>>37992719Speaking from a purely technical perspective, yes, Gen 1 are the worst Pokemon games. Every later Gen included QoL features, more Pokemon, more in-depth mechanics, etc. What you'd prefer to play is up to you however and I honestly couldn't blame someone for preferring Gen 1 over XY or SM or whatever.
However, in 1996, Pokemon was a pretty great RPG for the Game Boy, with a ton of content and stuff to do, simple story yes, but very playable, understandable for children and those new to RPGs, and it was fresh at the time as well. It simply had more freedom and customizability to your party than any RPG that came before it to my knowledge. It was cute, charming, easy to pick up and play, pretty engaging, and had a lot to do. This and it was for the Game Boy. It was probably an 8/10 or more at original release.
