Before I hop into Emerald, let note that I would give Ruby/Sapphire a solid 9/10.
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Story
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Pokémon games' stories have never been something that critics of sophisticated literature flock to experience, and the same is true for Emerald version. At this point, the entire Pokémon series exists as a sole entity; its canon games can really only be compared to other games in the Pokémon series. And Emerald's story is the best.
Granted, it begins like any other Pokémon game: you are a trainer, you want to be champion, you fight gyms to get badges, you have a rival that races you to the finish, an evil team (or a misguided team, as the cases may be) plots something that threatens the region. However, the similarities end there (what is Platinum version?). There are two teams around this time: Team Aqua and Team Magma. One wants to extend the oceans to make homes for water Pokémon (forgetting the damage to land-based Pokémon) and the other wants to make the land grow to make more room for land Pokémon (ignoring the damage to water-based Pokémon).
Both teams appeared in both Ruby and Sapphire, but in those versions, only one took an extremist view (in Ruby, Team Magma was the villainous team, while in Sapphire it was Team Aqua) as the other stood on the side of good. In Emerald version, both teams are villainous. The player gets to see their conflicting schemes unfold as the player tries to stop both of them while still pining to be the champion of the Hoenn region. It should come as no surprise that their plans end in complete disaster, and the player has to fix the mess they've caused.
Interestingly enough, the leaders of both teams (Archie of Team Aqua and Maxie of Team Magma) see the damage they've caused in the end and come to legitimately regret their decisions. I make note of this because in all other Pokémon games, the leader of the villainous team was either a total jerk (Giovanni, Team Plasma's leader), trying to pick up where a previous leader left off (Team Rocket's leaders in 2nd generation and its remakes), or completely insane (Cyrus).
The story might not be the best in all games ever, but in terms of Pokémon, it is the best.
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Graphics
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Emerald version's graphics can be best described as being polished Ruby/Sapphire graphics. Yet despite being polished, Emerald did not have the best graphics on the GBA (although it arguably has the best of all GBA Pokémon games). Metroid: Zero Mission (a game released the same year as Emerald's Japanese release) is a game that comes to mind when I think of "best graphics of the GBA", not quite Emerald version.
New players who hopped into the series with Black and White versions (or their sequels) might be irked when they see that the in-battle sprites of Pokémon in Emerald version do not have constantly looping fluid animations (a feature introduced in Black and White versions). Old players, however, might be happy to see that the quick introductory animations play when a Pokémon is sent out, a feature that was previously introduced in Crystal version but was oddly absent for the majority of the 3rd generation.
As far as graphical hiccups go, they do not exist in this game (unless you have been screwing around with the AR or GameShark too much).
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Gameplay
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NOTE: Although I have become very active in the competitive community and have grasped the concept of EV-training and IV-breeding since my last review of a Pokémon game, I will exclude any reference to it because most players don't care about that stuff and most readers might get lost if I go into detail.
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General
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Gameplay, in general, is identical to other games of the 3rd generation. The battles work the same, the attack animations are the same, etc etc. Emerald also expands on the PokéNAV (introduced in Ruby and Sapphire) by adding a feature that is reminiscent of the phone from Pokémon GSC (registered trainers can call you for a rematch and you can call them for the same reason). Other than that, there is not much to say about the general gameplay, really.
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Challenge
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Emerald is far from being the most challenging game in the series; that honor belongs to Platinum version. I'd rank Emerald to be as hard as Crystal version. There are tons and tons of battles (as would be expected), and several encounters with tough trainers (such as the aforementioned leaders of the villainous teams). It should be noted that AT LEAST a quarter of all battles in the game are Double Battles, where each side has two Pokémon out on the field battling. This helps to make up for the relative lack of Double Battles in Ruby/Sapphire, where the concept was treated as an experimental gimmick. (The number of Double Battles in FireRed/LeafGreen could be counted on one hand, but that was a remake)
However, Emerald's Elite Four and Champion are the easiest of any Pokémon game, for a very simple reason: they give you access to a LEVEL 70 LEGENDARY before you go and challenge the Elite Four, all of whom plus the Champion possess Pokémon in the approximate range of Lv49-58.
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Atmosphere
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The Hoenn region is by far my favorite region featured in any Pokémon game, and Emerald does it justice. This region includes a vast sea, a volcano, a desert, a forest, and a jungle. A lot of people complain about the monotony of the sea; it doesn't bother me, and I can't be the only one.
