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the thing about a downfall is that the first game doesn't have to be complete shit, it just has to be significantly worse than what came before it.
love it or hate it, you can't deny that gen 5 took a lot of risks. BW2 not so much, but the decision to do sequels instead of a third version was a huge departure from the norm and opened up many new opportunities for the storytelling and world.
gen 6 was a step back from that. it played things safe, falling back on not just the same old pokemon formula but the same old pokemon as well. it was pokemon...again...but in 3D this time.
if gen 7 was better than gen 6, the latter would be viewed as a minor roadbump, an awkward first attempt at 3D. instead, gen 7 fucked everything up. megas may have been the first gimmick, but gen 7 was the game that discarded them and established the pattern of disposable marketing ploys. it doubled down on the kanto pandering. the story was intrusive, but also sloppy and somehow even more childish than usual. and then ULTRA CHANGES happened, a game that was mostly the same, botched the new inclusions, and made the few good things about the originals worse.
gen 8 is the lowest point. the new pokemon are terrible. the story is terrible. the music is terrible. dynamax is terrible. the remakes were terrible. PLA may or may not have been good, i wouldn't know as i've never played it. an absolute embarrassment of a generation.