Did Gen V seem kind of half assed to anyone else?

Gen II, III and IV all introduced a bunch of new mechanics and improvements. Gen V was just IV but with new pokemon and a faster battle system. It just felt so dead otherwise. There were no real innovative improvements. There was no charm to it. It felt more like a generic JRPG than a pokemon game.

also the story ruined the atmosphere and I felt stressed to beat the game so I could save the world, rather than catch them all and explore the have fun. It didn't have the same relaxing, happy atmosphere as the other games. I felt like I was always being herded in a straight line once I did everything in the town that was required.

I feel like a couple of gens from now Gen V will be that one gen no one cares about.