I genuinely don't understand how these games are any worse than their predecessors. I remember having a really fun time with them when they first came out.

The environments all looked very nice, the 3d models looked good for a first attempt for gamefreak. I thought the pokemon designs were a step up from Unova as well. The towns and cities were fun to explore, especially Lumiose.

I had a blast with the multiplayer and I felt like it was easier than ever to battle online or with friends. I made my lifelong best friend by playing X and Y battles over at a mutual friend's house in highschool.

Everytime I hear criticism about these games it's always just "they were shit" with no further explanation. What gives?