>>53938127I prefer Emerald but I grew up with Sapphire. Fun games. Water routes get too much hate when Lilycove City has max repels at the department store and that's the city right before the water routes start so if you cry about getting spammed by Tentacool then that's your problem for not actually exploring the cities. I thought it was fun to explore all the little islands anyways and added to the experience.
Also Mudkip is OP as fuck as a starter. Water/Ground only has one weakness and there isn't a grass type gym leader or elite four member.