Now I just need to remember the name of the Pokémon game that is a turn based strategy but isn't a roguelike to see if it is any good...
You're probably thinking Pokemon Conquest, which is almost literally Samurai Warriors + Pokemon. It's OK, but not amazing.
My opinion on remakes is actually pretty simple: if it's the old game I want, why don't I just play the old game? A remake, to be something worth considering in its own right, should approach the original game, remain true to its "spirit" (as ambiguous and awkward as such a term is), but not remain in slavish devotion to rebuilding it identically in block-by-block the same manner. The new side features like the Sevii Islands and improved Safari Zone were actually things I enjoyed. To me, they didn't significantly break up the old story. Even if a new area is added, they're still remakes; saying otherwise feels a bit like verging on a "no true Scotsman" approach to definitions. Now, they may be bad remakes, certainly, but they're still remakes.
That said, what did they do to Tabitha? Why is Shelley's neck so awkward? Why is Steven using a Mega Charizard X instead of a Mega Aggron or Mega Metagross? And finally, what is with that headband? ;_;
EDIT:
So mostly for an unintended exploit, which I won't give credit to.
Also wow, two banned megavolutions.
For the most part TO ME at least, the better Megavolutions are the ones where it isn't about Raw Stats.
You're not wrong, I think. In fact, the reason those two (Blaziken and Kangaskhan) are banned by Smogon isn't because of their stats, but because of what their abilities do to gameplay. Same with the other two banned Mega evolutions: Mega Gengar is now a trapper/killer par excellence thanks to Shadow Tag, while Mega Lucario's Adaptability gives it hitting power all out of proportion to its stats. That's even true for the Megas that remain usable, some of which actually gain quite a bit of versatility due to switching roles in combat. Mega Venusaur went from sunny sweeper to bulky tank; Mega Charizard's forms got much, much better at sweeping due to Drought and Tough Claws; Mega Pincer's Aerilate and Mega Gardevoir's Pixilate greatly boost their offensive prowess; Mega Mewtwo Y got some interesting strategies opened up to it (boost up, Rest off the damage taken, then Mega Evolve to immediately awaken); Mega Aggron's benefited not only from its ability, but also its type change to pure-Steel to become a powerful physical wall instead of a sub-par sweeper; and Mega Mawile is only good at all because of its ability. I'd completely agree with the assertion that Megas that rely on stat bonuses tend to be the weaker ones, except Mega Mewtwo X, and that's because its stat bonuses actually change its role from special sweeper to a mixed sweeper - Y is just a regular Mewtwo on steroids, but X is actually interesting.