Right now, I am counting down the days until my savings account basically becomes non-existent. On one side, I have a new console generation so there goes a few hundred bucks instantly. On the other, we have the next version of Skylanders with the largest launch lineup of new characters since the game’s inception in Skylanders SWAP Force. In other words, “Goodbye monies.” But I can’t complain. I am the one choosing to buy them after all. But of course, Vicarious Visions can’t help but make the wait and anticipation worse by showing off the new characters.

Skylanders SWAP Force will take place in a new location called the Cloudbreak Islands. Here, there is some mystical volcano that erupts every hundred years and this is the source of the SWAP Force’s SWAP ability. Back to his old habits is the series’ antagonist Kaos. But this time he isn’t alone as he is accompanied by his mom. Because if there is one thing more intimidating than a horrible wizard, it is one that needs to bring his mom to a fight.

When the creators of the top XBox exclusive Halo franchise teams up with the publishing behemoth behind the Call of Duty franchise, at least on paper it is a recipe for success. After months of only hearing the project’s name Destiny, Bungie was finally ready to reveal just what it was during an event this weekend.

Below check out the first developer diary featuring the first concept art for Destiny. After spending a decade with Halo, Bungie looks to spend the next ten years working on Destiny. In the trailer, you’ll hear the start of the Destiny mythos. Unlike Halo where mankind was fighting back against an invading force, Destiny takes place in the aftermath of an invading force. Saved only by a figure known as the Traveler, the remnants of humanity struggle to survive.

One aspect of LEGO games that has always stood out was the central hub location where players would go in and out of missions. Originally, this was a small location of only a few rooms that chapters could be explored by entering. This was the primary setup for LEGO Star Wars and LEGO Indiana Jones. More recently, LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes changed this format with an open world Gotham for players to traverse and go into story missions when they saw fit. Now, Traveler’s Tales needs to switch up for the format again for LEGO The Lord of the Rings.

While it made sense in LEGO Batman’s world for the caped crusader to be able to travel around Gotham at his whim, that just isn’t the case with the tighter narrative that needs to be told during The Lord of the Rings. Even in LEGO format, The Lord of the Rings needs to have a clear beginning and ending location that players can’t just skip to. As anyone who has watched, or especially read The Lord of the Rings, it isn’t the destination that mattered to the story as much as it was the journey that got the heroes there.

One of the most intimidating prospects for a game developer may be the chance to work on a franchise they grew up loving. There is so much pressure put on themselves to uphold the high standards they set because they don’t want to let down themselves, other fans or the creators of it. But it also gives great opportunity for talented teams to make something special that can stand alongside other creative works associated with that franchise. Traveler’s Tales is one of those teams that has shown both love and respect for everything from Star Wars to Harry Potter in the LEGO universe and are undertaking the formidable legacy of The Lord of the Rings in their next game.

When you look at LEGO The Lord of the Rings at first, what you may notice first is the world going on behind the characters. There is a blend of both picturesque landscape combined with scenics from the films created out of LEGO. Much like they did with LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes, LEGO The Lord of the Rings will have a large open world format with side quests for players to take part in instead of just following the story of the game.

A man who’s shown his love for both the geek world and Spider-Man is Bruce Campbell. From cameos during the Sam Raimi trilogy to his narrative roles on previous Spider-Man video games, Bruce is probably the second most logical choice for a voice actor to appear in The Amazing Spider-Man game other than Stan Lee himself.

In the Amazing Spider-Man, Bruce voices the Extreme Reporter. The Extreme Reporter serves two roles in the game. First, it gives Spider-Man a friendly antagonist. Unlike Rhino, Puma or Iguana, the Extreme Reporter isn’t looking to killer the friendly wall crawler. He is however looking to capitalize on the newfound fame of the rookie hero.

Secondly, the Extreme Report gives a somewhat logical reason for the existence of the game’s various challenges. While most events in games are story driven, various super hero games have random and often unexplained time trials, races or various other “gamey” occurrences that players just accept. Now, there is a reason behind these random challenges as well as someone players they feel they can gloat to when they defeat them.

Check out the full behind the scenes interview with Bruce Campbell as he talks about the Extreme Reporter, Spider-Man and Stan Lee. The Amazing Spider-Man hits shelves tomorrow for the XBox 360 and PlayStation 3. Stick to The Flickcast for a review too coming soon!