>>42746121You hit the nail right on the head, but I will always maintain that the first signs of staleness did appear in Gen 5 - from the backfired attempt at a dex reboot
that's the generation you need to thank if you were wondering why the 3D models are so lifeless - there are just too many to do them justice, through the attempt to hide the half-assedness of Unova Dex behind unprecedented power creep, to the circular map. Make no mistake, though, Gen 5 did have a unique vibe that made it meaningful and memorable - compared to the previous Gens, though, it felt like an edgified Pokémon fangame. Gen 5 was the last where effort and attention to detail were still palpable. Sadly, this reflects a larger trend - the better the graphic standards get, the more game series worsen. It was 3D that killed mainline Pokémon; as long as it stayed in Stadium-like formats and spinoffs, it was all fine, but having to keep up with the rest of the gaming world required channelling too many resources into the least important. I kinda wish for GF to pull an Octopath Traveler in Gen 9.
