Dragonball Advanced Adventure is one of those GBA gems that actually makes the transition from manga to game feel fresh. You start off as kid Goku, smacking around bandits with your power pole in classic side-scrolling beat 'em up fashion, but then suddenly you're flying through air battles that play like a shoot 'em up—complete with dodging energy blasts mid-flight. The boss fights? Pure one-on-one fighting game adrenaline, especially when you unlock special moves like the Kamehameha later on.

What surprised me was how much content they packed in—16 story levels, 30 characters (including some deep cuts from early Dragon Ball), and these little treasure hunts for Dragon Balls and power-ups hidden in levels. Yeah, the story’s not exactly faithful (Piccolo’s arc gets weirdly compressed), but the gameplay’s so smooth it doesn’t matter. Even if you’ve never touched Dragon Ball, the combat just feels good—crisp hits, satisfying combos, and just enough challenge to keep you grinding for those stat-boosting items. Definitely a standout for the GBA library.