>>49222534I like GenVI even if I think it's a step down from GenV. It's got my favorite new pokemon for the region (except the starters), megas are cool, Kalos is generally colorful looks good, and while I think the jump to 3D was a mistake it was also inevitable. At the same time it has no postgame to speak of (which is the thing that makes or breaks a pokemon game's standing in the series), started the kantoooo shit (which isn't a problem by itself but the timing with XY selling the best at the time when they went full kanto nostalgia pandering right after GenV absolutely broke masuda which is where the core of decline started IMO) and introduced the modern EXP Share (which would be fine if it just divided XP). I can like GenVI and still admit that it introduced some of the worst problems with the modern games even if they weren't that bad yet.
Even ORAS was almost there until the entire postgame getting cut because the game was rushed and Masuda gave that interview about competing with phone games. Literally tripped right at the finish line. I'd argue pic related is the exact cutoff point where pokemon would never be the same again for the worse. Ironically GF listened to their fans around the GenVI era too much. The problem is "the fans" aren't one group of obnoxious people online screaming one consistent opinion but rather multiple tribes and types of obnoxious fans screaming multiple conflicting opinions and desires at GF and each other. There was no right answer or direction to go in, so eventually GF came to the conclusion of "Fuck it, they all buy it anyway".
