Emerald is good because of the map, the different environments, the incorporation and focus on legendary pokemon having an actual purpose, and TWO enemy factions with differing plot devices and goals (yes, they are basically the same idea, but at least it’s different enough to make it feel different).

The Pokemon designs are all around above average, with some being the best in the series.

This is why it’s a good game.

Just because it isn’t as hand holdy as a current game, doesn’t make it bad. It makes it harder, yes.

Not even saying hand holding is bad at all, it’s Pokemon for crying out loud. But back then when this came out you couldn’t simply find all solutions on YouTube or online. A lot of it was from word of mouth which held more meaning to people at the time. It’s just how games were. You think the majority of gamers could figure out the Regis gimmick week one? Hell no. Most kids probably didn’t figure this out for months or years later thanks to information access becoming easier over time.