When a gaming company manages to churn out a hit franchise, we'd most probably think that they hit paydirt, like what Activision did when they came up with the Guitar Hero series of games. However, the benefits of coming up with a great title may be a bit of a bane as well.

According to analyst Mike Hickey from Janco Partners, the emerging competition resulting from Activision's Guitar Hero and Tony Hawk franchises may prove to be "damaging for growth prospects".

Of course, when talking about Guitar Hero's and Tony Hawk's competition, it can only mean Harmonix' Rock Band (for the Xbox 360, PS3) and EA's Skate (also for the Xbox 360 and PS3). Hickey said that Rock Band may prove to be a compelling option in the console music gaming genre, which may eventually mean trouble for Activision itself.

Hickey said that analysts are expecting the Guitar Hero series to develop and evolve with the addition of new music peripherals in the near future, which will help the franchise in staying afloat in the midst of competition.

It's time once again for GameStop's Deal of the Week, for the week ending October 4. This time Tony Hawk's Proving Ground by Activision is in the limelight with its US$ 5 discount for every pre-order. The discount is available for all versions of the game (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PS2, DS).

Another big pre-order offer for this week is the extra 20% trade-in credit given for games traded in towards the reservation and/or purchase of Nintendo's Super Mario Galaxy. That's a pretty nifty offer right there, handy when you're itching to get Mario's latest romp and don't have enough cash to nab it.

GameStop now also offers some exclusive Hellgate: London items along with every purchase of the game, for both the Collector's Edition and the Regular Edition. The free goodies are not to be scoffed at: a Hellgate poster, a customized armor kit, beta invitation, and even a Founder's Offer Subscription. If you missed out on the last Hellgate: London contest and the chance to get Hellgate goodies, then consider this your second chance.

As always with GameStop's weekly offers, there's much, much more in store for gamers (there's even something for Tabula Rasa fans), so just click on the above images for more information, or better yet, click on the Read link below.

For fans of the Tony Hawk franchise who would just happen to be getting themselves a Wii within the next few days, here's the latest bunch of material from Activision for their upcoming title, Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam.

For this batch, we have a whole load of screens which feature the characters of the game - London punk female Mackenzie, goth chick Jynx, pretty-as-pink Tiffany, and of course, the star of the show himself, Tony Hawk. We also have high-res character renders of the characters, as well as the latest launch video that Activision has got to offer.

A launch title for the Nintendo Wii, players can expect not only the trademark fun that other versions of Tony Hawk games are known for, but also a chance to skate at locations that include Machu Picchu, Rome and Rio de Janeiro.

So, don't worry, boys and girls, since the wait isn't much longer now.

Download: [Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam Wii launch trailer]

More screenshots and character art after the Jump!

Activision announced today that their launch games for both the Wii and PS3 have shipped to retail stores nationwide and are already up for grabs. The following games from the company's lineup are now in stores:

• Tony Hawk's Project 8 (PS3, Xbox360)
  
• Call of Duty 3 (Wii, PS3)
  
• Marvel: Ultimate Alliance (Wii, PS3)
  
• Tony Hawk: Downhill Jam (Wii, DS)
  

The company will also be releasing two more Wii titles on November 22nd, Rapala Tournament Fishing and World Series of Poker: Tournament of Champions.

Yeah, we know, these games would mean absolutely nothing without the consoles, but wouldn't you want to get a head start before everyone starts flocking to stores for these games? And for the lucky few who already have their Wii's and PS3's, go grab these games now! (Or maybe after you're done drooling over your beautiful consoles...?)

So the Wii launch is just around the corner, and like other Wii fans out there, you're probably wondering how the Wiimote would feel like, and how will you play your games with it. After all, it's either that or you're looking for an authentic Reggie Fils-Aime hair strand to add to your ever-growing Wii shrine.

Kidding aside, it would be fun if we can have a glimpse of how the Wiimote gameplay will jive with all Wii games that we can get our hands on this year.

Anyway, pardon the ramblings. You see, we have a video for you guys demonstrating how you'd use the Wiimote with Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam. Can't wait to take a look at it? Go download the vid below.

Download: [Tony Hawk: Downhill Jam Wiimote trailer]

Are you ready to rumble? Coming to Europe on December 8 is Nintendo's Wii, along with awesome launch titles, including Wii Sports and Wii Play. Soon, you'll be able to check out for yourself just how fine the Wiimote can be on The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (it won't matter anymore that Link's already a rightie), EA Sports' Need For Speed Carbon, and Ubisoft's Red Steel. But wait, let's not forget about Activision's war-action game Call of Duty 3 and Ubisoft's Rayman Raving Rabbids.

