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.

Pro skateboarder Tony Hawk was recently interviewed regarding the Nintendo Wii version of upcoming game Tony Hawk's Proving Ground. The game will be released this coming November 2 and will also be available on platforms Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo DS, and PlayStation 2.

Tony Hawk shared that in all previous titles under his name, he is very much part of the development process and the same is true with Proving Ground. Hawk described his part:

I don't really have a favorite game because I feel like we improve on it each time... I'm there from the start, making suggestions, playing it all along, trying to figure out the best tricks to include, skaters, locations, challenges. Really, my main job is to keep it authentic.

Despite his real-life achievements, Tony Hawk said that he still finds enjoyment in playing video games as it let him do things he can't perform otherwise. "I will unlock my character and play him, and assign him tricks I can't do in real life, so I can watch myself do these tricks I could never ever do," Hawk added.

When asked the possibility of using Wii peripherals on Tony Hawk's Proving Ground, the skateboarder admitted that he feels like the Wii Fit Balance Board can offer a lot of possibilities and dimension to the game. However, those who would want to see this happen may need to wait for the next iteration:

I've seen a little bit of it. I think it's possible to incorporate the Wii Fit board into one of our games, but it would change the control scheme dramatically and we'd have to figure out how to make that work. So I don't know yet.

To read more about Tony Hawk and his plans for his career at this point (he will soon turn 40), click on the Read link below.

Who'd have thunk it? Adam Yauch a.k.a. MCA of the Beastie Boys will be showing off his mad skateboarding skills (at least virtually) in Activision's upcoming skater game, Tony Hawk's Proving Ground. He'll be one of the new faces that will grace the famous, if improbable, line up of bonus skaters for the game.

Included in this update is the complete soundtrack listing for Tony Hawk's Proving Ground, totalling a hefty 54 licensed songs all in all. Included in this list will be famous bands that play to the tune which has marked this high-velocity series, such as the Foo Fighters, Nirvana, Slick Rick, and Jurassic 5.

Activision also announced an added bonus for those getting the Xbox 360 version of the game. The game will include a five song demo of "Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock." While the demo will be available soon on the Xbox Live, this is definitely a freebie that will be hard to pass up on.

Developed by Neversoft, Tony Hawk's Proving Ground is scheduled for release during the last quarter of this year. It will be coming out for the Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Nintendo DS and Wii.

Check out the complete list of songs and their respective artists right after the jump!

The Tony Hawk line of skating games is one of the best-selling electronic entertainment franchises in history. With sequel after sequel piling up, one has to wonder if there are any treats left in the bag for upcoming Tony Hawk's Proving Ground. Tony Hawk answers that in this Gamespot interview during the Leipzig Games Convention. Check it out:

If you've been listening to the man, you'd know that emphasis has been placed into this iteration's career mode as well as its controls. Analog sticks will be used to control arms, making tricks more realistic and opening up countless possibilities. The career mode, on the other hand, will offer countless customization options and a non-linear path to stardom. Styles will definitely matter as you custom-build your athlete and get him primed for the extreme.

Tony Hawk's Proving Ground will be released later this year by Activision on the Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS. Neversoft has been tapped to mold the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions, while other firms are handling the Nintendo platforms.

Buy: [Tony Hawk's Proving Ground (PS3)]
Buy: [Tony Hawk's Proving Ground (Xbox 360)]

Activision is dead set on taking the skateboarding genre to the next level with Tony Hawk's Proving Ground (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii). Not only will there be cool new features like a fully functional video editor and customizable skate pad that you can show off to your friends online, but the core game also offers a story for all kinds of skaters - pro, hardcore, and street skaters.

In this video, Chad Findley walks us through the path of a career skater. Like the name implies, players who'll chose this option will have to take on the challenges of going pro. Following stories inspired by real skaters, you'll be taking the shoes of an upcoming star in his rise to fame. This means you'll be learning from the basics, and will have access to full skater control.

Proving Ground aims to reach new heights by putting realism up a notch - players will be able to control their skater's feet or hands completely with sticks. If you choose to go pro, you'll be doing these a lot to create your own tricks for magazines. Find out what we're talking about by watching the video below.

