8th Gen Summary

Perhaps Legends: Arceus should be counted as part of Gen 8. I mean, it's not really Gen 9 yet, is it? But I don't feel like waiting around to see how things develop, the timing is right to wrap this up here. We'll cover the Hisuan Forms later.

Anyway, the 8th Gen averaged out to 5.7 / 10. Like as in Alola, we factor in the Galarian forms, but not Gigantamax. The Gigantamaxes come out to 5.5 / 10, so they actively bring the generation down.

That means this is the best-ranking Generation since Hoenn, which sounds wild but... actually, kinda tracks. The first Pokemon they showed off were underwhelming, just boring mainly. But upon release, all the hidden gems came out and I ended up with a dozen or so that I absolutely loved! And that was the overall impression of the game, too. I went in not expecting much, but surprisingly enjoyed it.

A lot of the criticisms I have still stand, and I remain cynical about the future of the franchise (although Arceus: Legends might be a step in the right direction?), but it makes me glad to know that the designers can still turn out some killer Pokemon. 

other regional scores, for reference:
Gen 1 - 6.2

Gen 2 - 5.8

Gen 3 - 6.1

Gen 4 - 4.8

Gen 5 - 5.4

Gen 6 - 5.6

Gen 7 - 5.4

Gen 8 - 5.7