>>41844255this is correct
bw1 was carried by a legitimately good story (by pokemon standards, anyway) and the lingering positive vibes bw2 inherited from that made it popular beyond its real value
compared to heart gold and soul silver which are by far the pinnacles of the franchise thus far (the nonlinearity of johto/kanto with the actual quality of life and functioning mechanics of a modern pokemon game, along with a whole host of other pleasant accoutrements) gen 5 simply doesn't compare
anyone who believes the franchise peaked at some point other than hgss is insane
(platinum is pretty good too but hgss go above and beyond imo)