#5. POKEMON RUBY AND SAPPHIRE
Following up on Pokemon Gold and Silver was always going to be a gargantuan task, and in that respect, Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire were fighting an uphill battle from the get-go. After the content-heavy Gen 2, Gen 3 felt like a step back for the series, with the omission of a substantial portion of the Pokemon roster, as well as features such as the real time day/night cycle, multiple regions, or even backward compatibility with the preceding generations.
Then again, Ruby and Sapphire had a lot going for them, too. From the Battle Frontier to the excellence of Hoenn as a region, from the solid soundtrack to the meaty campaign, from the memorable roster of new Pokemon to great new features like Contests and bases, Ruby and Sapphire were by no means lacking in cool ideas. Oh, and let’s not forget the fact that major core mechanics that are now considered integral to the series – like EVs and IVs (as we know them today), Natures, and Abilities – were all introduced with Ruby and Sapphire.
