundreds of other changes to the other assets.

* Basically, every game that involves ''{{VideoGame/Persona 3}}'' slowly does this to Ken Amada, to the point where currently, he's more of a normal BaseBreakingCharacter since some people will never let [[WhamEpisode October 4th]] down. The Answer of ''FES'' shows how Ken got his Persona after his mother's death was ignored by the police. ''Portable'' adds him in as a social link, somewhat alleviating his OutOfFocus nature in the base game. ''Persona 4 Arena Ultimax'' shows Ken moving on with his life and allowing himself to be a normal kid, though he still jumps into battle if his friends are in danger. ''Persona Q'' has him get along well with Kanji and [[spoiler: and reconsider revenge against Shinjiro, even though it's a moot point thanks to his memories being erased]] and is a decent support character when he used to be a TierInducedScrappy. And finally the [[Anime/Persona3TheMovie film adaptation]] allows Ken to be friends with Shinjiro before finding out [[spoiler: he is the reason his mother died]] and therefore make the entire situation seem more tragic, as opposed to being seen as UnintentionallyUnsympathetic.

** Kaidan originally received flak for being a MasterOfNone and coming off as TheGenericGuy compared to the rest of the crew. Then came ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' where he developed into an extremely useful JackOfAllStats. Having his characterization fleshed out after the Cerberus Coup certainly helped.

* ''VideoGame/MetroidFusion'' managed this retroactively with Adam Malkovich. The inclusion of his AI form in the game was contentious at the time, with some feeling like the inclusion of a second character who regularly talks with Samus ruins the lonely atmosphere of the series (and would become a FranchiseOriginalSin for the series in the long run). Then ''VideoGame/MetroidOtherM'', a prequel to ''Fusion'' featuring the original Adam, came along, and the original Adam became so universally loathed not only for his incompetence, but for his mere presence completely derailing Samus' entire character by making her submissively obedient to him to a fault, that nearly everyone agreed that AI Adam isn't that bad after all. There's even a line from AI Adam ("Did this Adam care for you? Would he sit in a safe Command Room and order you to die?") that, had the order of release for the two games been reversed, could easily be taken as a TakeThat to the infamous moment from ''Other M'' where Adam forced Samus to go through a lava filled area and take ambient heat damage without authorizing the use of her Varia Suit.

** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'': The Archer class in general is finally pulled out of the rut it spent most of the franchise in, thanks to useful innate skills (Bowrange +1 and accuracy-increasing skills give them a niche for picking off mages from outside retaliation range) and no longer being helpless up close (most units with an affinity for bows quickly learn Close Counter, and any archer can be given a spare melee weapon, enabling them to fight back during the enemy phase). Additionally, the Bow Knight PrestigeClass is considered a GameBreaker.

* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsOfColdSteel IV'' has Rufus Albarea, older brother of Jusis who is one of the playable characters of the game. He was a decent character in the first two games till the climax of ''II'' where it's revealed that he's actually a MoleInCharge of the Noble Alliance for [[EvilChancellor Giliath Osborne]]. He was still a decent character in ''III'', dropping shocking revelations, but by ''IV'' is where the fans hated him when he crosses the MoralEventHorizon by [[spoiler:back stabbing [[PhysicalGod Arianrhod]] while Rean was trying to save her by reversing the flow of [[SuperRobot Valimar]] absorbing the essence of Argreion.]] When Rufus was finally defeated, he was defeated so pathetically despite having all of the advantages he could have for the [[ThereCanOnlyBeOne Rivalry of the Seven]] because his own SuperRobot was supposed to be the 2nd strongest and with him [[spoiler:absorbing the third strongest robot, he should be able to defeat [[TheHero Rean]] in the rivalries, only for him to epically fail]] that for two years in real life, Rufus was the butt of many jokes of him losing in the most pathetic way possible. The trailer of the next game of the ''VideoGame/TrailsSeries'', ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsIntoReverie'' did him no favors as he ends up attacking the [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsFromZeroAndTrailsToAzure Special Support Section]] while they're defending Crossbell's independence. Then the game came out and it turns out that [[spoiler:he is the third protagonist of the game, disguising himself as "C" and that the "Rufus" that attacked Crossbell is actually a fake robot of himself, who also has his worst qualities dialed UpToEleven. Throughout [[RotatingProtagonist Rufus' route]], he ends up undergoing a massive CharacterDevelopment while also sharing the spotlight to his new companions, Lapis, Swin, and Nadia and many fans actually liked their interactions. The fact that unlike Rean and Lloyd, Rufus doesn't feel like a SpotlightStealingSquad certainly helped. After he does one awesome moment with another, he ends up pulling off the greatest awesome moment of the series: pulling off a ZeroApprovalGambit that would make [[Franchise/CodeGeass Lelouch proud]] (though he survives this although that wasn't his plan).]] When the polls for the "best character" in the game came out, Rufus went from being the worst character in the series to becoming ''the third most popular character'' in ''Reverie'', only behind both [[PopularityPower Rean and Crow]].

