I loved it! I mean some of you that don't like it have a point that it is sorta pointless, but it is nice and cute and I wish it WOULD effect the game more...it was though especially cool how in HG/SS the pokemon knew whether they had an advantage or disadvantage in a gym, and barked/"yelled" at bad people (namely team rocket) and noticed scenery/water and stuff...if anything, perhaps there should be an option to not have the pokemon at times walk with you, that you could like control (other than I suppose the bike, which technically does work that way but still).
And actually, once when I started to play yellow version after apparantly having played HG/SS way too much (assuming, of course, there is such a thing as "too much" pokemon), like a hundred times I told/confused myself that pikachu was the first one in my party since it (of course) was walking behind me, lol!