Quote Originally Posted by Fynn View Post
Yeah, I think it's kind of unfair to dismiss it like that.

Pokemon have incredibly robust mechanics, but at the same time it's really simple on the surface. It's a kids' game that can be fully enjoyed by adults because of that, hence the broad appeal. Which is also why the Pokemon are all cuddly - they're meant to be marketable, not monstrous. And I'd argue that, although I do enjoy the Digimon designs, Pokemon are much more distinct from one another than Digimon. Like come on, I know some Digimon are just pallette swaps. How is that not lazy?
Yeah, they may not change a lot, but in terms of game mechanics and aesthetics, I have to say that I think Pokémon crushes Digimon. Maybe there's a reason Digimon changes the mechanics with every game.

Digimon has the superior plot - fine, if the games do that too, perfect. I loved the anime a lot and think that Tamers is really brilliant. But not all games are about the plot. Pokemon have an excuse plot and that's okay - the games have always been more about exploring that world and learning more about those creatures. The world is one of the most unique in existence, IMO, what with how the presence of Pokemon has influenced the civilizations in that world. Seriously, aside from getting a letter from Hogwarts, being inside an actual Pokemon world was one of my biggest childhood dreams.
I think everyone is overlooking something major here:

WHICH Digimon anime are we looking at?

Yeah, Tamers is great, and everyone agrees. But Frontier was just as universally reviled (despite being the only season whose intro song didn't make your ears bleed).

It's easy to say "oh, the anime was great" when you're cherry-picking the best parts. It didn't stick with a single set of characters, or even a single UNIVERSE, any more than the games stuck with mechanics.

Also, while they are usually light on plot, Pokemon Black/White still did a fantastic job with the story, showing that Pokemon can be a very self-aware franchise, with one of the coolest deconstructions/reconstructions of the genre that I have seen. It remains one of my favorite games of all time for that reason. Yes, I like a Pokemon game for its plot.
I agree that plot was the best part of Black/White, but I frankly don't NEED a great plot when the games do everything else so well. Sometimes, I just want to sit back, relax, and enjoy a fantasy world where I train monsters, defeat comical bad guys, and everything is simple. When I want a plot, I'll look towards the games (and spinoffs) that focus on plot. The rest of the time, the game world does enough for me.