* In the ''VideoGame/SlyCooper'' series:
** Carmelita Fox was viewed neutrally in the [[{{VideoGame/SlyCooperAndTheThieviusRaccoonus}} first game]], and was well received in [[{{VideoGame/Sly2BandOfThieves}} the second]]. In [[{{VideoGame/Sly3HonorAmongThieves}} the third]], however, she TookALevelInJerkass and was pretty much a type-4 AntiVillain for most of the game and got a terrible voice actress, resulting in her becoming TheScrappy. ''[[{{VideoGame/SlyCooperThievesInTime}} Thieves in Time]]'' redeemed her through CharacterDevelopment.
** Similarly, Murray was nothing more than a lumbering useless lummox in the first game who couldn't even defend himself and was thus always part of the [[ThatOneLevel much maligned]] [[UnexpectedGamePlayChange racing and escort levels]], and firmly cemented himself as TheScrappy in the second game with his obnoxiously loud '''[[IncomingHam THE MURRAY]]''' persona. It wasn't until the third game when his persona was dialed back considerably, he settled into the role of the BoisterousBruiser [[DumbMuscle Dumb (But Lovable) Muscle]] of the team, was given his new (and useful) rolling and bouncing abilities, and got some extra depth in his guilt over Bentley's crippling and his relationship with The Guru that players finally warmed up to him.

* ''VideoGame/SoulSeries'': Cassandra was slated to be [[NiceGirl Sophitia's]] SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute in the Arcade versions of ''Soulcalibur II'', with the lore reason being Sophitia hung up her sword (and shield) to raise a family at the end of ''Soulcalibur''. This idea went down like a plate of cold sick. Project Soul took notice and added Sophitia back into console versions of the game as an unlockable character, and keeping both sisters for all future entries of the series. Cassandra hung on to her initial crowd of fans who actually liked a peppy BoisterousBruiser Alexandria sister, and won over the people who didn't like her now that she was presented as a different option rather than an outright replacement for a beloved female icon of the series and wider gaming generally. Cassandra nowadays is a firm fan favourite, she is the protagonist of ''Broken Destiny'' besides [[PrincessesRule Hilde]], and a crucial plot character of ''VI''.

** ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'' did this to ''almost everyone'' from [[VideoGame/MortalKombat1 the]] [[VideoGame/MortalKombat2 original]] [[VideoGame/MortalKombat3 trilogy]] who hadn't escaped this label by the time of ''[[VideoGame/MortalKombatDeception Deception]]'' and ''Armageddon''. It may just be the NostalgiaFilter speaking, but most fans were ecstatic to see the old cast return. It didn't hurt the improved storytelling fleshed out many an obscure character and several of them [[TookALevelInBadass had been level grinding since we last saw them]]. [[TheScrappy The only exceptions]] would be Raiden (due to his idiotic moments throughout the story, though his immense [[TheWoobie Woobie]] label and the sheer callousness of [[JerkassGods the Elder Gods]] softens the blow somewhat, and he's severely underpowered gameplay wise this time), Sindel (for [[spoiler:killing most of the heroes in the penultimate chapter]]; in her defense, [[spoiler:she had no control of her actions - well, at least until ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11'' revealed that she was actually Main/EvilAllAlong in this timeline]]) and Shao Kahn (for being an SNKBoss like no other).

