>>20855414"Better" is subjective, I think. I don't think that the Pokemon games are the best games ever made (though they are definitely better, yes, even X/Y, than /vp/ gives them credit for by a long shot), but it's more what they do to those who play them.
Pokemon's ability and encouragement in bringing people together, despite differences in language, country, culture, race, whatever, and just bring them to enjoy Pokemon and to make friends is an incredible asset, and something that has helped it become a cultural phenomenon the world over. This was specifically coded into the game by making it so you /had/ to interact with others to get the Pokemon you were missing, and consequently, there were huge groups of kids who played Pokemon in its heyday due to the highly encouraged social interaction. Sure, a fair amount of this is lost in the era of the Internet, but I'll be damned if I don't see a fair amount of kids in the foyer of the school I volunteer at huddled around a 3DS watching someone play Pokemon.
Pokemon has the social aspect that no other game really had or continues to have. Pokemon games aren't "masterpieces of gaming" by any stretch of imagination, but it's also absurd to think that the game is the only important thing about a franchise, when there are so many other factors at play, particularly for larger productions.
