I understand your point, but for some reason there's some corner of my brain that's interested in litigating this if you'll bear with me. I definitely think the color of nostalgia is a real thing, and for me that imprinting shows up the most in still having an inexplicable affinity for '90s nu metal that I can't really reconcile with any notion of sophisticated taste.
But I think sometimes you see the opposite thing too, where a rewatch or re-listen is very disappointing, and undermines your impression that something is great. So it's clear that at least some of the time the nostalgia effect falls away. And I like to think staying power after repeated watchings can testify to "classic" status. But I think the reason I'm interested in drawing distinctions here is because I don't like the idea that Deus Ex, the greatest game of all time imo, can be pointed to to vindicate modern day conspiracy theorists, like they are the same thing.
In fact, the next time Warren Spector is interviewed I hope someone asks how he feels about his game being invoked in that way.