Can't Stop Loving You

[EternallyAnna]

Hoenn seems to have been kind of a love-it-or-hate it region. It's not for everyone, certainly, but I personally adore it. Hated it at first actually, but then I got Emerald and everything changed. I remember what I was doing when I went from grudgingly thinking 'okay, it's not godawful' to 'you know what, this is brilliant! I just want to play this forever!'- I was training up my first Mightyena just north of Mt. Pyre. And suddenly I realized I was really quite attached to her and the rest of my team. And the region. And everything.

So the questions I have here is definitely more for the lovers of RSE. Why and how did you fall in love with these games? Did you gradually come to like them or were you all over them from the start? Do you still adore them? Play them? Even so many years later? Do you like them more or less now than you first did? What are the bits that really stand out? What makes them special to you?

[ShinyUmbreon189]

I wouldn't say I adore RSE but I really dig Flygon. I never have a team without him. I used to not like RSE that much either because it wasn't as good as my Crystal when I had it. I'm not gonna lie I like SS more than any other Pokemon game. But now I play Emerald all the time I always like making new teams on that game. But Flygon is never ever and I mean never replaced.

[FACEcake1223]

I always liked playing Sapphire for the first time and discovering all the cool Pokemon and places to see, I just couldn't get over how much I loved this game back then, and I still do. I always had a Gardevoir on my team, no matter what I do. I will not play that game and not get a Gardevoir, it's impossible for me to do. I don't play that game as much as I used to, or as much as I should either, but the game will always have a spot in heart, right next to Sonic Adventure 2 Battle.

[Romeo010]

I found emerald when i was younger in a rental car that someone left in there... If that didn't happen i would have never gotten into pokemon in the first place. I fell in love with pokemon emerald it was unlike anything i ever experienced in gaming. treecko forever

[Munchlax11]

[SIZE="a"]I remember being at the mall as a little kid and seeing Pokemon Ruby. I took it home and put it in my gameboy ASAP to play I was really excited to see all the new Pokemon I chose Mudkip as my starter and eventually got it to level 100. I've lost that game now, but I'm a big fan of hoenn. Although Ruby was my first Hoenn game Emerald is my favorite. Emerald probably has the best post-game out of all the other games. Actually I played my Emerald version just the other day! I still love these games just as much as I did when I got Ruby.[/SIZE]

[Sydian]

Although Yellow was my first game, Sapphire was the first game I actually got past the first gym leader and got to go through the region, see all the Pokemon, etc. So if you want to get really technical, I guess you could call it my first main game. I think that's my reasons for loving it. I familiarized myself with Hoenn like other people familiarized themselves with Kanto and Johto and came to love it because it held all my firsts. That doesn't mean I'm a nostalgia butt face about it, of course, but I think that's where my love of the games and region comes from. I've replayed them countless times, and much more than any other Pokemon game, probably followed closely by FRLG (what was I thinking?) and GSC.

Since I played it so much as a kid, and so many times in general, the things that stand out, oddly enough, are just some dialog quirks. When I read things, I automatically picture what's being said and I give them a certain dialect without really having to try. So I have things in the games that I read a certain way or every time I read a line, I think of something weird (like the guy whose ear is burning off in Emerald...although that's gross when I think about it). And idk WHY but I especially remember the girl outside the Seashore Hut, specifically how I read what she said. I read a LOT of stuff wrong when I was a kid, so when I read her dialog, I read it where she sounded like she had no clue what she was talking about. Playing it at an older age, I realized she wasn't memorizing some weird script and wasn't messing up her phrase. Does this make sense? I think I'll go be weird somewhere else.

Oh. And weird things like "Hunh?" cause I read it as "hunnuh" instead of "huh." Okay BYE. fufufufufufufu.

[vaporeon7]

I fell in love with Hoenn ever since I first turned on my Ruby when I was little. After already loving the previous games, how could I not love Hoenn's Pokémon and unique region. I still love Hoenn, and am in fact in a Pokémon contest in Sapphire as I type this! I love everything, underwater, Mt. Chimney, Sky Pillar, you name it.

[PlatinumDude]

I really liked the Hoenn region because of the catchy, upbeat music in some places, particularly Slateport. Some of my favorite Pokemon are also from Hoenn (like Swampert, Salamence, Flygon, Gardevoir, Deoxys)

[XtinaIsMeLuvinWWE]

Why and how did you fall in love with these games?
I got Emerald and it was the first game I really fell in love with after the joy of Silver.

