I know why you're saying that

facepalm

I still say it was also the inclusion of the party not dying mode.

Pokemon has done even less with each new installment than COD. 

There are improvements made or taken away just like in COD, but there has been even less of an evolution of the core gameplay.  2v2 or 3v3 Pokemon matches is the most the series has evolved gameplay-wise.  Mechanic-wise it has improved over the years (grinding mostly), then it hit it's apex somewhere and now Pokemon decides to keep or take away some things for every installment.  The best it does now is add as many sidequest, attributes or side things to do as possible...but that's what Pokemon has been doing since it started.  It's still quantifying what it already has.  Pokemon Mega Evolution I guess qualifies as an evolution of the gameplay, sort of.  It's still more of an addition to what already exists, just with unexpected turn-of-the-tide warfare added in.

They also still have only 1 save file ffs.

Call of Duty is the worst example of Western games. Period

if you bring other comparison like Halo, Bio Shock, Fallout , Elder Scroll, i am OK with the comparison.

It definitely was more beginner-friendly, which I think was a big help. Some of the past titles were punished in reviews over being too difficult. Though I personally think it was a combination of marketing and being released while the 3DS's sales were beginning to climb that helped it out. The sim aspect might have helped out a bit, though I don't think it was as significant as the gameplay/marketing changes. Some of the past titles had superior story and character development, so those aspects probably didn't help too much on their own, though certainly complemented the other changes.

OT: Japanese tastes do seem to be a bit different...and they definitely have their own annual franchises like the ones that get ripped apart over here, just with different genres receiving a bigger following. As someone who likes RPGs and has little interest in most FPS or sports games, my tastes generally align more with these franchises, but I suppose if someone enjoys Call of Duty, they'd prefer the more western annual games.

I agree though, they both fall on the same annual release temptation...though honestly, if they're still able to produce quality titles, I don't see why I should complain.