>>34813108I'll retract my statement about gen 2 dex, actually. The problem wasn't with designs, but execution--particularly with gen 2 being before the physical/special split. The region was still a failure, though.
And you have a really good point about gens 1 and 5 being the ones that take the most shit. It kind of goes back to something I said earlier to trigger above posters, about how genwars only exist because of newgen fans attempting to justify themselves. It really did start with gen 5, with long-time fans bashing shitmons like Garbodor and Vanilluxe, with the unexpected result that Gen 5 fans reciprocated by arbitrarily bashing gen 1 designs to defend their own tastes. No one thought gen 1 designs were 'boring' or 'lazy' until that whole shitstorm started.
I think that the main difference is that early gen games stood alone as games, with only Yellow following the anime. Whereas newer generations are increasingly influenced by the anime characters, tropes, and gimmicks.
In summation, fans of the anime ruined the games. Gen 1 set the standard for design, and later gens overall failed to live up to it, catering to the most autistic portion of the fanbase.