Did you gradually come to like them or were you all over them from the start?
I loved it as soon as I started playing it - it was the first GBA game I got (I got Leaf Green after) so the changes were more obvious to me and there were so many new features that worked for me as well as maintaining the same old formula that works so well

Do you still adore them? Play them? Even so many years later?
It's still probably my second favourite game after Silver and I still play it and all my older games from time to time

Do you like them more or less now than you first did?
About the same - having played Diamond now the newer features are less new in Hoenn but nevertheless no less enjoyable

What are the bits that really stand out?
Weather (like when it rains), competing in the contests, loving a grass starter for the first time, having two evil teams etc
What makes them special to you?
It was the first game I got to play as my own gender That was probably the most special thing for me

[Katie the Friendly Ghost]

When I first started Sapphire I fell in love immediately. The graphics were such an upgrade from gen two, and I was actually old enough to understand the game and the different aspects. Plus the Running Shoes. <3333

Then I met Sableye. Oh hello no weaknesses. Despite Sableye sucking majorly, I still loved it and made sure to train one on every run.

[Ravenfreak]

At first I didn't care for it too much, when my cousin would play Sapphire, he'd want me to play Ruby but then i'd say "Nah I don't want to, i'd rather play Blue version." xD Then he'd say "But that game is old!" But as I played it years later, I fell in love with it. :3 Personally it's my favorite Generation, probably because of the Pokemon, and the secret bases was the coolest feature that has been in a Pokemon game. Plus Ruby was the first game I caught all the Pokemon in, and I had a very strong team.

[darkpokeball]

A long time ago, I lost my love for Pokemon. Countless nuzlockes on Pearl that ended up horrible:
(one run where the first pokemon I met on every route was a Starly or a Staraptor...*shudders*
-a different run where I overestimated myself and everyone died :'(
-ANOTHER run where my friend deleted my save file and overwrote it with his own DX)
With my love for Pokemon rapidly fading, the unwillingness to go through Pokemon Red again(NOTHING WILL REPLACE MY RED TEAM. NO MORE RED PLAYTHROUGHS. My team is and forever will be my only run of red <3)...I turned to Ruby. A while ago, I got a bootlegged copy of it. The save kept deleting, but it was the only game where despite how faulty the save, I'd always start a new game and keep going before I lost it. So I bought a non-bootleg copy...and fell in love with it.

Suddenly, I was once more a pokemon trainer. Ruby was special as it was the only game that I could replay over and over again without it getting old! It was the game where I accidently discovered my first shiny(despite a dry internal battery.) It was the game where my brother and I had a contest to see whose secret base could look more awesome! It was the game where every pokemon on my team had at least one contest ribbon, as contests and gyms rivalled each other for which could win my heart first.

To this day, I enjoy Ruby madly and wish that it would get remade so I could once more relive the adventure without having to buy another copy. Ruby is and always will be my favorite pokemon game...(unless B/W2 would like to challenge that)

[Mr Cat Dog]

I remember really liking Hoenn as a region when playing through Sapphire for the first time. And yet thinking back on it, I can't really remember anything specific about it, other than there was a hell of a lot of water (which is A-OK in my book). I don't know whether it's just because it has been so long since I've explored the region (as opposed to Kanto/Johto in HGSS, Unova in BW, and even Sinnoh in my recent Platinum playthrough) or because it's simply unmemorable. The only areas I can remember clearly are the Weather Institute, Sootopolis City and the route where you capture Skarmory. Other than that, the entirety of Hoenn is kind of a big blank. Which is something I can't really say for the other regions, unfortunately. Indeed, I can pretty much remember everything in Kanto, the amount of times I've played through it!

[psyanic]

My affinity for Hoenn is practically genetic - I played both Crystal and Yellow before I got Emerald. It had a nice change in graphics, just as any other generation, and the Pokemon were great here as well. I, unlike many other fans, loved the water here. I love the ocean and swimming, so surfing around all the time, meeting Tentacool and Wingull (a nice change of pace from those squid), was almost fun. There were a lot of Water-types to fish up, and I spent a lot of time fishing in various spots to catch specific Pokemon. The legendaries had quite a new way of catching them. Sky Pillar had those crackling floors, which were still fun, but annoying as well. Even so, catching Rayquaza was worth the time and effort of getting up there. The Regis were practically an adventure on their own. There were many obstacles and puzzles to solve to begin to unlock the Regis, and then catching them was another ordeal. Running around the region, searching for the caves was also fun. I had a blast trying to catch them. It was more than just simply running up to a legendary Pokemon and catching them.

