Well, my very first Pokemon game was Ruby. I played it an insane 144 hours before I reset it a few months ago (most of my Pokemon were imported to Diamond and it made Battle Tower... not fun... lol). My first true game addiction holds so many great memories. Accidentally killing Groudon with Swampert due to stupidity, nearly 50 battles with Rayquaza before finally catching him, and of course, having my friend glitch my darn game with his Action Replay... thanks, Brian. It was such a great experience, and the music put it over the top.
A few years later, all of my friends had Emerald. Pokemon animations, a whole new slew of features, possibility to catch all of the legendaries, a new, combined story from Ruby and Sapphire, a longer adventure, and just so much new stuff. I was jealous, to say the least, but I couldn't shake my affection to Ruby. After EMUing Emerald for a while, I decided to take my time and find a legitimate copy yesterday and purchased it. Before it arrives at my doorstep, I hover over both options... Ruby, or Emerald? My childhood, vs. what I've never had until now.... decisions decisions..
I CHOOSE SAPPHIRE!
Haha, I kid, I kid. I have to go with Ruby! I strongly believe that if that game never got me into the series, I probably wouldn't have been into it until Diamond, the next big game at my school. By that time, it was "cool" to hate Pokemon anyway. It would've been difficult to stay with it. But Ruby? In second grade, I was the perfect age for it to make a permanent impact in my heart, and I'm so glad it did. Ruby all the way!