I think if XY released in 2019 everyone would have hated it, arguably more than SS. Like, aside from having the most Pokemon in a single regional dex with no DLC, the dexcut would hurt a lot harder with so few new Pokemon to really justify it. SS has a slightly better balance of new Pokemon and gimmick forms compared to XY. I also think SS would be hated more if it released in 2013 as well, although people might have appreciated the Wild Area more in the moment (but unlike XY's excellent online it would have been looked back on much less fondly). Honestly, I think the games released at the best possible times more or less. XY had a great honeymoon period instead of constant criticism from the moment it released but is justifiably disliked now since everything good about the game is super surface level, and SS gets a huge sales boost for being Switch titles despite being hot fucking garbage overall.