There were a lot of diverse areas for Hoenn, like a volcano, a desert, and a town on the sea. I'd call them memorable. The weather was cool. Rain made some routes feel tropical, while the sandstorm made the desert even dryer. There's a reason why the title trio is dubbed the Weather Trio. The Pokemon were fantastic overall. There aren't many Pokemon that I disliked in Hoenn. I could catch just about any Pokemon and use them on my team, whether it was as an HM Slave or a battler, or even for contests.

Yeah, I'll stop gushing over Hoenn. In short, Hoenn is an awesome region and my favorite.

[Malaa]

I started out with Pokémon Blue, but i didn't understand what to do. Then I got Fire Red, and I came out in the game until i didn't understand more. Then, I got Sapphire and I understood it all.

That's probably why I love RSE so much. I'm currently trying to fill my Pokédex in Sapphire. (Without hacking)

[elarmasecreta]

Hoenn is by far my favorite region. Probably because everything was all new to me when I first played it, I've only seen a handfull of the new pokes. My English also improved a lot, so I enjoyed it a lot more then GS. The graphics were also completely different, it was like a set foot into a new world.

I loved it ever since I started playing it, and I still play it on a regular basis. Generation 3 had the best games of the series, and I will keep playing these games for a loooong time.

[Polizard'12]

From the moment I began playing it, I enjoyed it immensly! The graphics were a huge change from what I was used to (Yellow & Gold)... Also all the Pokemon were great especially the Legendaries, the cutscene with the weather trio made my Jaw drop haha, they really should implement more of those in the games and not just once.

[Sinnoh_Freak]

Hoenn is by far my favourite region. My first game was Pokemon Red and I completed it, and every Pokemon Game since. Hoenn though, was my favourite. I remember picking Treecko as my starter, and taking it all the way to the Pokemon league. I had so much fun with my team, getting beaten time and time again by Norman, and Liza and Tate. So many good memories in Hoenn.

[Bloodex]

I loved the games from the start. Sure, Emerald was a little different then it's predecessors, but I was always open to change. And I felt it was a change for the better. I still have my Emerald, in fact, and I wish I could play it, but can't since I don't own a DS or Game Boy. Unlike my White, I didn't give it away. Maybe that shows something?

[TheLastAvenger]

I really disliked Hoenn the first time around. Mainly because of all that water. But over time I grew to love the region because of most of the Pokemon that came along with the 3rd gen.

[LiquoriceBeef]

Why and how did you fall in love with these games?
My older brother bought Blue and Gold, which are still in great condition, but I didn't understand his obsession with Pokemon. Then he got Sapphire, which I was NOT allowed to play as I tended to erase his save data XD I admit I was a bit jealous, so I got Emerald for my 7th birthday and was blown away. I got my Treecko and set off on my quest. My team slowly grew and I grew alongside them, discovering fossils, caves, hidden items, talking to people and battling trainers. I then fought against Teams Aqua and Magma, stopped Max and Archie and halted the battle between Kyogre and Groudon.
But the moment I set eyes on that glistening green cartridge, I was hooked.

Did you gradually come to like them or were you all over them from the start?
I loved it from the moment I got my Treecko- I played all the time; in the car, on airplanes, on walks and in my secretive Pokemon chamber (or bedroom XD)

Do you still adore them? Play them? Even so many years later?
I still play Emerald often, after so many years, but then I got Diamond. Sinnoh was fun, but it could never replace Hoenn...

Do you like them more or less now than you first did?
I am sad to say that I like them a bit less now, because of Diamond and hacks mainly, but Diamond extended the experience, allowing me to bring my teams to the next generation.

