Heh, I suppose someone had to.
I find it a bit funny that I'm seeing this despite S&M being the most excited I've dared to be about a Pokemon game since DP, which was also the release that ended with me being pretty jaded towards the series and its later releases (and even some of its earlier ones retroactively). Largely because the formula- well, first, as I've said before, isn't what makes Pokemon "Pokemon", there's a lot more to it than that. But even if it was...it's not gone. It's still here, as clear as day, just given a different coat to make it feel like a fresher experience which, if I'm going to be honest, is probably the best and most brilliant way they could please those that want more of the same and those that have left the series or have grown tired of the same old thing.
But the gym battles are still there, the rival's still there, the team's still there, and so on, they've just been given some functional restructuring for the sake of the title. Is it really so wrong to get creative with a long-running concept? I mean, I could understand being upset if they basically built the game from the ground up and it wasn't to your liking, but this is basically the answer to changing from doing too little without doing too much, and honestly I think that's the firm grasp and flourishing of Pokemon's potential that it's needed for generations. That they could find a happy medium is a good thing and I'm glad it's being so well-received, because it shows GF that they can play with ideas without being yelled at for it, and depending on the praise for the game, it will become the expectation and Pokemon, as a franchise, will inevitably really grow into its own.
That's the way I see it anyway. Pokemon isn't dying. It's not being reborn or anything. It's just moving forward, and thank goodness for that.