I liked Voltorb Flip in HGSS and really want GF to bring it back (or something similar) if they can't have gambling. I don't like having nothing.
If we can't have gambling games I thought a neat idea would be making the Game Corner into more of an arcade (including Voltorb Flip and maybe other such logic games). Instead of buying coins you buy tokens, instead of winning coins you get tickets, and instead of playing typical gambling games you play Pokemon version of traditional arcade games (or maybe recycle the E-Reader mini-games). BUT, also allow the player to plat the arcade games for free, they just won't win any tickets.
"Say, that doesn't really change the gambling aspect of it"
No, but I bet you it'll pass the ESRB without much issue because it'll have a Chuck E. Cheese/Dave & Buster's coat of paint instead of a typical casino setting. :P
GF could also release the traditional Game Corner as a E10/Teen rated app/Virtual Console game which connects to the main game (post launch), that way the base game retains its E rating but older fans get our Game Corner (and as a final insult to the ESRB, when we're about to jump generation just release a final update that puts the Game Corner in the base game). ;)
Charizard should look more like Charmeleon. Or at least keep the color upon evolution.
A Charmeleon colored Charizard would look rad. Also a gold Shiny Charizard like its shiny pre-evolution.
Sun/Moon were nice but without gyms I felt something was missing. Mainly a few levels on my team
Not sure what you meant by levels, but I'll agree I don't feel the Island Challenge was a good replacement for the Gyms, or at least how they did it. The puzzles they came up with was fine and Totem Battles interesting, but without an equivalent to Gym trainers and Gym Leaders it felt less I defeated a boss and more I got past an obstacle. If anything the Trials more felt like the Gym puzzles for the Kahuna battle, meaning we sort of had 4 Gyms. Personally, I would have the player first needing to beat the Trial Captain in a battle to prove they're ready to take on the Trial (sort of like what Ilima did, though since he's the only one to do so it's forgettable). No real solution for lack of Gym trainers, the route trainers would just have had to fill that gap.
Gen 4 was the last gen to introduce any really noteworthy mechanics, or at least any that couldn't have been introduced in an earlier gen. (Though I may be mistaken about Mega evos or Z moves)
Gen V is the only generation without a major mechanic introduction, rather focusing on the story and improving/expanding upon existing mechanics (Triple & Rotation battles, Hidden Abilities, double battle focused moves, etc.). Now one reason for this was maybe because Gen V was the "last hurrah" for the "sprite-based" games, they wanted to go out on a big story and have that be central focused so took this time to also round out some mechanic ideas.
Gen VI brought us the Fairy-type & Mega Evolutions while Gen VII brought us Z-Moves & Variant Forms (& new Pokemon in third/sequel/second pair versions). Oh, and the jump to 3D. Though I can understand not seeing these as major mechanic changes for the majority of players as they don't really force you to change how to play. Gen II fixed mistakes made in Gen I (and also let you revisit Kanto and still let you catch most of the Gen I Pokemon and trade with the Gen I games) so you more more playing a proper sequel disguised as a new generation. Gen III introduced Abilities completely changing how certain Pokemon played as well as Double Battles here and there bringing more strategy in term of team mate and moves used. Gen IV split the move categories so the move itself decided its category and not the type, another thing completely changing how certain Pokemon (or entire Types) played while also introducing new moves to fill in gaps opened by this.
Maybe one of the mistakes of Gen VI and VII was not pushing their new gimmicks enough. Only a few trainers Mega Evolved or used Z-Moves. Understandable for Mega Evolutions as only a few Pokemon could, though maybe planned for that and had most "boss" trainers use a Mega: Rivals, Gym Leaders, Villain Team Admins & Boss, Elite Four, & Champion. Have higher ranked trainers in the Battle Chateau use Mega. Did any trainer in the Battle Maison use Mega, I don't recall? But there's honestly no excuse why every trainer in Gen VII didn't use Z-Moves cause any Pokemon could use them. It would really hammer the point to the player they'd need to master Z-Moves otherwise they'd be wiped out but all the other trainers who did.
Ice-types need a major buff. Maybe make them resist Flying and Dragon
What Ice-types need is GF to stop treating them like mighty glaciers and more fragile speedsters. Ice-types should be like Fire-types, fast with high offense stats. Ice also need a change to their signature status effect, making it more fair and thus allowed to be more common. A few changes to Ice match-ups wouldn't be bad either, not your suggestion for Flying or Dragon (because honestly what would that change?) but...
Water-types are OP and need nerfing.
How about Ice being Super Effective (or at least normally effective) against Water? Cause, you know, Water freezes. Or maybe make it so that Water-types are more likely to get Frozen (and maybe Paralyzed by an Electric-type move).
Though the problem with Water-types is there's SO MANY of them. Type wise it makes sense, planet being 70% water and all, and thus Water-types had the most diversity in terms of Pokemon with different stat layouts resulting in some powerful Water-types.
We need more Special Defense specialists. Literally the only two Pokémon with a SpD 200 or above are Regice and friggin Shuckle, and even then the highest after that is Deo-D and Kyogre-P's 160. And even then many of the Pokémon with high SpD are either general defensive specialists, or general special... specialists, or just have generally high stats. (I might make a separate post with more details for those interested)
Eh, personally I'm perfectly fine with Pokemon with high Special Defense also having high Defense/Special Attack/Attack, though the same is true for Pokemon with high Defense. By all means, that Pokemon can have a SpD over 200, but would like it also having something else (and also HP to make use of that high defense).
Chansey being supposedly more viable than Blissey disgusts me on a fundamental level
Because of Eviolite, Blissey needs a Mega (with a unique Ability, like it uses its Special Defense stat for all damage calculations) in order to even compete with Chansey.