>>49042477GSC was a masterful sequel to RBY. The Day/Night cycle, timed events, and a return trip to Kanto after 3 years made the world of Pokemon come to life. The end of Tajiri's era and the end of Pokemania. XY perfected Pokemon's community based gameplay; trading, battling and collecting monsters was at its best thanks to the massive regional dex, improved online infrastructure, visible stats, great QoL, etc. The end of Masuda's era.
It really is no wonder these games were so popular during their prime. They represent the very best of what this series has to offer.