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.

Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam is one of those titles out to prove that the DS can rock and roll as hard as any other handheld. The game features Tony Hawk, the best thing that ever happened to skateboarding. In Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam, gamers compete in a downhill competition at sonic speeds.

Breaking the sound barrier is just part of it. There's also performing tricks and outmaneuvering opponents in six locations around the world from the familiar (San Francisco) to Machu Picchu and Rio de Janeiro in South America all the way to Kilimanjaro in Africa. Players compete in time-based challenges in one of three gameplay modes: race, trick, and slalom. Adding aural thrill to the visual action is the all-out heavy metal rock soundtrack top billed by Iron Maiden.

Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam from Activision (now available for US$49.99) could be the adrenaline rush you've been waiting for. The game will also be seen on Wii later this year.

Download: [Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam DS]

Twenty-six artistically-inclined members of the Tony Hawk's American Sk8land online community will be able to showcase their artwork in Activision's forthcoming DS title, Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam. This is what Activision announced today as the company unveiled the winning images in their recently-concluded art creation contest for Downhill Jam.

The winning images were chosen from among more that 66,000 pieces of logo and skateboard deck artwork submitted via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. They will be included as design options in Downhill Jam alongside artwork created b developer Vicarious Studios. The winning pieces can be viewed over at www.american-sk8land.com.

For those who want to make their own artwork for use in Downhill Jam, the game will employ a next-gen art editor with a slew of exciting features, giving players unprecedented levels of control over their skater's look and clothing design. Players can also use the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection to share their outfit designs with other community members.

Pre-Order: [Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam (DS)]

The other day, Vicarious Vision sent out an email to the Sk8land community about their upcoming game, Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam. What's in it? News on something a lot of DS gamers have been clamoring more of. Read on, friends...

The Tony Hawk franchise is known for its fresh, gravity-defying games, but this time they'll be doing something of a first for the Nintendo DS: In-game voice chat. Imagine you can spend the whole afternoon either shouting props to your friends for getting the Backslide Lipslide or the Ollie Fakie or smack talk on how they missed the Frontside 180 Powerslide or the Nollie Frontside Pop-shove-it. No official news yet on how this will be implemented, although some rumors are saying that friend codes may be required for chatting. So what else will you be expecting come October 25?

Besides the feature mentioned, there's more to this game than you can shake a stick at. The game will have 50 graffiti and skate decks courtesy of Sk8land's best artists, an option to create custom clothing & skate decks, and global score rankings. Looks like the game may be starting something new on the DS. Let's see whether this will take the game downhill or uphill.

Pre-Order: [Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam (DS)]

G'day, mates! Ol' St. Nicky will be coming around in a few short months, and if you're reading us from Oz, then we here at QJ will be glad to help you with your Chrissie wish lists! It's no big, as we say back here; we do this courtesy of your fellows over at PAL Gaming Network Australia who've compiled this list. After all, the Pacific should never be a barrier to people who share the passion for gaming.

All dates are subject to change if their respective game publishers decide to change them, though (it's happened before, right?). Stay tuned to QJ for any new updates to this list as we find them.

September 2006:
21: Starfox Command, Joytech Accessories
28: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Blue Rescue Team
30: Disney's Little Mermaid Ariel's Undersea Adventure, Disney's American Dragon: Jake Long, Age of Empires 2: The Age Of Kings

October 2006:
  5: FIFA 2007
19: Break'em All
22: Crazy Frog Racer
23: Top Gear Downforce
25: Tony Hawk Downhill Jam
26: Clubhouse Games, Mario Hoops 3 on 3, Ys Strategy, Surge Hive, New Zealand Story, The Sims 2: Pets
31: Lunar Knights, Eragon, Justice League Heroes, Tomb Raider: Legend, Arthur and the Minimoys, Bionicle: Heroes, Tom and Jerry Tales

November and onwards at the full article (click on the Full Article link below)!

Again we can thank the major developer conference- the Leipzig Games Convention, for gracing us with 3 brand new Tony Hawk: Downhill Jam screenshots. The Nintendo exclusive game coming out for the Wii, Nintendo DS ,and GBA features 9 playable characters including skateboarding legend Tony Hawk of course, arcade-style racing, a variety of skateboards to choose from and of course the legendary Create-A-Skater feature we have all come to know and love in the Tony Hawk series. There's nothing like spending hours on end trying to get your skater looking like yourself, only to come to a dead end when the game doesn't have the right facial features for you.

Anyhow, lets get onto the screenshots! Activision have released these three screenshots in the wake of Leipzig in order to give you that fix you need for all the adrenaline your missing out on from not playing Tony Hawk games. Enjoy the eye candy.

 

Here's another gameplay vid from the Leipzig Games Convention. This time, the spotlight's on Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam for the Nintendo DS. Downhill Jam is all about speed. It lets players do trick after trick while racing at breakneck speeds down the steepest and most treacherous hills in the world.

This latest installment in the Tony Hawk series of games is looking pretty good. The video also shows how the touch screen is used in the game: as a map showing how far along the route you've gone in your high-speed downhill skateboard race.

Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam will hit US stores on October 17, 2006, while those in the UK will be getting their hands on this game a month later, on November 17, 2006.

Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam  for the Nintendo DS and Wii is the first downhill skateboard racing game based on the wildly popular Tony Hawk franchise. In Downhill Jam, speed is the name of the game, and it would simply sound pretty stupid if while you're barrelling down steep slopes on what is basically a plank with four wheels the only accompaniment you've got is a hurdy-gurdy.

This is the reason why Downhill Jam's shooting for a soundtrack that'll make players pumped up and primed for a downhill racing experience that's never been seen before, and that's why they've got heavy metal legends Iron Maiden signed on. The British band will be contributing "Different World," a track off their forthcoming album A Matter of Life and Death, to the game's soundtrack.

Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam is scheduled for release on the Wii, Nintendo DS, and Game Boy Advance later this year.

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.

Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam is the latest installment to the popular Tony Hawk franchise. This time around, the name of the game's head to head downhill racing.  You'll be taking on the role of the Birdman himself or one of nine other characters and get to skate down some of the world's steepest terrains while doing tricks and trying to leave your opponents in the dust. Locations include San Francisco, Machu Picchu, and Hong Kong.

This game is being developed for the Nintendo DS by Vicarious Visions, who have honed their virtual skateboarding skills by adapting almost every previous Tony Hawk release for the Game Boy Advance. They have also worked on Tony Hawk's American Sk8land for the DS.

The Nintendo DS version of Downhill Jam will have multiplayer support for up to 4 players using the DS's Wi-Fi connection. Tony hawk's Downhill Jam is also being developed for the Wii and the Game Boy Advance.