>>50747744Gen 1 has far and away the best atmosphere and world, and that became diluted as soon as gen 2. Concepts like animals coexisting with Pokémon, Pokémon being defined as simply any creature that doesn't fit into our known taxonomy of organisms, trainers using whips to tame them, underground corporations smuggling and illegally selling them, etc. are all much more interesting than any of the anime bullshit in gen 3 onward. It's also genuinely impressive how much ground they covered in that one gen. It explored Pokémon field research, Pokémon as "merchandise", manmade Pokémon, Pokémon graveyards, Pokémon safaris, etc. The game is filled to the brim with passion I've only come to appreciate as an adult.
Gen 1 doesn't need some half-assed save the world plot because exploring a more fleshed out fantasy world is far more interesting. I was surprised to see Gen 7 understand that narratives like that are more engaging, and turning the conflict with Lusamine into something much more personal. But of course they ruined it with the Ultra games and made it "SAVE THE WORLD" again.
But granted, pretty much all of Pokémon's contemporaries in the 90s had similar vibes to gen 1.
