>>48642166>Brought the series into 3D with decent results, the games don't look amazing but they're alright for a 2013 3DS game>Brought character customization to the series>Created new models and animations for 700+ Pokemon, which while heavily criticized in 2021 for being overused and rarely being updated since, was impressive for a 2013 handheld release>Introduced PSS, which to this day by far the best online system any Pokemon game has ever had>Introduced Amie, which served as the "ability to actually play with your Pokemon" option that was widely requested prior to Gen VI>Insanely diverse region mon wise, 457 in the regional dex alone which makes for easily the most customizable team building in the seriesbut...
>Incredibly easy compared to prior generations which would become a staple of the series (bar USUM) as a result of Amie, Exp. Share changes, Megas, reusable TMs, etc.>Really when Kanto pandering kicked off hard (not saying it didn't exist prior to Gen VI, just that Gen VI kicked it into overdrive) with most Megas going to Kanto mons, Kanto starter hand outs, first encounter is a forced Pidgey, Mewtwo and Legendary Birds shoehorned, Santalune Forest being a carbon copy of Viridian Forest, etc.>Megas starting the trend of each generation needing some gameplay gimmick to make it "unique" rather than just trying to continuously build on the formula in previous gens (i.e. Abilities in Gen 3, split in Gen 4)>Horribly optimized game, game has awful FPS issues during battles>Started the trend of absolutely abysmal post games, only having one battle facility when prior gens introduced new areas and multiple facilities>Story and characters are incredibly forgettable, one of worst villain teams and some of the worst rivals the series has ever seen>Fairy's attempt to balance the meta just led to it replacing Dragon as a dominant type It's better than most people give it credit for, but it's definitely a turning point for the series and not a good one
