Is Pokemon Emerald Still Peak In 2024? | Retrospective

[@GramKraken]

Well this took a lot longer to make than I thought but hope you all enjoy! Now my only wish for Pokémon Emerald is that it wasn’t $200…

[@Sammyface017]

I know! My child just broke mine playing with a friend think the other kid snapped it but, uhhh I just cant right now.

[@GramKraken]

@@Sammyface017ouch that hurts to hear

[@Pr1zzm]

You're totally right bro, Gen 3 graphics hit different.

[@maj-solidsnake1808]

16 bits graphic always goated

[@faulsname8869]

I absolutely love gen3 graphics. Take me back bros…

[@carlosmunoz7492]

Gen 4 graphics are cooler tho

[@Valverde713]

​@@carlosmunoz7492 agree gen 4 and 5 are peak if you ask me

[@ches2]

They’re the best. I want every gen in the style of it.

[@himbourbanist]

I cannot believe how damn good this game still looks decades later. The 2D style is absolutely timeless. The colors are so saturated and pop so much, it's vibrant and gorgeous. I love the blues and greens in particular, and I love how they use the pixel cross-hatch shading style to show lighting and gradients, it's beautiful. The creature design just looks so good in 2D with the simple and saturated colors. Pokemon should have never gone 3D, they really should have just kept building on this art style

[@AlphaSmoke100]

pokemon emerald is where i honed my gaming skills as a 9 year old and i remember i had rayquaza going up against elite 4 soooooo much nostalgia

[@GramKraken]

Battle Frontier turned me into a wannabe competitive player for awhile

[@kingcradi]

This is definitely the peak of Pokémon. The balanced gameplay, unique environments, huge postgame, and even all the little side features like contests and secret bases. So many memories made from Hoenn.

[@hakimonn]

Not even the Day/Night visuals=Peak Pokemon Kek and Lol

[@raven.4815]

@@hakimonn I'm not into Pokemon but I do dearly remember Hoenn, new Pokemon games just lack that "oomph" when it comes to artstyle; like, they use a template for "anime style JRPG" and doesn't evolve much from that. Meanwhile, the pixel art in the first fifth gens is still top notch even to this day! The games for the DS even had weather effects and shit

[@LuigiTheMetal64]

In gameplay terms, Pokémon Emerald still lives up where it introduced overworld Ability effects that the Pokémon can help you encounter specific wild Pokémon, instead of being too restricted to only do battles.

[@NA-bw6pf]

It also let you dive under water though under utilized, and had match call that while annoying helped flesh out the world and it's characters along with giving you a reason to go to parts of the map you otherwise wouldn't. Lot's of innovations back then that made pokemon good. Now we get lame gimmicks.

[@LuigiTheMetal64]

@@NA-bw6pf Even the mechanics that have been scrapped like the top mentioned.

[@dawntodusk8903]

Dad is a full blown gym leader and couldn’t bother to catch you or teach you how to catch a Pokémon. For having a dad as a gym leader he was useless at offering any help or guidance 😅

[@GramKraken]

Yeah he’s kind of a deadbeat but unfortunately that probably makes him more related for a lot of people…

[@plotrecapped6819]

so happy the first game i ever got my hands on was on Emerald and maybe it's the reason why i got so hooked

[@1893Mauser]

The gen 3 soundtrack and menu sfx were spot on.

[@olive6366]

Its crazy how we are barely impressed by the most insane realistic graphics today but when I saw the animation of of „shockwave“ in emerald my mind exploded

[@Mrperson0]

I might have started with Gen 1 when Pokemon started, but I am still very nostalgic for Gen 3. It helps that it is basically became the new starting point for the franchise since the GBA couldn't link up with the GB, and it really expanded connectivity options such as Japanese and non-Japanese games finally being able to communicate with each other.

[@AdversaryGaming]

Emerald, platinum and black/white 2 are all peak pokemon for me. Those games will always be re-playable

[@higher1441]

I was never into pokemon growing up but still, emerald is one of my favorite games of all time

[@kantokid9378]

Can we all agree that HGSS, Emerald and BW2 is the holy trinity of pokemon.

