>>46086421Gen III created the trends that have caused Pokemon to be in a downward spiral ever since.
>bright kiddy colors>gimmicky towns (Lava town!, Treehouse town!)>a billion overdesigned legendariesand worst of all, the truly unforgiveable sin
>an "epic" linear story that forces you to listen to a billion lines of dialogue intended for 6 year oldsIn GSC once you're out of the first couple towns you barely have an overarching story and thus you're not forced into dialogue constantly. You run into Team Rocket occasionally, but they're not trying to blow up the planet. You can pretty much go at your own pace acquiring Gym Leader badges, which is the whole point of pokemon.
Gen III was the inflection point for turning Pokemon's audience from 10 year olds to 6 years olds, and we're still dealing with the consequences.
That being said, Gen III introduced Abilities which expanded the gameplay and had some great starters.