For the first time since I believe my initial encounter with Cynthia in Platinum, I lost to a Champion because M-Metagross is just stupidly broken and an underleveled mono-grass team couldn't do anything to it without dying in one hit every time. It took Stockpiling to the maximum level with Cradily to survive and get off one Bulldoze to slow it down to where the rest could whittle it down.
Going through Hoenn again though, man. It's made me remember how much exploration has been lost as a concept with recent gens. Sea Mauville, New Mauville, Shoal Cave, most of Meteor Falls, hell even entire routes and towns like Pacifidlog and the routes west of it with the rapids, all of them and more are completely optional. Along with some really weird shit that I didn't remember like a guy getting evicted from his apartment in Mauville City (ain't that topical) and old letters in Sea Mauville from a little boy slowly revealing a failing marriage due to the father's constant absence.
And on top of that you revisit many areas several times as you progress so they have more lasting memories and significance as opposed to going to one area once and never having a reason to revisit. And this is the remake where some places like New Mauville were gutted mind you.