[@harnawazboparai8751]

What about Platinum?

[@kantokid9378]

@@harnawazboparai8751 I like Plat but the pacing is bad and HGSS has the same battle frontier and better post game content out of the gen4 era games.

[@swagbear9965]

I have to add Crystal as well

[@SmittysSyndicate]

Great video! And really great editing. Pokemon Emerald will forever be my favorite and I will forever love Gen 3 the most. It makes me so happy to see videos like this still talking about the absolute diamond of a game Emerald/Gen 3, I dont care how it is viewed in today’s retrospect. It will always be my favorite, thank you for this❤

[@GramKraken]

Glad you enjoyed! Gen 3 is a huge part of my childhood so i had to make a video on it at some point

[@equinox3861]

Trying to succeed in the Battle Frontier as a player that wasn't a hardcore competitive player was like learning a brand new game. That's why to me (someone who values replayability) the Battle Frontier made Emerald peak. It's also why I think HGSS are massively overrated. Like, yay you get to visit an empty Kanto region...with nothing to do but battle 8 mediocre gym leaders...fun. The Kanto region pokemon/trainers are too weak to be a "post-game region", but also too strong to treated like a second adventure. Just pointless really.

[@dannysha6458]

Gen3 games released at such a weird time in the franchises history. It came out when the first generation of Pokemon fans were getting older and losing interest, all my older siblings and cousins were done with it. I remember Gen 3 dropping and I loved it. Me and a bunch of kids on the bus all played them.

[@needszeebs6942]

I played through Emerald again last summer and actually found Wallace to be quite difficult. I didnt do any training or extra grinding before the league and was around low to mid 40s. Just scraped through with one Pokemon left in red health lol

[@shaneknight3155]

Ive been playing emerald on delta emulator for the past few months so i can revisit all the old events and its just the best ill love emerald forever😂

[@princemannic]

this got reccomended to me next to a video called "was pokemon BEST on the DS" i wonder which of you is more convincing

[@Brianycus]

This happened to you too? Same

[@lucasmichael6823]

Always a pleasure to find really entertaining smaller creators! Loved the edits and your sense of humor, liked and subbed

[@GramKraken]

Thanks glad you enjoyed!

[@kurtisdelonge3372]

This was the final generation I played before I got old. I was 13 and got ruby and sapphire and loved them. By the time Emerald came out I was almost a sophomore in high school and had mostly grown out of it. I revisited when scarlet and violet came out and now I’ve caught up on all the games. I look back on Gen 3 as my favorite

[@fharidvalencia2068]

Also I want to mention the pokemon designs in this generations are the best, all of them feel organic and alive, even if the stats are not the best, Tropius for example is one of my favorites

[@meowmeowmeow-7040]

I love ur channel, about to go purchase a real copy of pokemon emerald from a pawn shop so i can slay the battle frontier and get those sweet, sweet gold badges :3

[@lucasgasparin13]

Just Reshelled and put an IPS screen on my Advance SP to replay Pokémon Emerald. Incredible how a game launched 20 years ago still holds up.

[@strizy]

this video is so good, can't wait to see you blow up from this

[@ruthlessrolf]

Great video on Gen 3! I couldn’t agree more with all of your opinions! Gen 3 is just such a nostalgic Pokemon generation for me, but I swear they’re some of the greatest Pokemon games ever made even without the nostalgia goggles on! The soundtrack, the game visuals/color scheme, the Pokemon designs, the unique towns, it all just culminates into the universally loved experience for millions of Pokemon fans.

[@christianmlsted228]

great video, really hit some nostalgia here

[@Swell-Films]

Fantastic video. Really solid editing

[@GramKraken]

Glad you liked it

[@RobertLydonReviews]

I was born in 91 so yes my first games were red and blue(I actually had both too I was very lucky my parents got me both games a GBC/GBP) and that started me on a journey that is still going. By the time of gen 3 I had the groundwork of the games but I know 3 is when I started to appreciate it more because I actually spent time to read the dialogue. I even did a completed national dex with the help of Colosseum in my copy of emerald. But I will say as much fun as those were I’m a bigger ORAS fan. The fairy type the modern conveniences, the delta episode just made me like it more. Gen 3 is still amazing but I ever return to Hoenn is on the 3Ds. I really enjoyed your video and perspective that you have brought back some good memories.