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Contests
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Something that was introduced in Ruby/Sapphire as a sort of alternative to becoming a Pokémon Master was the contest. Pokémon contests have you trying to impress the judge and woo the crowd, and the entire concept has a very complex metagame to it in itself (much like how battling has a complex metagame). In Emerald, contests remain the exact same as in Ruby/Sapphire, with one change: they are all now located in one city (from where you can access all contest "ranks") as opposed to all across the region. In the place of the old Contest Halls in Ruby/Sapphire (sans the one in Lilycove City) are "Battle Tents", each of which provide a taste of what is to come... (Hint: it's the next section here)
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Battle Frontier
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This is it, right here. This is the main thing that separates Emerald from Ruby/Sapphire (the second main thing being the story). Oh my god. This place, featuring seven unique battle facilities each with unique gameplay, is the best place/feature in any Pokémon game EVER. The lackluster "Battle Frontier" you can find in Platinum version and the remakes of Gold and Silver holds exactly no candles to this one. Emerald's Battle Frontier just epitomizes the kind of thing that should be in every single Pokémon game.
The facilities are:
- Battle Tower - This is the Battle Tower, identical to any other Battle Tower in any other Pokémon game. You fight through a string of simple battles (can be Single or Double battles).
- Battle Pike - This facility has you go through a series of rooms, receiving hints from old women and relying on pure luck to win.
- Battle Factory - This facility works like any Battle Tower, except for the fact that you can't use your own Pokémon--you have to use "rental" Pokémon.
- Battle Arena - This facility has you fight opponents like usual, but if you fail to defeat your opponent's Pokémon in 3 turns and your own Pokémon survived the 3 turns, your performance is rated based on "Mind" (rated well if you stay on the offensive), "Skill" (rated by how much damage you deal), and "Body" (rated by how many Pokémon or how much HP you have after the 3 turns). Your opponent is also rated, and whoever wins best 2 out of 3 wins the entire battle.
- Battle Dome - This facility works sort of like the simple Battle Tower, the main difference being that the whole thing is run like a tournament and you can get a look at your opponent's Pokémon before battle and rearrange your team as needed.
- Battle Palace - This facility is a rather odd one in that you do not control your Pokémon; your Pokémon makes its own decisions. You have to be a real breeder to have a shot at winning in this facility, because what your Pokémon does is based entirely upon its Nature. Further, what your Pokémon chooses also changes when its health gets low. (For example, a Pokémon with a Naughty Nature will always use defensive moves but will NEVER use supportive moves, and when its health gets red and you start hearing beeping, it will start to prefer offensive moves)
- Battle Pyramid - This facility has you go through a dungeon, filled with darkness, tough trainers, high-leveled wild Pokémon, and a scarcity in healing items (you can't bring any in yourself). This is arguably the toughest facility in the entire frontier, because it poses a huge challenge even for competitive battlers.
Each facility has its own "Frontier Brain", sort of like a Gym leader, that you fight after winning at their facility so many times in a row. They are the toughest trainers in the game, and they even begin to possess legendaries (hello, Brandon).
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Sound
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With the exception of a few songs added to account for Emerald's new features that were not present in Ruby/Sapphire, Emerald reuses all songs fans of the main 3rd Gen versions are well acquainted with. However, it should be noted that these songs are still some of the absolute best in any Pokémon game. The sound effects are identical to the first game.
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Length/Replay Value
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If you know what you are doing, Emerald's main story will keep you occupied for 8-12 hours. If you are new to the series, it might take you 20-30 hours, maybe even longer. However, with the Battle Frontier and all of the other additional features that keep producing water when you wring them, this game is endlessly entertaining--endlessly.
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Fun Factor
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I don't even know why I bothered to include this section for this particular review, all things considered. Emerald is extremely fun. Simple as that.
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Overall
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Emerald is the best game in the entire Pokémon series. It adds so many great things that Ruby/Sapphire (which are already stellar games) lacked and removes none of the charm or already-good features of those two versions. It expands and perfects the story. It introduces a feature (the Battle Frontier) that has yet to be surpassed in sheer quality. And, on its own, it stands head-and-shoulders over all other Pokémon games, [insert your favorite version here] be damned. No other Pokémon game has been so downright perfect in every single regard. If you are a Pokémon fan or even just a JRPG fan, this masterpiece cannot be missed.
Ultimate Ridley out.