It's been a really long time since I've played Pokemon. The last one I really enjoyed was Emerald on the GBA, I played Pearl and thought it was okay, I didn't play Black or White, but I remember buying X and Y for my bf and me, because he got so hyped about it, and I sat down to play it, and I just felt like the gameplay was strangled by features. I couldn't walk ten paces or go through any doors without meeting some random NPC waiting for me, ready to accost me to explain some new gimmick to me, and I felt kind of overwhelmed, and I was confused by how many pokemon there were in each area. I think I quit shortly after I started playing, because I didn't care about any of the characters, I didn't even remember anyone's names because there were too many people I was supposed to keep track of, and I think on the whole that bad experience is what turned me off from playing Pokemon anymore.

Has it gotten any better since then, or is Pokemon just horribly bloated now? Are the new games better?