A significant part of Pokémon’s success can be attributed to the social aspects and one’s personal expression therein. The mere makeup of your team is an expression of your own choices. Red & Blue let you choose your character’s and your Pokémon’s names and even your rival’s. Crystal let you choose whether you’re a boy or a girl. Later games added natures for your Pokémon, character customization and so on. At the center were always you and your Pokémon and your choices. But newer games have strayed further and further away from that. It started earlier but it became most noticeable in Black & White with its strong emphasis on story and presentation. The production values have increased, obviously, but in turn the games become more and more like guided experiences. And I think "experience" is the key word here. The "play" aspect has moved more and more towards the multiplayer portion of the game whereas the singleplayer is an "engrossing experience". The player is strung along through story and characters rather than a personal adventure. Take for example the rival. Blue was just some jerk that you could name "Buttjuice" and who kept popping up now and then. Most of the rivalry was in the player's head. Now there's all these characters that are somehow linked to your character who isn't really your character but just some dude or dudette that you accompany and get to dress up.