Mega Man ZX takes the classic Blue Bomber formula and gives it a slick DS makeover. You start off picking between two characters—Vent or Aile—and honestly, I went with Aile just because her design looked cooler. Big mistake at first, since some of those early platforming sections wrecked me until I got the hang of her dash.

The gimmick here is collecting "biometals" that let you transform into different Mega Man variants mid-stage. First time I got the ZX form, I immediately faceplanted into spikes trying to test out the new charged shot. Classic. The levels are way more open than older games too—you’re constantly backtracking with new powers to unlock shortcuts, which feels great when you finally slice through a barrier that blocked you hours earlier.

Boss fights are the real highlight though. That first encounter with Hivolt the electric panther thing? Pure chaos until you realize you can steal his lightning rod and zap him back. Still one of my favorite DS action games, even if the touchscreen stuff feels tacked on. Just play it with buttons.