It is not inherently bad, it just needs to be constructed within the means of what are supposed to be the values of its game design. I think Sinnoh and ORAS sans-Zinnia got closest to the happy medium: the former let you mess around to a point, and both of them got characterization across while letting you "actually play the game" most of the time.
>>36605220Gen 1 and 2 got to be as brisk and faux-open as they were because their plots were so happenstance. The more specific your story is, the more structure it needs. The JRPG sub-genre as a whole has rightly earned the interactive anime/movie label for a reason, and games with more creative game mechanic outlets like creature collectors have something else to offer.
