Graphics: Considering Pokémon Emerald was released over eight years ago, the graphics are very good, especially when compared to Pokémon games of the previous generation. Much like Crystal, Emerald's Pokémon sprites are also animated during battle. My biggest pet peeve of the Gold/Silver/Crystal games were the graphics; they were god-awful. Emerald's graphics are a huge improvement from G/S/C.
Sound: Overall, the sounds are decent. While the music may get somewhat repetitive at times, it's not one of those games I always had to play with the sound off because the music drove me nuts. There's only one game I would give a perfect 10/10 in this category and this is not that game; However, I will give Emerald a solid 8/10 in this category. Not the best by any means, but definitely not the worst, either.
Addictiveness: Without a doubt, 10/10. I've spent thousands of hours of my life playing Pokémon games and Emerald is definitely the one I've spent the most time playing. I've been playing this game since 2005, and I still play it to this day. There are very, very few games that game out before 2006 that I can still play with regularity without losing interest after a few days. Pokémon Emerald is one of them.
Story: Anyone who has played a Pokémon game before knows the formula. You start out as a young boy/girl in a small town, you catch Pokémon and train them, you travel all over the land and battle gym leaders to collect badges before finally going up against the Pokémon League and becoming the Champion. For the most part, it's the same plot in every Pokémon game, although there are minor changes here and there.
Depth: Here is something Pokémon Emerald has that none of the previous games do: a Battle Frontier. The Battle Frontier is a post-game area that consists of seven battling facilities, each with their own gimmick and set of rules. The trainers you face here are tougher than the ones you battle during the main story. The goal is to reach a certain winning streak (depends on which facility you are in) so you can take on the Frontier Brain. The Frontier Brains are basically the bosses; each facility has one, and they are even stronger than the regular Frontier trainers. Once you defeat a Frontier Brain, you will be rewarded with a silver symbol. If you defeat the Frontier Brain again, you will receive a gold symbol for a total of 14 symbols; one silver and one gold from each facility. In my opinion, Pokémon Emerald's Battle Frontier is the best out of all of them.
Difficulty: I gave this a 5, mostly because of the Battle Frontier. If you don't have properly EV trained Pokémon, you'll get thrashed before you even make it to the Frontier Brains. EV training is very time consuming; it requires a lot of patience and focus. Assembling a team of six EV trained Pokémon with the right natures, moves, etc. takes a lot of work, but that's what makes it fun!
Graphics: Considering Pokémon Emerald was released over eight years ago, the graphics are very good, especially when compared to Pokémon games of the previous generation. Much like Crystal, Emerald's Pokémon sprites are also animated during battle. My biggest pet peeve of the Gold/Silver/Crystal games were the graphics; they were god-awful. Emerald's graphics are a huge improvement from G/S/C.
Sound: Overall, the sounds are decent. While the music may get somewhat repetitive at times, it's not one of those games I always had to play with the sound off because the music drove me nuts. There's only one game I would give a perfect 10/10 in this category and this is not that game; However, I will give Emerald a solid 8/10 in this category. Not the best by any means, but definitely not the worst, either.
Addictiveness: Without a doubt, 10/10. I've spent thousands of hours of my life playing Pokémon games and Emerald is definitely the one I've spent the most time playing. I've been playing this game since 2005, and I still play it to this day. There are very, very few games that game out before 2006 that I can still play with regularity without losing interest after a few days. Pokémon Emerald is one of them.
Story: Anyone who has played a Pokémon game before knows the formula. You start out as a young boy/girl in a small town, you catch Pokémon and train them, you travel all over the land and battle gym leaders to collect badges before finally going up against the Pokémon League and becoming the Champion. For the most part, it's the same plot in every Pokémon game, although there are minor changes here and there.
Depth: Here is something Pokémon Emerald has that none of the previous games do: a Battle Frontier. The Battle Frontier is a post-game area that consists of seven battling facilities, each with their own gimmick and set of rules. The trainers you face here are tougher than the ones you battle during the main story. The goal is to reach a certain winning streak (depends on which facility you are in) so you can take on the Frontier Brain. The Frontier Brains are basically the bosses; each facility has one, and they are even stronger than the regular Frontier trainers. Once you defeat a Frontier Brain, you will be rewarded with a silver symbol. If you defeat the Frontier Brain again, you will receive a gold symbol for a total of 14 symbols; one silver and one gold from each facility. In my opinion, Pokémon Emerald's Battle Frontier is the best out of all of them.
Difficulty: I gave this a 5, mostly because of the Battle Frontier. If you don't have properly EV trained Pokémon, you'll get thrashed before you even make it to the Frontier Brains. EV training is very time consuming; it requires a lot of patience and focus. Assembling a team of six EV trained Pokémon with the right natures, moves, etc. takes a lot of work, but that's what makes it fun!