>>58741231Gen wars really became a thing during gen 4, during the period before HGSS were announced, but we knew it was being considered (internal data for Johto, Jasmine cameo etc).
There was a shift with gen 3, but it was an anomaly. One does not make a trend. It wasn't until gen 4, when 50% of the series was so aesthetically different, that it became more strictly defined by old vs new. The new mon designs, the music was moving away from melodic/motif driven pieces to more complex songs, GF's habit of adding features and then removing them with each iteration.
Once HGSS released, and we had that old style in the new engine, it just furthered those sorts of direct comparisons. I was never a hater of 3 and 4, but I distinctly remember reaching the SS Aqua in HGSS and being annoyed at the sight of Bronzor. There was a real sense that the old sensibilities and games were being eroded or replaced by the new stuff. I think that drove a lot of the sentiment around gen 5, having these 1:1 analogs for Kanto pokemon outright replacing the old ones, but I actually really that clean break. It never presented itself as a replacement, it wasn't overwriting the old games like HGSS' postgame did. But the way BW was structured absolutely stoked those frustrations for other people. Phrases like "Genwunner" were a thing in late gen 4, but they become common refrains when gen 5 released stateside.