Buy: [Tony Hawk's Proving Ground (Xbox 360)]
Buy: [Tony Hawk's Proving Ground (PS3)]
Buy: [Tony Hawk's Proving Ground (Wii)]

Tony Hawk and his Pro Skater games may have competition now, but he still looks on top of his game. Ever since the legend nailed the 900, Activision's been hot on him with production of Tony Hawk Pro Skater games. We've lost count on how many spin-offs have been made, but it's time for Tony Hawk's Proving Grounds (PS3, Wii, Xbox 360). Tony Hawk takes us through the latest installment in this video.

Tony gives us the low down on the game, which boasts of new features such as the extensive video editor. Most gameplay elements have been tweaked to near perfection too, and different skater classes with their own story branches have been introduced.

The vert champ also talks about how they have only started to tap the power of this generation's consoles, but Proving Ground is going to be the best in the series. Without further ado, here's Tony Hawk himself:

Buy: [Tony Hawk's Proving Ground (PS3)]
Buy: [Tony Hawk's Proving Ground (Xbox 360)]

 

We already nailed down some major details about Activision's Tony Hawk's Proving Ground and its grand scale. Skate fans who've been keeping a tab on this title would know about the different locations, skater types, and cool features like the video editor. For those not in the know, here's co-project lead Chad Findley giving us a brief rundown.

Days of busting tricks over the west coast are finally over, as Proving Ground takes the challenge to the east. Hot spots Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington DC will be the new playgrounds. Players will be in the shoes of three different skaters - the pro, the hardcore, and the type who skate for the sake of it. Whatever you choose, anyone can become a star with the video editor packed with plenty of bells and whistles.

Take it from the man Chad Findley himself by clicking on the Read link below.

We've been teased with screenshots, scans, and interviews, but now here's something meaty and juicy we can finally sink our teeth into as far as Activision's Tony Hawk's Proving Ground is concerned: its launch trailer video, served up by the good people over at Gamerxyde.

The video shows and talks about the three types of skater - those who skate for a career, those who make it their life's mission to make skating parks out of everywhere and anywhere, and those who skate for themselves. Hmm.

There's also some great-looking gameplay bits in the video that are worth watching. No joy of a tentative multiplatform (PS3, Wii, 360) release date, though, but at least we know it's this year. Every skater has a story. What's your story?

Here's a new batch of magazine scans depicting the latest title in the Tony Hawk series in all its gritty, road-rashed glory. While we can't really tell you what the magazine article actually says, the screens inside are quite telling in the sense that you'll be tussling quite a bit with the law as you roll through the urban jungles of Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Washington.

Judging from the scans, Tony Hawk's Proving Ground looks like it has some player-archetype thing going on, with examples such as Carrier, Rigger, and Hardcore. While we don't know yet just how large of an impact choosing one over the other would have on your gameplay, a safe guess would be each type would have his or her own move set, or even a different skating style entirely.

Could it even be the factor of just how much the police are keeping tabs on you and your moves? Well, trying to circumvent the language barrier aside, Activision's Tony Hawk's Proving Ground looks to be one interesting skate.

Keep it locked right here for any and all updates regarding The Hawk's latest multiplatform game (PS3, Wii, 360).

   

Skateboarding legend Tony Hawk recently sat down in an interview to talk about the latest title of the Tony Hawk games, Tony Hawk's Proving Ground - as well as a few comments about Electronic Art's SKATE. We're here to hit you with the cold hard facts faster and harder than botching an Indy 900.

The Hawk began the interview by talking about his involvement in the past games. He reminisces that, while his participation in the games have been fairly consistent, it was a much harder time when the first game was still in production - he had to give Neversoft and Activision a crash course of skateboarding culture besides helping with the actual game.

When asked of his thoughts about SKATE, Tony Hawk replied that it was about time for someone else to jump the bandwagon, and that he wasn't worried about EA's foray into the skating genre stealing Proving Ground's thunder. Posed with the fact that SKATE aims to be as realistic as possible, Tony replied that the game was as real as the player made of it - part of the appeal of video games is doing stuff you'd never be able to do in real life. He elaborated by saying that if they did make the Tony Hawk games as "realistic" as possible, they wouldn't even be able to make the 9th game in the series, much less a sequel to the original game.

Well, what about you, readers? SKATE or Tony Hawk's Proving Ground? Realism or over-the-top action? Either way, the comparison WILL be unavoidable - and we'll be here to update you as developments occur. In the meantime, you can check out the full interview at the read link we've provided below.