* Sometimes this can happen entirely without conscious effort on the creators' part. Take Nero from ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry4'' for example; When it was first revealed that he and not series lead Dante would be the protagonist for the installment in question, disgruntled fans decried him for [[ReplacementScrappy aspiring to Dante's position]]. Then subsequent trailers came out, dropping [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome Moments of Awesome]] for Nero, and hate gave way to... like? The additional cool feats he pulled off in the full game endeared him even more to fans (although Dante dramatically [[OvershadowedByAwesome overshadows him in awesome]]). Nero was also accidentally rescued from the scrappy heap when ''VideoGame/DMCDevilMayCry'' was released.[[http://youtu.be/b0a_QlurNZU?t=24s In this example, the Gaming Brit took back every negative comment he said about Nero when seeing Dante's characterization in the reboot.]] Fully cemented by ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry5'' where fans expressed much delight upon the game's initial reveal at seeing him, with most of the marketing focusing on him over Dante. By the time of the ending, Nero has come completely into his own as a character and stepped out of Dante's shadow, enough for him [[spoiler: and his father Vergil]] to pass the torch to him as the series' primary devil hunter.

** The whole main cast, [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters which ballooned]] following ''Sonic Adventure'', was considered one big collective Scrappy (with very few exceptions) and a major fault of the series, ''especially'' after ''Sonic 2006'', since fans needed something tangible to blame for the franchise's sliding quality. After ''Sonic Unleashed'' bombed critically--and featured a record low number of Sonic's furry pals--fans realized that the characters weren't necessarily the problem, and the lack of characters in later games has led to some people wanting them to return. In return, Sonic Team has excessively {{Flanderiz|ation}}ed their characters, which may offset any gain.

** For what the ''WesternAnimation/SonicBoom'' spin-off is worth, the devs did everything in their power to fix Amy Rose as thoroughly as possible. Not only was her choice of attire far less prone to panty shots and more befitting someone in the thick of the action, and not only did Creator/CindyRobinson get the freedom to voice Amy more appropriately (and ditch the much-maligned Minnie Mouse-esque voice to boot), but Amy's personality was completely retooled; her crush on Sonic was strongly dialed down (though it's clearly not entirely gone, just far more subdued), her TeamMom and GenkiGirl traits were brought out to the fore, and she was made more prone to taking matters into her own hands and allowed to join in the DeadpanSnarker fun normally reserved for Sonic himself. She was much better received as a result, with even some haters of her Modern version welcoming the Boom version, and the fans hope the changes to her character carry back over to the Modern series.

** For what the ''WesternAnimation/SonicBoom'' spin-off is worth, the devs did everything in their power to fix Amy Rose as thoroughly as possible. Not only was her choice of attire far less prone to {{Panty Shot}}s and more befitting someone in the thick of the action, and not only did Creator/CindyRobinson get the freedom to voice Amy more appropriately (and ditch the much-maligned Minnie Mouse-esque voice to boot), but Amy's personality was completely retooled; her crush on Sonic was strongly dialed down (though it's clearly not entirely gone, just far more subdued), her TeamMom and GenkiGirl traits were brought out to the fore, and she was made more prone to taking matters into her own hands and allowed to join in the DeadpanSnarker fun normally reserved for Sonic himself. She was much better received as a result, with even some haters of her Modern version welcoming the Boom version, and the fans hope the changes to her character carry back over to the Modern series.

* ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters'': When he was introduced in ''2003'', many did not take kindly to Ash Crimson, mainly due to being both a [[ReplacementScrappy replacement for previous protagonists Kyo and K']] and [[VillainProtagonist committing especially heinous acts]] for someone billed to be on the "Hero Team". By ''XIII'', something had to be done, and what did Creator/{{SNK}} do? Not only did they reveal [[GoodAllAlong his motives]] (namely, that it was all one big BatmanGambit to protect his childhood friend Elisabeth), but also killed him off. And they didn't just kill him off normally, they ''[[RetGone erased him from existence]]''. [[AlasPoorScrappy Many tears were shed]].