>>49528385I strongly disagree with this.
BW1 feels like it's trying to be a proper JRPG, but for Poketoddlers. It's got the better plot premise for sure, but the entire ethical quandary that Team Plasma raises is never used to effective means because the grunts and leadership spend the entire game being comically evil. They literally start things off by kicking the shit out of a Musharna, which is easily the most visceral and brutal thing villains do to a Pokemon in the series IMO, so it's hard to ever believe the "Am I the bad guy?" angle even when N is at his most sympathetic. The whole thing is made even worse by Ghetsis' "I was evil the entire time" schtick.
Presentation wise I found it pretty flat as well, the best parts being Castelia and the fact that the plot finale and league coincided.
BW2's premise is a bit more cliche than BW1's, but I found its execution infinitely more satisfying and high quality. Ghetsis turns out to be at his best when he's stark raving mad instead of wearing the disguise of being a good man. Colress is a compelling antagonist. And while Hugh's revenge plot is whatever he marks a final return to form for the series of a serious, competent rival. The way time has passed and has affected the world feels realized and thought out, as well as things like team galactic breaking into 2 groups. I also just feel like the story focused way more on the players of the story in the player, colress, hugh, and ghetsis
Then the finale, while it doesn't end up having the trope breaking curveball that BW1's league interruption had, I still think ends up being one of the best, in my opinion probably the best and most fantastical conclusion to any of the stories in the series.
and let them loose on each other and a single battle tower that turns into a treadmill of rewards for building competitive Pokemon and call it a day?"