What are the bits that really stand out?
The Regi chambers, Sky Pillar, the Terra & Marine Caves, getting a Castform, evolving my Vibrava into a beastly Flygon, defeating the Elite Four with only Kyogre - using Struggle!
What makes them special to you?
The terrain is so diverse and I loved every Pokemon, except the ugly little Whismur + Electrike families. I feel that Sinnoh attempted to be as diverse as Hoenn- Snowpoint City, Mt. Stark, the Battle Zone, Eterna Forest etc.- but never succeeded. Hoenn is my favourite region, so I only play Gen. 3 hacks.
__________________

[Bourne-mouth]

Hoenn has been my favourite region ever since I got Emerald 6 years ago. I wasn't that at all affectionate towards Hoenn at that time, and I grew to like it as time passes. Everything in it was awesome, the plot, characters, and the Pokemon. Not to mention the Battle Frontier. It was a massive change over the last Pokemon game I played at that time (Gold). I've had a lot of memories etched in stone.

[LA.dre]

Man, i love everything about hoenn. Here's my story:

4 years ago in my country pokemon indigo (internet game) was very popular. I played it alot and became a ace.
One day i went to a battle room (dont remember how it was called) named "pokemon ruby 4ever" i decided to google and i found out that it was a gba game so i decided to emulate it on my pc. i dont remember how far i have progressed in the game but i do remember i had given up because my pc was very sloooooooooooooww.

Half year ago i decided to sell my psp. but my friend told me that there is a lot of emulators of older consoles available on psp. I decided to give it a shot. I downloaded Gpsp with all pokemon versions available on it and a couple of other games.

I started with ruby. Litleroot music felt so... uhm.. nostalgic and i didn't know why. i progressed till e4 and cheated to win them. It was so... kinda... boring. I thought i hate ruby. Then i started FR. I beat the game with no cheats and i thought:
Wow this is da best game ever. Too bad it was so short....

Then i started emerald, i heard it was much better than RS. The font and graphics seemed a lot better. The feel of this game was just amazing. when i reached LILYCOVE I FELL IN LOVE WITH IT. Ahh the sweet music. The sea city. Ahh the city of my dreams. after i beat e4 i head to the battle frontier and won all the symbols ( i remember when i reached brendon with my horrible team and he beat the **** out of me. I felt crushed. even with savestate on my emulator i could'nt beat him. i didn't sleep that night. I never imagined NPC can have a legendary pokemon.)

But that's not all. one day on my usual route from lilycove to berry master house (i liked to go through mt pyre better than mauville city) i thought using repel when i approached first pitch of grass but i didnt use it because i loved mightyenas and wanted to get a shiny so i decided to use repel only near water.

Then it appeared. A mightyena (not shiny) i ofcourse beat the crap of it and moved on) on my two second steps i encountered a...

You guys are not gonna believe me.

My favourite pokemon latias. i was like omgwtf and instantly threw masterball. I knew about roaming pokemon. I couldn't believe it. I really saw it. Near my favourite city lilycove.I never actually encountered a roaming pokemon. (i still didn't encounter a shiny pokemon).

You can't even imagine how happy i was. later i solved regi mystery by decrypting letters from sentence: first comes wailord last comes relicanth i saw on internet.

I was playing as brendan but may is my favourite character of all. i decided to start a new game cuz i was using save state of my emulator to win the game, making it too easy for me. i started a new game as may and reached lilycove now but my battery died. so when i will get a new battery i will resume my journey.

Sweet memories of hoenn. and mostly lilycove ( i think i will name my daughter lilycove, no, srsly)

So here am i, listening to lilycove music remix portraying myself with my latias. Having what some of you guys call "nostalgia boner" ahh... Sweet hoenn...





P.S. sorry for very long text i hope you enjoyed it and if i made any grammar mistakes- sorry i'm 14 years old and english is not my native language

Have a good day

[93Aiwass]

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

I like Hoenn, but I have to be honest, I feel that I'll always be a Johto girl (despite not having seen the Unova nor Sinnoh regions yet). The radio tower, red gyrados, bug catching competition, the introduction of colour, apricorns that turn into Pokeballs, a free Dratini... what's not to love? And I hear that it gets better in HeartGold/SoulSilver (again, can't wait for my copies of these games to come in the post!). I never got into contests and some of the weather status changes have turned out to be more of a hindrance than a help. I liked the game but I felt non-plussed by Hoenn.

Kanto though... I kinda like it for the nostalgia value, and to the same degree I like Hoenn.

As for Orre though, I liked that region a bit more given some of the more... interesting locales, like the Under and Deep. I'm kinda looking forward to getting a Wii and a copy of XD so I can see how Orre has changed.

Love is the Law, Love under Will.

[Sydian]

Please don't post in threads over a month old! :)

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