Gen IV referenced every previous Gen, but the Gen II references feel more overt, especially considering
>It had been 6 years since the last Johto game, 2 years since the last Hoenn game, and 2.5 years since the last Kanto game
>Gen III barely acknowledged Johto existed compared to Kanto and Hoenn
So Sinnoh comes along and
>Time-based mechanics of Gen II return
>Crystal's Japanese online features become fully realized on a global scale for free
>Significant post-game from the get-go
Keep in mind that it also had contests, abilities, natures, EVs, IVs, and berry growing from Gen III.
Sinnoh is missing
>Gen I: 14/151
>Gen II: 15/100
>Gen III: 16/100
Like look at RS and how there were only 30 Gen II Pokémon for a year. How you needed Colosseum, how FRLG stuck its Gen II Pokémon in the post-game and never even used Altering Cave, how Emerald had insane bullshit requirements to get the Johto starters, how you have to play through the entirety of Colosseum and XD to get Ho-Oh and Lugia respectively while Celebi is tied to a Japan-only bonus disc. Otherwise Ho-Oh and Lugia are stuck in events, which on the GBA need to be hacked in, they're not wireless distributions you can do over a router. Like what the fuck were Raikou, Entei, and Suicune in FRLG? You only get access to one based on your starter, it's post-game, the IVs are all 0 or 1, it's a roaming Pokémon, and if Raikou or Entei use Roar even once they'll disappear from your game forever. Fucking ESPEON AND UMBREON can only be obtained by evolving an Eevee in a game it has to be traded to, which means its friendship will reset upon trading, and you lack any clear indication of the time of day. Emerald adds a bunch of Gen II Pokémon? The vast majority of them are Safari Zone additions in the post-game, enjoy your RNG. Sudowoodo and Smeargle are the only consistent finds in Emerald.
Of course Gen IV looks like it's pandering to Gen II when compared to Gen III. A nod looks friendly compared to a cigarette burn.
