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.

During the Activate Asia event (which was exclusive to the Asia Pacific region only), attendees got the lowdown on six Activision titles and five LucasArts games. We know that this is something to get excited about so we're here to give a rundown of the eleven games that were showcased during the said event.

• Guitar Hero II:  Rev up your guitar skills with Guitar Hero II. Apparently, hints were dropped that this game will be made available for Xbox 360 as well, but as rumors go, we can't be 100% sure about this. We can be sure though, that three new songs will be in this game: Madhouse by Anthrax, Shout at the Devil by Motley Crue and Trippin' on a hole in a Paper Heart by The Stone Temple Pilots. Guitar Hero II will be released on November 2006 for the PS2 console.
  

• Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam: Tony Hawk fans will be pleased to know that this game will be made available on October 2006 for Nintendo DS, GameBoy Advance and the Wii. So cheer up! You'll be skating along the terrains of Machu Picchu and San Francisco soon.

• Tony Hawk's Project 8: And while you're at it, you may want to check out another Tony Hawk game, too; available on Xbox, Xbox 360, PS2, PS3 and PSP on November.

• Marvel:Ultimate Alliance: Now, this is some game to watch out for. Take your pick from your favorite Marvel Characters and send Dr. Doom to oblivion this November. Available on Xbox, Xbox 360, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii and PC.
  

• Call of Duty 3: Enlist for a dangerous WWII military operation this November, available on Xbox, Xbox 360, PS2, PS3, PSP and Wii.

On the other hand, LucasArts' Roster includes the following:

• Lego Star Wars II: Embark on a mission from a land far, far away with your Xbox, Xbox 360, PS2, PSP, Nintendo DS, Gamecube, GameBoy Advance or PC on the 15th of September.
  

• Star Wars Empire at War- Forces of Corruption: And when you're done with Star-Wars, Lego-style, maybe you could go for another round of Jedi fun with this game made for PC, available on October 2006. You could await the release of Next Gen Star Wars and Indiana Jones titles.