Despite being a huge pokemon fan as a kid, I've found it difficult to enjoy the series much as an adult. Every time I tried to play the games, I just couldn't be bothered to see the credits.

HOWEVER, something about gen 5 kept me hooked. It wasn't braindead easy, but it wasn't obnoxious either. Several gyms posed interesting challenges, and the elite four were a fantastic series of fights. The pacing is great, never wasting your time or rushing through anything. A lot of the environments are fun to explore, and can be a challenge to get through while keeping your resources in check.

Presentation is great, with good character designs and a crunchy pixel style that appeals to me a lot. The music is great, with an excellent soundfont. Also I love the new pokemon, darmanitan is the coolest.

This feels like near as good as pokemon can get. Every element here works really well.