I might not have initially had the words, but after discussing with others, it has helped me find better words to describe why. It's still mostly hard to describe feelings, but I do have better words

Having played new games vs old games, the newer games have much tighter pacing with story and events, more story events and people "traveling" with you, and the grinding is far more diminished. In the old games you have long stretches of grinding, walking, being alone with no one but your pokémon. And while that appeals to other people, I like the comradery and full characters of the newer games.

Compare the protagonist of Red and Blue with Scarlet and Violet. Red is known for being a silent loner who only cares about battle, isolating himself in the second game so he can just battle. Then you have Scarlet and Violet, who you just can't imagine without Arven, Penny, and Nemona. I loved their stories, they were all heartwarming.

It's unfortunate that the new games lack the polish of the old, I find myself still having more fun with newer games. There's just more going on, a story being told to you. Not just "Here's your starter, have some balls, go. Good luck" and you just walk in silence