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Guessed by @UnderwaterFunktown
It's funny how, back then, this was seen by many as the beginning of the downfall of the Pokémon franchise, because nowadays the 5th generation it's a part of is highly regarded as the best in the series, and the last good one. Not that I'm gonna argue against that, I've always loved it. Black and White were actually what made me get back into Pokémon for a while, as I was rather disappointed by the 4th generation games (they were the first games in the series I hadn't finished). I went into these with low expectations, but was blown away by how good they were, a massive step up from previous games in every regard - visuals, gameplay, quality of life, even soundtrack, and especially the storyline. By the time I finished it, it easily became my favorite game in the series and that's not something I ever said lightly, given how much I loved Gold & Silver.
I actually played through it on emulation at first, but the game was good enough that it made me want to buy a console to play it (and other Pokémon games), eventually leading me to become the Nintendo fan you probably know me as. This game essentially shaped my gaming choices and tastes for a decade. And while I think the franchise continued good for at least a couple years more before it undisputably went to shit, nothing Pokémon has ever come anywhere near Black & White in terms of storytelling. Here was an interesting narrative that asked all the questions we all asked ourselves about this franchise, and gave us satisfying answers through good character arcs in a well-paced and well-written storyline. I'm not sure where Game Freak got that from, but clearly it was a one-off spark of inspiration, because they never did it again. Ah well. It was good while it lasted.
