Dragon Ball Z: Super Butouden was my first taste of a proper DBZ fighting game back in the day—clunky by today's standards, but man, those beam struggles felt epic. You start with eight characters (Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo, etc.), and unlocking the hidden five was half the fun—though good luck figuring out how without a guide.

The Story Mode rushes through the Piccolo Jr. to Cell sagas in just 10 fights, but the real chaos happens in Tournament Mode with up to eight players. Combat Mode’s where I spent most time, though, spamming Kamehamehas against friends while trying not to lose track of each other on those massive stages (thank god for the radar).

Super moves look flashy, but good luck landing them—dodging or blocking was way easier than winning those button-mashing beam clashes. It’s janky, but there’s something charming about how over-the-top it all feels. Still the best-selling DBZ game in Japan for a reason.