All generations are EXACTLY the same:
A ledgendary trio
Professor (insert tree here)
Starters that are Grass/Fire/Water
Team (Insert something dumb and/or obvious to evil plans here)
Gym leaders
STUPID ELITE 4
A Battle Tower
Aboslutely lame pokemon based on inanimite objects (like a fridge, an apple, a cardboard box, nails) Did that even happen before this Generation?
a pre-evolution or evolution of an existing pokemon
a pokemon with multiple forms (spelled formes) I don't recall them doing that with the Origional 151
Pokemon based on already existing Pokemon
Dual typed Flying Pokemon (when WILL they have a PURE flying type?) Meh.
A Normal/flying typed bird caught early in the game
An annoying rodent that pops up everywhere (something like THAT ACURSED BIDOOF!!!!!!!!)
A Pikachu clone (like Pachirisu or Plusle/Minun) Johto was a bit different... PICHU DA BABEH OF PIKACHUU!!! and then there was "Pikabluu"/Marill which was insanely popular as well, despite the fact that it was a water-type.
Ledgendary Pokemon as version mascots (duh!) Not the case with the original R/B/G/Y, with Charizard, Blastiose, Venusaur and Pikachuu as the mascots.
Games called something like Pokemon (insert some dumb mineral or metal that has absolutely nothing to do with the plot here) Version "Red", "Blue", "Green", and "Yellow" aren't Minerals or Metals. They're colors. And "FireRed" and "Leafgreen" are wat I call the "Element-Color" Titles.
ANOTHER FREAKING EEVEELUTION!!!!!!! Not Hoenn
A worthless fish (like Magikrap) that evolves into a powerhouse I don't recall any new "worthless fish" in this generation.
Overused Pokemon (Abra line, Magikrap line, Machop line, Pikachu line (duh), Goldeen line (goldeen sucks, SEAKING PWNS), Clefary or Jigglypuff line) Pikachuu is the freaking MASCOT. You can't have a Pokemon game without him. And the others... well I guess just to add a sense of "familiarity" to the games.
My points in bold.
Personally, I don't see the problem. I kinda like a bit of predictability... just as long as there's SOMETHING unpredictable. (I wasn't expecting anything like the Torn World!)
I mean, look at the Sonic games. Most games have a plot among the lines of "Eggman came up with yet another plot to take over the world and Sonic and his friends must collect the 7 Choas Emeralds and stop him!"
Yet the game sold millions anyway.
Although, after Sonic Adventure 2, they got slightly less predictable... (What? Eggman didn't send that letter? Who was it then!? *Metal Sonic: *in super form* Mwhahahaha I have haxxed j00 POWArZ! I iz L33T!!!1111!!111!1!!!!!")
Honestly, I didn't expect them to come out with that Shadow game... and yet they did. o.0
Nowadays, Sonic is getting sucked into books, stopping inter-dimensional disasters, and getting turned into a werehog o.0
I guess nowadays the plot is something among the lines of: "Some random baddie wants the Chaos Emeralds to take over earth, so Sonic and (some random new character) team up and destroy them!!!" (I DESPISE the "chosen one"/"sucked into one or another form of media the person is currently watching/playing/reading" plots used in the Storybook sub-plot. SERIOUSLY.)
Predictable, yet not at the same time.
Zelda games, as far as I know however, haven't changed abit. Yet, they never cease to sell millions. =p
Whatever. Point is, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.