Franchise As a Gen wunner, let me say this series has actually gotten better over the years.
Yeah you heard me, I think the OG Red and Blue were outdone by the later generations. Let's be honest, as much charm as Red and Blue have, they were broken messes and horribly glitchy. Speaking as someone who played the originals, i can truly appreciate how each game got better, i like that they added more stuff like Shinies, genders, natures, improved plot and characters and yes, even Megas ETC. And i can truly appreciate how each Gen have their own identity, Unova and Alola have the plot and wonderful characters, Sinnoh and Hoenn have the challenge, berry farming, and atmosphere, ETC. And despite all the complaints from fellow Gen wunners who hate the fact we have over 700 mons, and hate the new ones, i embrace the new pokemon, yeah as a kid, i was super into Charizard and Mewtwo, but the new Pokemon like Hydreigon, Mimikyu, and Popplio have taken their place. Give the new Pokemon a chance, you might be surprised at the charm you can find. The new games have helped simplify I Vs E Vs, and Natures, for example, X and Y have super training for easy E Vs and Sun and Moon have Hyper training for easy perfect I Vs, (side note The Poke Pelago is one of the most charming new additions to the series) and now the games tell you what nature does what in the stats. For all the complaints about tutorials, at least Nintendo is making it easier for people to have their ideal team. The series's future has never looked brighter, Sword and Shield despite the Galar Region Pokedex mishap, looks like it will allow the world of Pokemon to feel more alive, with Pokemon on the overworld,(granted it started in Let's go, but SWSH's version looks better) and GIANT POKEMON, what's not to love?
So what if we eventually go over 900 or 1000? The pokemon you love will still be there, and you might find a new Pokemon to give love to. Sure the 151 may hold a special place, but they shouldn't hold all the attention.
Franchise Yeah, they've still got it
Ah, Pokemon. I can still remember cracking open Pearl version, ready to discover just what the world can throw at me. I've always loved exploration and animals, so Pokemon was, to me, just about everything I loved condensed into pixels. Walking into every grass patch to see just what crazy mon would jump at me never got old, and figuring out the best way to defeat certain opponents with certain Pokemon always made me feel triumphant no matter how many times I did it, or how much of a Curb-Stomp Battle it was. It's gotten to the point where I've never gotten a single Pokemon up to level 100, since I'm always raising so many different mons at once. The game was the true spirit of exploration, pure and simple. And it still is. If it ain't broke don't fix is the concept at Pokemon's core, and nearly every bad feature will get fixed. Dragon types dominating the metagame, while poison types fade into obscurity? Well, here's a new type to get poison types new use, and stop people from winning by doing nothing but spamming outrage. Some of the Pokemon are cool looking, but underpowered and rather useless? Well, here's a new method of evolution to give them the stats they've always deserved! And I don't actually mind the frankly vast amount of new mons. It just means that there's always something new to discover, always new secrets ready to be unleashed. And the 3D games are amazing. Their sprites are so vibrant and expressive, it gives both the people and the Pokemon a life they've never had before, and the gorgeous environments just make me even more eager to see the region. The characterization has gotten a lot better, which I whole heartedly support. Before, the lack of actual personality made the plots feel impersonal, like I was surrounded by cardboard cut outs that I'm expected to care about. Now, I actually care about the plots for what they are, and I'm no longer treating everything as nothing but a new way to get new Pokemon to add to my arsenal. Defeating the Big Bad feels like an achievement, not just another roadblock to my mon catching quest.
Some people will say that the new gens are garbage, and that's just how they feel. But to me, it's a big adventure with no end. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go level up my Malamar.
Franchise An eternal childhood
My first handheld Pokémon game, Pokémon Emerald, was given to me on my actual tenth birthday. I've never put the series down since. Pokemon is such a vast world to get lost in, it amazes me not one review of the whole series was written 'til now in 2013. There are countless wonderful moments to enjoy and treasure and so many cute little critters to love, I don't even know how to fully express it in words. May Pokémon live long and prosper for eternity.
Franchise They've milked this cash cow dry
I'm grateful to the franchise, its kept Nintendo afloat during dark times, ensuring we get new Metroid, Mario and Zelda games, can't thank it enough for that, but its gotten to the stage where I can't see Pokemon surviving another three generations.
Pokemon today is an exhausting experience, it takes more out of me, the player, than it gives back.
Now I LOVE Generation 1. Yes its aged horribly, but for all its flaws, quirky and questionable design choices, and godawful cumbersome user interface, it still retains a certain undeniable 'charm' a 'spark' that is unmatched. My greatest source of anguish is that we never got a full-on proper 3D RPG Pokemon game on N64, and never will. The closest was 'Snap', 'Stadium' and 'Hey You Pikachu', which are draining, gimmicky and quickly become tiresome. I'm tempted to condemn Nintendo and Game Freak alike outright as lazy developers for not capitalizing upon this potential.
Pokemon is in danger of suffocating itself by expanding and expanding to the point where it becomes monotonous. Its already unnecessarily complicated and time-consuming. Haters are gonna hate for me saying this but - the true rot set in with Generation 2. It introduced crazily-rare Shiny Pokemon, genders, additional stats, breeding, eggs, evolution prerequisites, holding items and "legendary hunting". And it just kept going downhill from there.
As of X and Y, there are now 649 Pokemon. Are you kidding me? That's insane. The individual values, natures, etc are almost impossible to keep up with.
Pokemon is now in desperate need of a radical overhaul. It needs to be rebooted with the original 151 Pokemon, Game Freak ought to focus on its strengths, return to its RPG roots in making the world feel truly alive. The badly-written filler anime should not look interesting by comparison.