The third generation of Pokemon set up high hopes, after Pokemon Crystal. It was astonishing at all of the negative responses it got. It it the worst generation? Let's find out.
Game-play: If you don't know Pokemon, then why are you here, let alone, why do you exist? Anyways, it is the same style of fighting: Turn based Rock Paper Scissors style. However, they add a new feature: Double battles! ...yay. okay, we have Triple Battle now, but there were only like 3 in B/W. This game has plenty doubles. Certain moves affect one Pokemon, certain moves affect both enemies, and certain moves affect EVERYONE
Also, it has been upgraded from 251 Pokemon to 386.
The bosses (Gym Leaders and Elite
4 5) are surprisingly difficult in some cases. Of course, some are pathetically easy like Roxanne and Flannery, but some actually require xp grinding. I had trouble with the twin psychic double battle. "Well there was a ghost mountain right before," some say. Well, by the time I'm at the 7th Gym, I have my team finished. The May/Brendan battles are downright atrocious, in good and bad ways. The second rival battle under the Mauville bridge was annoying hard. Her Pokemon were over leveled to an amazing extent. You also have this kid name wally and his Gardevoir, but he's easy cheese.
Anyways, beside the battles, in the hub world, you have your tall grass, caves, an sea. The latter two annoy everyone because certain two Pokemon appear OVER AND OVER. *cough* Zubat and Tentacool *cough* Unfortunately, the Hoenn region is 50 PERCENT WATER. Yep, you spend the last half of the game on islands. That means surfing. Through water. Which is all pokemon territory. Which means many encounters. Yeah, it sucks. However, you get an HM called Dive. Which lets you dive underwater and somehow breathe in certain places. That's interesting but only serves as 2 plot points.
There is no Day-Night system, but you can get Espeon and Umbreon depending on your play-time hours. Also, you are restricted to Hoenn and the Battle Frontier/Battle Tower. Those are extra battle places that you can do random battle games. I never spent that much time there, because I found it to be quite boring.
Story:Pokemon never had a good story until B/W. It was usually this:
Kid wants to be Pokemon Champion
Kid tackles gyms and rival
Kid meets evil gang.
Kid tackles evil gang.
Rinse, wash, repeat 3 above.
Kid defeats evil gang.
Kid catches Legendary Pokemon.
Kid goes to Elite Four.
Kid beats Champion.
End Game.
*sidestory*
Well, this game is not that different, except there are 2 teams,
Crips and Bluds Team Aqua and Team Magma. Depending on the version you're playing on, one team is good another is bad, or vice-versa. However, in Emerald, they both are evil. The evil teams resurrect Kyogre/Groudon and it takes the other to stop them. In Emerald, both come back and Rayquaza stops them both. Also, there's something about Gym Leaders and a guy named Steven, but that doesn't matter
Graphics:
Because graphic make a game, right? Game play means NOTHING!
/endsarcasm
Anyways, the graphics are a bit grainy, being an early release, with FRLG fixing that up. Emerald dishes out some nice figures like the giant Serviper building in the Battle Frontier. They are Gameboy Advance standards, nothing too special.
Overall:
Being the first Pokemon game I ever beat, this Generation was really fun. All of the harsh reactions just compared it to GSC. Honestly, they are right. Crystal was superior to Emerald, but is generation 3 still fun? Hell yeah. It's nothing too special, and it brings double battles to the games. Even though nothing too major was accomplished, it was very, very fun.
Box's Rating: 8/10