@shortbreadtom: Man, that last paragraph is depressing. In no small part because I find it at least a little sensible. If you have something like Pokemon, which pretty much begs to be continuously discovered by the next generation of young gamers, it makes sense to mask the lack of innovation (I fucking LOVE Pomemon, but we all know it) at least until the players are hooked. Take me for example, I've been debating the glaring similarities in Pokemon with my best friend for nearly a decade now, yet I still buy every main entry like it's ice water in the Sahara.
That said, I feel like some modified form of the "don't fix what ain't broken" rule applies here, and I can feel some form of it in entries like Black/White and X/Y. The tried and true formula always has juuuuust enough of a spin on it to keep me from getting tired before game's end, but they'd have to do something completely off the wall to "wow" me like they did back in the Gold/Silver days. And that's probably the biggest reason why they haven't done so. Change is risky just on the small scale; never mind the gargantuan shift they would have to employ to bring the old magic back.
But, that's just me. I know plenty of people - said friend included - who say different variants of "it's fine how it is" or "change is there, it's just gradual" all the time. So, perhaps I'm looking at this from the wrong end. I know that I've enjoyed pretty much every Pokemon game since Sapphire the same amount, and that's kind of a miracle; it only took three Assassin's Creed games before I checked out of that. Maybe enjoyment is in itself as good as innovation (don't actually think that, just trying to find my own counter-argument).
Me, I'm just waiting for when Game Freak decides to make a game for their OG fans with appropriate age-matching mature storylines. Like when the Digimon anime creators made Tamers. Yes, I know Gale of Darkness exists. So, like that, but good. Maybe you play as a Rocket member who becomes disgusted at the expoitation of Pokemon and decides to take down the corporation from within. Instead of eight gym leaders, it's the eight lieutenants of Team Rocket. Your rival could be the "Red" of the game, who isn't sure if you're trustworthy or not. Maybe Poke-perma-death? These are all free ideas Game Freak!
I just realized I could go on a lot longer. If nothing else, to manage to sell those games like hotcakes entry after entry, the presentation and marketing of Pokemon deserve awards all on their own.
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