When Quantic Dream developed Heavy Rain for the PlayStation 3 a couple of years ago, it may not have pushed the way games play that far forward (it’s about on the same interactive level as, say, Dragon’s Lair), but it certainly shook up the depth of how a game presents itself.  Very few games can match up Heavy Rain’s effort, with its in-depth characters, gorgeous environments and incredible interaction.  It’s still considered a triumph in some eyes…and it looks like the team is just getting started.

Dragon’s Lair is one of those games that could be considered an immortal classic.  It got its start way back in 1983, when laser disc technology was king (we’re talking the big flipper discs, not the Blu-Rays as you know them now) and Don Bluth’s animation shined down on arcades, ushering in an interesting new technology that took the gaming scene by storm.  Now, almost 30 years later, the game lives on through Digital Leisure’s re-releases, and the company has confirmed that it’s now coming to Xbox Live Arcade – with a twist.

“All good things must come to an end.”  It’s a quote that resonates in pretty much anything, including sports streaks, careers and life itself.  And it also resonates with story arcs in video games.  We’ve seen several conclusive chapters over the years that have wrapped up sagas either in style (Gears of War 3, Uncharted 3) or disappointment (Resistance 3…seriously), but it just goes to show that developers are ready to move on to the next thing.  But there’s something bittersweet about seeing the end come in Mass Effect 3.  The first two games have been so great – especially part two, which some of us are still playing – that it’s just hard to imagine life without dealing with some new adventures of Commander Shepard.  Still, outside of DLC, Bioware is pretty much done with this story.  And what a way to go.

Sony is no stranger to taking its PlayStation 2 classics and remastering them for PlayStation 3 collections, but it’s been a business practice that’s proven worthwhile.  Both of the God of War compilations (Collection and Origins Collection) are outstanding; Ico and Shadow of the Colossus are in a class by themselves; and this year’s Jak and Daxter Collection has been nothing short of marvelous.  Now Insomniac Games gets a turn, even though the company’s moved on to duo-console development, as three of its greatest PS2 efforts are being celebrated in a new collection.  And, yes, it’s Ratchet and Clank.

I remember the first time I checked out Shoot Many Robots.  Demiurge Studios had invited me up for a beer in their suite at GDC last year, and there introduced me to P. Walter Tugnut, a Southern shooter with a severe robot issue on his hands.  Just with the introduction of a beer and the main hero’s name, I knew that the team was going for a different kind of run-and-gun title with Shoot Many Robots.  Now that the final game is here, under the watchful care of Ubisoft, it’s still got the same charm that won me over last year.  (And no, that wasn’t the alcohol.)

Ever since they made their debut in 1999, the Boondock Saints have been carving out quite a legend for themselves.  In that terrific action movie, directed by Troy Duffy and featuring the likes of Willem Dafoe and Sean Patrick Flannery, a pair of fraternal twins set out to rid Boston of criminal types while being kept close tabs on by the FBI.  Since then, the Saints have returned in 2009 with a slightly lacking sequel, All Saints Day, though not much else has happened.  Still, the effects of the original film are hard to shake, as it’s still quite the favorite for some.

The story behind Activision’s attempt to revive its True Crime series is an interesting one and, at one point, a sad one.  The company hired United Front Games to work on True Crime: Hong Kong, and even announced it during the 2010 Spike TV Video Game Awards show.  However, months after its development (and a pretty good E3 showcase), the company chose to cancel the project, feeling it wouldn’t live up to its potential.  Now that COULD’VE been a sad story, had Square Enix not picked up the pieces and opted to release the game as an original adventure called Sleeping Dogs.  But it did.