>>56465539Perhaps. But there's something else too: 2D sprites were more evocative.
I remember reading an article a few years ago about how the original gameboy pokémon game was considered ugly and technically outdated as soon as it came out. But these technical shortcomings were part of the game's success. Children (us) could project themselves into the game, and imagine the pokémons as they wanted: either big, terrifying monsters, or little pocket creatures, or even electronic creatures.
(The anime very quickly imposed a certain vision of things, but at first it wasn't quite so clear.)
2D sprites kept this charm for a long time, and had the double advantage of allowing this projection, this imagination, and of erasing technical limitations :
In a 2D game, I can admit that a plant or a sleeping pokémon is blocking my way. In 3D, it's harder: why can't I climb that thing, or go around it?
I freely admit that part of this is due to nostalgia: pokémon blue left a lasting impression on the kid I was, the first game I played for over 100 hours! But I'm also convinced that the 3D models of the pokémons and the way the world is modeled have taken away much of the game's appeal.
