Game: Ozzy Bubbles

There was a time when side-scrolling platform games ruled the gaming world -- when a new Mario or Metroid title brought visions of frantic jump-and-run fantasies, not gratuitous 3D worlds and multiplatform launches. With the emergence of powerful console hardware, though, the side-scroller became something of a lost art, much to the frustration of fans. Thank goodness, then, for the creative freedom the PC and the Internet offer small developers, and for games like Ozzy Bubbles.