>>529339421. I was excited because it was the first new game announcement I actually got to see online instead of hearing about it via word of mouth. I remember being confused but intrigued when the names of the starters popped up in multiple different languages, and thought it would carry over into every next starter reveal as standard.
2. I chose Fennekin because I had really bad taste as a kid and was two steps away from being groomed by furries. Didn't know how it'd turn out and got upset when it turned into a witch but mine was male. Today it's hard to choose since I don't love any of the lines, but I'd probably go for Froakie instead (if not box the starter altogether). Frogadier's neat, I like the frubbles.
3. Tragedies, honestly.
There's obviously an attempt at doing "deeper" themes with the story, though it's all so obviously rushed and atrociously paced. Probably the only versions that were completely and actively screwed by being shoved aside so so quickly- they almost feel like a proto-SwSh, with how quickly they were shat out and forgotten about by the company itself. Maybe BW's reception burned Masuda that hard.
Kalos itself feels like a mess of a region with several memorable locations but 0 cohesive fabric stitching them all together.
The new Pokedex is fine- definitely one of the better ones, but kind of blends together in my brain somehow.
Wifi shit was THE best part by far, sole reason I maxed out my playtime on Y and AS respectively. Trying to complete the entire national dex purely via wonder trading was a blast, and I nearly managed it too.
Honestly, I think it's the only 3D era that actually introduced new things without taking such massive steps backwards that they invalidated everything good they tried to add. Pokemon Amie, Super Training, the PSS system, character customization- all worthwhile additions that stuck around and were good concepts from the get-go, as opposed to the shitty one-and-dones we've been getting since ORAS onwards.
