Quoted By:
>What was your first pokemon game?
Pokemon Red on the gameboy color
>What generation did you have peak enjoyment with the franchise?
Gen 3 (though second is Gen 7)
>What in your opinion is the best mainline game, and what is your favorite spinoff?
Base Ruby/Sapphire and Mystery Dungeon Explorers (Time/Darkness/Sky)
>At what point do you think the soul was lost and the magic died?
when Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee were released. From my perspective, the game stopped being primarily a hybrid RPG/Strategy game and focused more on the Collect-athon aspect.
>What do you think the future of pokemon is?
I wouldn't be surprised if they tried to lean harder into the 'gacha'/collect-athon angle and start to lock more pokemon behind paywalls. Ideally, they'd split into two game franchises, the main line collectathon/online battling games, and the more RPG single player experiences in "Legends".
Bonus Q:
>Who is your favorite pokemon?
Poochyena