[@CleverCheetah]

Emerald was my very first game and the best birthday gift I ever got. So mad at myself for losing the original cartridge. Everything you said was so relatable I teared a little bit I miss this game and the feeling of wonder I had when I played this as a kid. Currently on a Black/White 2 playthru cuz I never played it.

[@stephenanderson3776]

If they brought out a game with these graphics and multi regions and way more in depth routes and towns id cry with happiness

[@noah4868]

Gen 5 is peak for me personally, Emerald was my first pokemon always has a special place in my heart.

[@klausklausi7484]

For me the best editions were Gold/Silver, but I still love the Gen 1 Editions as well.

[@thekeepr]

Earned a subbed! I’m excited for your growth!🤙🏻

[@PiggyGuru123]

Brilliant video. Playing Sapphire as I watch this. Lovely!

[@Cidertun]

Earned a sub, this video is really really good!! Was thinking of emulating Emerald again, though I do tend to let the speedup brainrot take over a little too much pre-gen five lol

[@GramKraken]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@SymphonyZach]

Honestly compared to other games you don’t need much to make emerald perfect. Took me a few hours to make a personal rom that made it perfect. Just adding updated mechanics and some more moves

[@majesticglass]

Great game. Been here since gen one, and It's difficult to go back from the physical special split for me

[@deemah9602]

Earned a sub. Loved the video! You’re a dope dude, keep it up 👊🏻

[@GramKraken]

You’re dope too 👊

[@Dupontcore]

why does every video game essay guy have the same voice as KingK

[@gabrieldevoogel6225]

Only thing I didn’t like was how it didn’t have the greatest exp curve for wild Pokémon, which is a mild issue

[@stevenstone307]

peak, TO THIS DAY. TO THIS DAY.

[@chickenandksivideoreviewer9739]

I agree about protecting the earth but working together is a pipe dream. We must use mechs to secure the planet

[@GramKraken]

Solid idea but only if I can paint my mech in rayquaza’s color palette

[@qwerty11111122]

6:47 the fight of expand land vs sea is a political allegory. Japan is a small landmass and there were plans to artificially expand the islands to increase farmland, but that would effect Japan's fishing industry.

[@Mr-Eleven]

Yesss emerald supremacy. Gen 3 is best with 4 as a close second. I love how gen 4 interacts with 3

[@conormitchell309]

To note on the Rom Hack thing - they keep going to Gen 3 because Rom Hackers have access to a bunch of files that are already coded and shared amongst the community, so it's the easiest from starting out, to manipulating your already existing files. Love this gen though!

[@impidimp9331]

Tbh, they should make an 8bit/Pixel version of gen 6 to gen 9. We all know it would sell.

[@MegafanX123]

My biggest problem with emerald is the amount of things that are fundamental to a normal rpg that could be introduced in this generation, but took decades to exist (infinite TM, forgettable HM, movement reminder for free, and *AND MOST IMPORTANTLY THERE IS NO CLASSIFICATION BETWEEN PHYSICAL AND SPECIAL BUT THERE WAS A CLASSIFICATION OF CONTACT OR NOT* ) also the game is much slower than gsc

[@cremapastelera00]

that's why emerald roms with quality of life hacks are the best. you get gen 3 goodness with modern improvements!

[@vulcanraven9701]

Moves being physical or special based on Type was a serious problem in gens 1,2,3. Another issue was how many good attacks were very rare for some Pokémon types, like Bug or Steel. Gen4 fixed a lot of things

[@shewolfcub3]

Gens 2-6 in general are all amazing

[@Jarethttorney]

Emerald is great I just can't deal with how special/ physical moves were prior to gen 4.

