14. Dragon Ball Origins
Marking the property’s handheld titles’ first jump to 3D, Dragon Ball Origins offers an innovative and charming take on the series’ first arc that still carries through today.
Adapting Dragon Ball’s story up to Goku’s first World Tournament, the top-down action game allows players to guide the musclebound monkey boy through his earliest adventures.
This includes his first meetings with Bulma, Yamaha and several other key characters, all adapted in polygonal 3D cutscenes.
Gameplay, meanwhile, utilizes the Nintendo DS’ hardware wonderfully. For every segment that sees players mashing the attack button, there are just as many that utilize the mic and touchpad for special attacks, puzzles and more.
It isn’t without downsides – namely that it adapts a fairly small part of the series and the graphics haven’t aged well since its release – but it’s still a standout title for its ambition and execution.
