Gen 5 being criticized upon release is not an example of contradiction from the community that scrutinized it then yet cheer it on now. Back then, many were disappointed that Black and White 1 omitted legacy Pokemon from the main storyline, focused arguably too strictly on the story where dialogue bogged you down more-so than it had done before, had some outlandish design choices in Pokemon (Vanillite, Trubbish, etc.), but this pales in comparison to what was to come. Before Gen 5, everyone had gens 4 and 3 in recent memory, and applied the standards they had gotten from games like HGSS, Platinum, and Emerald on Black and White 1 - meaning that they had been downgraded from a position of Pokemon luxury and euphoria, which was merely restored as Black and White 2 cured many ills. But with the rollout of generation 6 onward, this high-point of B2W2 was vindicated, as the games went straight downhill from then on. Now, Gen 5 and beforehand are considered a golden age, and today a point after a long trend of decay. Even Black and White 1 could be forgiven in comparison - granting Gen 5 a common place on the list of "best generations".