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Pokemon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald marked a huge shift for the monster catching series as it embraced new, shiny, and more pixel dense hardware with the Game Boy Advance. It wasn't just the visuals that became more expressive and detailed, but battle mechanics too. Where the second gen refined stat types, the third gen was all about making each Pokemon more of an individual through hidden values tied to things like personalities.
Which is all to say that Pokemon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald took huge steps forward to make this world of odd little creatures feel more alive than ever, really leaning into the idea that your personal Pokemon team was your team, not like anyone else's. Add to that weather, which plays into the game's epic narrative, completely new ways to battle, and so much more, and you've got a deep iteration that rightfully still holds a special place in the hearts of many as some of the best Pokemon games. Take a look below as we run through the core reasons Pokemon's third generation pushed the series to the next level.
5. Abilities
These passive traits were essentially special attributes.
As well as a Nature and hidden 'Individual Value' (or 'IV') stats, as of Generation 3, Pokemon could also have one or two of 77 different Abilities. These passive traits were essentially special attributes assigned to your companions, in addition to types and moves, that affect both in-battle and out-of-battle behaviour.
4. Secret bases
If you own a Pokemon that knows Secret Power, you are able to decorate a special hidden area with accessories, furniture, and Pokemon dolls, making an imprint on the world that's unique to you. Via communicating with other players, you can share these dens, and an NPC will emulate you within another player's game. Can you keep a secret?
3. Contests
Pokemon Contests are particularly popular in Hoenn. These pageants host Pokemon, who are instructed to show off their style in one of five different types of Contest: Coolness, Beauty, Cuteness, Cleverness or Toughness. Through these efforts, Ribbons can be won and certain prizes claimed from NPCs.
2. Double battles
Double Battles were introduced in this Generation. In these showdowns, you can use two Pokemon at the same time in order to beat your opponent. This added more strategy to brawls, as you could use moves to support your other Pokemon. Watch out, though: some attacks will even hit your own Pokemon!
1. Weather
While Generation 2 introduced in-battle weather that boosted certain elemental moves, Generation 3 had it in the field – depending on the weather a Route was experiencing, your partners would be more or less effective, and certain Pokemon would be more or less likely to appear in the wild.