[@grydon6422]

It can be quite annoying, but on the flipside it’s also quite a breath of fresh air to go back to that, it restricts you on one hand, it also liberates a lot of things on the other hand. You can use things like ice punch and thinder punch on your special attacker to give amazing coverage, and use shadow ball as a great ghost coverage on your physical attackers. It’s quite fun actually, the only real problem is the low tier move pools in general as gen 4 introduced so many amazing moves.. if only we could get those moves implemented to Emerald, it would be a blast

[@Faversaver]

Just because you mentioned it and I loved the thought myself, I think Repels smell like Off the mosquito spray

[@Catalanskrr]

Honestly, the „too easy“ point is applicable to every single Pokémon main line game ever. It’s like gamefreak just doesn’t want to understand that there are millions of fans who have kinds themselves at this point lol.

[@Chronocrossfangirl2002]

People forget about the record corner and stuff, this game had alot going for it that people often forget about this game undoubtedly had the most content out of any game to date if you really look into it

[@P1glinFury]

What a coincidence. My dad just bought me a real Pokémon Emerald for my old GBA a few months ago. I had also beaten it yesterday. I love RSE and ORAS with my entire heart, but I will admit that Wallace as the champion in Emerald was quite the surprise

[@GramKraken]

Your dad sounds like a good man

[@P1glinFury]

@@GramKraken he can be… I got Ruby and Sapphire ages ago. I’m on FireRed atm. I wanna use Red’s canonical team

[@gangbangingtec]

I just speedrun emerald and ruby back to back yesterday with no wild encounters cheat then I see this video lol

[@mmmfffrrr]

RBY walked so GSC could run but boy oh boy, RSE could fly!

[@yourdagan]

Same age, also a Hoennbaby. Mostly agree with you here. Even despite the main game, the potential of its competitive PVP is still a league above and the arguable peak.

[@basboerlage4766]

this game is great, have fond memories of getting it with my mom in the local game store. Borrowed it out to my cousin alsongside my SP with leafgreen and he sold it... Then I bought it CIB again for 275...

[@lithyy2972]

Im sad that emerald was one of my first games, games never got better.

[@Uitbofw]

Haha I am playing Emerald blaizen rom and I'm enjoying it as I did the official version 10 years ago 🤠 I just captured bagon yesterday and still made me happy af ☝️

[@BigmanDogs]

Gen 3 and 4 nailed having a good story without it being overbearing and a chore for future playthroughs.

[@GoonieLord]

Currently replaying FireRed on my Everdrive. Gen 3 is still the best. Weather your playing Emerald or the other titles

[@Boosted_5.0]

emerald legacy romhack by smithplays is gunna be great

[@Antonio_Dude]

I played abit of emerald after playing firered and leafgreen and idk but it just didnt hit for me it feels abit too outdated for me and thats why I decided to do something abit controversial...Ive chosen to play ORAS after i finish HGSS ,BW and BW2 yeah im sorry(I am not an og fan I just knew about the series and have always wanted to play so I started just recently)

[@Fatalordi]

The grinding of the whole team is a bit tedious

[@matthewfrancis8470]

Gen 3 were my first pokemon games when i was 5 year old and although i really loved gen 4, I played gen 3 wayyyy more. These are legendary games and it probably will never hit the same but damn that music goes hard and makes me nostalgiac. The only respectable opinions about the best games have to be either 3 or 4

[@TheEcoolarg]

Sootopolis so such a mess they didnt even adress anything in ORAS lol , great video you gained a sub gonna cheek the other vids tomorrow

[@GramKraken]

Thanks for watching glad you enjoyed

[@danielpruitt8550]

Watching this while waiting for Emerald Legacy to get released. 😂

[@darkrayaccel]

Battle factory, plus everything else, peak for sure.

[@16O2Y]

I mean shit i just played this for 300+ hours in 13 days ofc it’s the peak game

[@MrGoodeats]

There aren't even 300 hours in 13 days...

