Man, Sonic Advance was such a weird moment in gaming history—Sonic, on a Nintendo handheld? After years of Sega vs. Nintendo rivalry, it felt surreal holding this little GBA cart. But man, did it deliver.

It’s classic 2D Sonic—speed, loops, springs, and those satisfyingly chunky badniks to smash. The levels feel like a love letter to the Genesis days, but with just enough new tricks (like the occasional rail-grinding section) to keep it fresh. I remember booting it up for the first time and immediately grinning at how crisp the sprite work was—Sonic’s animations here are some of my favorites, honestly.

It’s not perfect (some of those special stages are brutal), but it nailed that "just one more try" energy. And hey, it started a whole new era for Sonic on Nintendo portables. Still holds up if you dig out your GBA.