You might as well say 2D Marios have been the same for 40 years because he always runs to the right and jumps on things. That doesn't sound like the same game for 26 years to me. There are some Pokemon games I can play over and over, and others I never want to go back to.
My biggest worry with Legends Arceus is the battle system will lack complexity for removing layers like held items and abilities, introduced in gens 2 and 3 respectively, that helped differentiate pokemon from each other and opened up many new strategies. Even Mega evolutions, which were pretty centralizing in multiplayer battles, were hoped by many to be brought back in Sword and Shield DLC or the Diamond and Pearl remakes, because they added a lot to gameplay.
The folks at PC Mag weren't quite as impressed, giving the game 7/10: It's a must-buy Pokemon game destined to land on many "top games of the year" lists and should bring countless new and lapsed fans to the franchise." " Pokemon Legends: Arceus is easily the strongest Pokemon game made in recent memory and should provide unforgettable memories that rival the first time a player first encountered a favorite Pokemon or conquered their first Pokemon Champion fight. It received another perfect score from Comicbook, who called it a "must-buy Pokémon game":
Once Pokemon Legends: Arceus finds its stride, though, it's the most daring and inventive the series has been in years, breaking apart the staid core and creating something new and exciting from its pieces." This is an awkward first step, and it was a big adjustment for me, a longtime fan of the series, to make. "Some of the new ideas in Arceus have rough edges, and it's slow to start before you get access to many environments and mounts. GameSpot went for an 8/10 score, describing it as one of the series' most "daring and inventive" moments: It may not have been apparent from the trailers, but this is one of the most entertaining, engaging and engrossing games in the entire history of the Pokémon series, and is highly recommended to both long-time fans and complete newcomers." "Pokémon Legends is the breath of fresh air the series has needed for so long. We'll kick things off with VGC, who awarded the game a maximum 5/5: Right, now you've read through our final verdict, let's see what other critics had to say.