[@gabrielggag]

⁠@@MrGoodeatsthere is, but my boy slept only 1 hour a day, and he is still alive

[@mattprice302]

Get ready for Emerald Legacy ❤️

[@loeganderichsweiler]

Kadabra was the GOAT lol seriously miss being a kiddo and playing Emerald

[@adamjones1951]

Used to hate Sunday school, now I understand that eternal life has greater value than digital binary data.

[@CainG12]

Gods not real and if he was youd be praising the guy who actively spends half the Old Testament killing kids. So either way thats wild

[@iregreteverything360]

😂 whatever

[@andi01452]

This made me download an emulator and gba roms again. Haven't played emerald on one since 2019 because I was not careful with my sources ever since 2014 so my laptop decided to ruin itself. I've been cautious downloading things since. I have a ruby cartridge that was once my cousin's but didn't get their SP back in the day, I only got into pokemon games during gen 4 and the ds era while having major nostalgia for the anime through gen 1-3. I used my ds lite for ruby but my console is not very playable anymore so I don't go for the authentic gen 3 experience anymore. Though I love playing emerald on an emulator much more bc of how amazing it is, truly something else from what we have today.

[@juvenalromero6306]

Yes, next question

[@luke1804]

Yes, and it is even further bolstered by the long list of Emerald romhacks out there nowadays. From QOL-hacks to difficulty-hacks, the community has so much good content to go back and play.

[@alexparizek1398]

Banger vid 🧌💯

[@GramKraken]

😎

[@DrGersh01]

Emerald, plat, HGSS, BW2. Only 4 games with any replay value

[@MyGamingIsRandom]

I personally still prefer the remaster Fire Red over Emerald but Emerald is very good.

[@dylanjwicklund92]

They can leave Pacific log town because they most likely have a bird or two our they catch fish and teach them serve because isn't that weird if you accidentally delete your search Pokemon you get a new one it's like they sense that

[@dankairgadam8841]

BEST VIDEOGAME OF ALL TIME.

[@meowmeowmeow-7040]

a dirty litte nepo baby XD LMFAOOOO

[@AndyGarcia-nr8zm]

Emerald was the start of peak Pokemon games.

[@MrRager1989]

If that’s the start then it only lasted 2 Gens 😂

[@Andaroo27]

Did you play gens 1 and 2 when they first came out?

[@lijobeats]

Gen 3 to 5 were peak (including remakes)

[@zoorped]

Red Lobster Monster 😂🤣

[@Sassassin0117]

ill let you know if my opinion changes since im currently playing every 2d game except ones that have been remade (playing those instead if they arent 3d) but to me gen 5 is peak pokemon

[@cremapastelera00]

YESSSS unova enjoyers unite

[@ThatWarhammerBookGuy]

Yes

[@mewmere6069]

pokemon emerald is peak but its tied with platinum and black2 white2

[@codypendency9482]

I’m playing it rn

[@DestructX]

Gen 3 forever peak

[@steves9955]

Emerald is the 🐐

[@CriticalmoistNo]

Im one second in the video as i make this comment is paused, just to say i do not care about what evr the conclusion or content of this video is….. Yes, emerald is still, till this day, peak asf

[@darrenzou2225]

Platinum is peak, but emerald is really good too

[@jermainespeid4934]

To me is platinum and gen 8 and 9

[@NA-bw6pf]

They honestly stopped trying after Black and White.

[@mispinchergamings3470]

Me not to sure. Think real peak ds 1st 3 or so. But mostly x and y. Then 3ds be sun and moon. Do t remember gameboy much but I got all Pokémon and gameboy edition.

[@Chance_25]

Kind of biased and definitely looked at in a vacuum as some of the points made are present in other games, mostly "starting things that come up in later generations". Every game has added something that continues to be brought over. Pixel era is and forever will be peak pokemon, gens 3,4 and 5.

[@siegfriedcortes7726]

To me RSE was my nost favorite pokemon ever. I do think there are some in DS era that did better but still RSE held a special place in my heart.

[@GramKraken]

I absolutely love every game unconditionally honestly from RSE to B2W2 after that is when I got a little more complicated

[@HyperAlexis1s]

hell yeah, pokemon died in 2013, Emerald has peak content, music and pokemon designs