I think I've decided that this is my favorite Pokémon game. Mainly it's because of how strong of a region Hoenn is. For instance, it's entirely possible to go climbing around Meteor Falls and get spat back out outside Rustboro City, and in doing so a.) get the TM for Focus Punch for your troubles, and b.) clear the Verdanturf rock path and get the HM for Strength, and c.) Get some Blackglasses for your troubles, which can be used to power up early game Dark types like Mightyena or Sableye, which are getting weaker and weaker by this point in the game. It's an intuitive way to teach you that poking around Hoenn will net you cool goodies. You can poke around Hoenn to find all kinds of cool locales like the Abandoned Ship, Mirage Island, the Regi quest, Mirage Tower, etc. I can take or leave the Battle Frontier, I just prefer Emerald for the updated aesthetic and animations.