Gen I had straightforward, animalistic designs meant to convey ferociousness and power.
Gen II had soft, washed-out designs meant to convey cuteness and nostalgia.
Gen III had complex, colorfu designs meant to convey exoticism and a strong return for the series.
Gen IV had hyper-complex, monstruous designs to once again convey power that came with new evolutions and "god" legendaries.
Gen V had varied, colorful and cartoonish designs meant to convey to a new generation what the first gen conveyed to the last.
People who have a problem with "artificial" Pokemon don't realize it's because old "artificial" Pokemon (Voltorb, Magnemite) look like they were created as a result of human action or interference (plus Kanto had a whole "science and genetics" theme going, plus it was the nineties), while new "artificial" Pokemon (Vanilluxe, Klefki) are understood to just happen to look like ice cream or keychains coincidentially, and that breaks the "suspension of disbelief" that older players had in regards to Pokemon.
Basically it's a new style, it's not good or bad, you just need to get used to it.
