>>49285529The answer to this debate is that both have their pros and cons. The models are far from perfect but the sprites weren't either, especially their more recent incarnations. You have to go all the way back to Gen 2 to find what I'd consider truly great in-battle sprite work in this series. Move and idle animations are lackluster with some notable exceptions, but the exceptions look WAY better than their Gen 5 sprite counterparts, and have the added benefit of being smarter and a way better fit. A lot of the Gen 5 sprites have animations that make no sense. The sprites were designed to be a snapshot of the Pokemon in the middle of its signature action, which is why every sprite of Hitmontop has it on its head. The implication, of course, being that it's mid-spin. The Crystal and Emerald sprites even have it spin for its animation. Then Gen 5 comes around and gives us THIS. What the FUCK is this? Why is it just awkwardly teetering back and forth? Why isn't it spinning? Then in Gen 6 we get a model that isn't on its head at all, and is instead doing a goofy ass dance. It's super easy to say the model is the worst before you realize that the idle animation is an actual capoeira stance. It would have been SO easy to just have it on its head at all times. That little detail adds so much personality, I can't help but be impressed. I think it's safe to say most of the models need work, either on shading, coloring, proportions, or animations, but the gems are so good that to me, they alone justify the switch from sprites to models.
