If you grew up spinning tops and yelling "Let it rip!" at the TV, this one's for you. Beyblade Metal Fusion on DS nails that chaotic, clattering energy of the anime—you start by picking your blade (Pegasus, obviously), then it's straight into the plastic arena where metal grinds against metal. The controls are simple—mostly timing your bursts and tilting for attacks—but there's a sneaky amount of depth in tweaking your Beyblade's parts between matches.

What surprised me was how weighty the battles feel. When two tops collide, the screen shakes, sparks fly, and that "clang!" sound effect never gets old. The AI starts easy but ramps up fast—by the third tournament, I was frantically swapping out my tip and fusion wheel mid-campaign. It’s not the deepest fighter out there, but for a licensed game? Way more fun than it had any right to be.

Just don’t expect a story mode as wild as the show. You’ll blast through the arcade ladder in an afternoon.