After re-reading my first DC topic, comparing BK/BT, I felt inspired to do another. Plus, this gives me something to do and a reason to post. (:

Generations apart, to this day, both of these version sets have brought massive changes to the Pokemon games that to this day can be witnessed. Ultimately, if not for these two generations, the Pokemon series would not be the entity that it is today, in terms of strategy and fun. I'll compare these versions side-by-side and see how they stack up, just as I did before.

Graphics: RSE

There's really nothing else to say. At the time, RSE's graphics were the best that the games had seen so far. GSC's weren't bad at all, though; although it's a point in favor for RSE, it's not really a detract from GSC, either. And both of the third games featured Pokemon animations.

Gameplay: Tie

The gameplay has been the same...for more than ten years. Three or so years between the release of these generations wouldn't really change that.

Story: RSE

This is where I may draw some fire. The core of the stories pretty much have been the same the entire time: Get the main eight Gym badges, defeat the Elite Four, and become a Pokemon League Champion. Pretty bland, right? (I'm not counting the eight badges of Johto, though, yes, it would expand the story... Getting those badges didn't really seem more like some free battles.)

However, this rating mainly comes from the objectives of the criminal syndicates you battle along the way. Team Rocket is an organization that hasn't been formally led in three years, following Red's defeat of Giovanni before. Executives who have taken the reins as interim leaders now control their forces, causing mischief throughout the land, all ultimately in the hope of reaching Giovanni somehow. It was never discovered if they were successful or not. In a way, they were, though, if the rival in this game really is Giovanni's son.

Crystal involves a legendary Pokemon, Suicune. This is the first game to really mix in a legendary with the main story, and it was done well. Aside from that, though, this really didn't do as much. It just added Eusine and a few chance occurences with he and Suicune up until the capture. After you catch Suicune, you'll see Eusine again just sitting in a Pokemon Center.

In RS, the story's pretty fail, too. One team is out to get the corresponding legendary with the game you're playing, and the other is just there to stop them, with no other goal in mind. This story is just half of a story; not really even complete. If you didn't include Emerald, RS really wouldn't have had much of a story.

Emerald, however, did it right. It essentially combined the two stories of the games and even made more out of it. In doing it this way, the main game became somewhat longer, and more dramatic. Instead of entering the Cave of Origin to face Groundon/Kyogre, you had to find Rayquaza, who would becalm the two beasts and restore the abnormal weather. Not only did it involve the two legends before, but it even brought Rayquaza into the mix. If not for this, Pacifidlog would've been useless, and Rayquaza would just seem like the Mewtwo of the game instead of something important.

RSE used the tools that it had to its advantage. Although, in Crystal, catching the legends unlocks the key to Ho-oh. Lugia, really, just sits there. It doesn't hold any more weight in the series than the birds of the first generation did.

I'd planned to include replayability, but it didn't really seem to have much of a point. However, GSC does do certain things better, such as the Battle Tower in Crystal, and the option of battling trainers repeat times on the S.S. Aqua. You could only battle them once on the S.S. Tidal in RSE. Battle Frontier is quite the addition, though, but since you don't do anything but battle in there, it becomes pretty tedious, too, considering the fact that the trainers you face tend to act pretty dumb. Insanely, even.

However, it's easier to complete the Pokedex in GSC since there are less Pokemon, and the trade constraints aren't as tight. This also makes the game a bit more fun as well, having Pokemon who level up quickly and assembling a fun-to-use team sooner than you can in RSE.

RSE has contests, though, which were fun sometimes, but became incredibly stale afterwards, Not to mention, but the whole "u need freinds" thing comes into play, because you can't make truly hax Pokeblocks on your own. Not even going to Lilycove to make them would make a huge difference.

Overall: RSE

I really wanted to find GSC as the superior, but I just couldn't, without showing some degree of favoritism, which I almost bent to in the replayability department. GSC seemed to add more sensible things, such as time, and the effect of night/day on Pokemon and the frequency of their appearances. To the new style, RSE contributed natures. Every generation adds a few new moves to the mix, so that's not an argument, either. GSC had the element punches as TMs, though. ...Mostly, all of the extras about both games were just small inclusions; probably not even worth noting too much.

/bord

If it weren't for the /bord at the end, I would be all over this thread being all "wtf is the point of this"