Since this is a topic of debate in this thread I decided I'd share my thoughts on what makes a Pokemon a 'Pokemon.'
Atleast in the first 2 gens.
The answer is:
Simplicity.
Look at most of Gen 1 designs. They use few colors, have rough, anatomical lines and detail. They look like animals you could see if you looked outside your window.
The problem with many fakemon is that they look too much like cartoons. I see no problem in Pokemon like Psyduck who is literally just a yellow duck.
Something like
>>35312374captures the spirit of Pokemon much more than, say
>>35310626. The latter has some weird design choices, like the random ring on its front leg and big weird horns. Take a look at espeon, even with its strange ears, its a few simple design. Predominantly one color, and its eyes actually look look like eyes, not just stickers attached to the face.
>>35307182Is also a pretty good example of a Pokemon-esque design. Its not the most perfect example, but it shows a good way to capture a design idea without going absolutely crazy. The bone tail tells a lot about the mon (its relation to death/poison) while staying consistent and not being too jarring. While I wouldn't say this design works as a Gen 1 or 2 mon, I could definitely see it in the latter games.
On that note, I do think the main problem the main series faces is when they decided to take a more 'anime' approach to the designs. See: Salazzle.
That said, I'm no artist, this is just my observations form years of playing the series.
