We were talking about the way to compare 2d and 3d games. I'm a painter and the most important criteria for me is a good picture. I had never seen a good 3D picture even in AAA games - only mess of blur and triangles...
I don't care about popularity. Many really bad games are popular.
Also I know that a lot of mechanics can't be bringed to life with 2D. But I feel myself uncomfortable playing 3D games, evetything is so square and...lifeless, like the whole world was created from plastic.