How are the Hoenn games so fucking good?
I used to think they were pretty middling I even held them in lower regard than DP for a time but as I've played these games more and more often (used to barely play them in favor of gens 2 and 4) I've really come to appreciate these games for the masterpieces that they are. Everything I used to dislike about them I only disliked because I didn't understand the greater creative vision those details were a part of. So much of my initial hate was because I really liked gen 2 and 4 so much and wanted it to be more like those games, but that was a mistake. Those games are great but gen 3 isn't trying to be what they are. It's trying to be something else. And once I stopped hating on it I was able to see what that was, and I love it. Honestly? Maybe even more than gen 2, although that's a high bar. But I consider the 2 close to equals at least, I think they stand shoulder to shoulder now, which is a far cry from the general spit in the face to gen 1/2s legacy I used to see it as.

Anyway, sorry for the blog post, this can just be a general gen 3 thread