That's a lot, right? But we're just getting started. We have here for you the list of Wii launch titles for Europe. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled out for your favored games, and mark that day red on your calendar! This is as good as a treasure hunt could get. Enjoy!

Wii Europe Launch Titles (December 8)

• Wii Sports Bundle
  
• The Legend of Zelda : Twilight Princess
• Wii Play (including Wii Remote)
• Call of Duty 3 (Activision)
• Marvel: Ultimate Alliance (Activision)
• Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam (Activision)
• Madden NFL 07 (EA)
• Need For Speed Carbon (EA)
• Happy Feet (Midway Games)
• Rampage: Total Destruction (Midway Games)
• Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz (Sega)
• Gottlieb Pinball Classics (System 3)
• Super Fruit Fall (System 3)
• Disney/ Pixar Cars (THQ)
• Barnyard (THQ)
• Spongebob Squarepants: Creature from the Krusty Krab (THQ)
• Blazing Angels Squadrons of WW II (Ubisoft)
• Far Cry Vengeance (Ubisoft)
• GT Pro Series (Ubisoft)
• Monster 4x4 World Circuit (Ubisoft)
• Open Season (Ubisoft)
• Rayman Raving Rabbids (Ubisoft)
• Red Steel (Ubisoft)
• Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent (Ubisoft)

December Titles (but without specified dates)

• Impossible Mission (System 3)
• Leaderboard Golf (System 3)
• Tennis Masters (System 3)

And this one goes out to fans of the Tony Hawk franchise who are planning to get themselves a Wii this coming November...

Yup, with the clock finally winding down for the release of the next-gen consoles, here's some more screenshots to ease the waiting for November 19 when both the Wii and Tony Hawk: Downhill Jam will be released to the public.

Published by Activision, this Tony Hawk game deviates from the usual formula of completing challenges or pulling off tricks in order to gain points. This time around, the goal would be to race neck-and-neck with other skaters, and in order to get to that shortcut to the finish line, one will have to be able to pull off tricks successfully, whether it's to climb a ridge, jump off a wall or simply cut corners. Besides the in-game racers, this title also allows up to four players to race against one another at the same time.

In the meantime, let's take this time to get acquainted with the game characters: Tony Hawk (well, of course...) in the generic shirt and shorts; Dreadlocked Ammon; Brit punk girl MacKenzie; green-and-red Kyla; Gunnar with the sunglasses; Tiffany in the pink top; goth girl Jinx; and the unfortunate and injured Crash.

Talk about cultural diversity.

Forty more screenshots after the Jump!

Remember Target's Wii endcap that we reported on a few days ago? It turns out that the display contains not only rubber covers, dogtags and the likes. There's actually a DVD there that costs for an amazingly low price of U.S. $ .01. Nope, that wasn't a typo. Just one cent, nothing more and nothing less.

The DVD, which was from publisher Activision, contains media related to games like Marvel: Ultimate Alliance and Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam. While it doesn't contains the real games, the trailers and behind the scene movies serve as good alternatives. THe skateboard title even includes ways to win studio walkthrough and locations of the such.

  
  

When it comes to taking things seriously, online retail store EB Games includes games and promises in their list. And unlike the mere speculations before, what we have here today is the official pamphlet for the Wii VIP card. The offer is available not only to those who would be pre-ordering a Wii because purchasing it on launch day or even after that still entitles buyers to become Wii VIPs.

To welcome eager fans more, EB games is holding an introductory offer that slashes off AU$ 20 (roughly around US$ 15) to Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam. With new offers every month, we were wondering when big games such as Red Steel and Legend of Zelda end up in their list.

Discounted games will be sold to members for just AU$ 8.95 while non-VIP buyers will get it for AU$ 9.95. There is still no mention on how VIP discounts will apply to first-party software as well as to Electronic Arts developed and published games. EA titles have been previously listed for just under AU $ 100.

We've given you screenshots and artwork, videos, and details about the upcoming skater game Tony Hawk Downhill Jam for the Wii. Now, feast your eyes on two spanking new screens from the said game where you get to play as Tony Hawk or any of the eight other original characters.

 

As we've mentioned in earlier articles, the game will allow for a bit of creative freedom as it will have the "Create-a-Skater" feature where you'll get to customize your skateboards, and whether you go for the sleeker boards or the 70's styled ones, your choice will affect the gameplay, making your skating experience more exciting.

And by now, you guys also probably know how the Wiimote will be used for the game controls like skating, rotating, and performing tricks. But just in case you don't, basically, the game will be playable by holding the Wiimote horizontally. You can get more info on the game's control scheme right here. Tony Hawk Downhill Jam is set to skate your way later this year.