Unfortunately, we can't attribute Michael Pachter's warning to Activision as a direct quote, as analysts are forbidden from saying "Hey" and are forced to substitute the informal greeting with "pardon me" or "pay attention to me, please." In commenting on Activision's glowing fiscal report and strong NPD presence to GameDaily BIZ, Pachter draws attention to several challenges Activision faces in the coming months. "All things are not perfect in Activision's world," he says.

Pachter predicts that the glaring imperfections (to put it mildly) highlighted by reviewers in the Spider-Man 3 games will curtail sales, and that Call of Duty 4's proposed Iraq setting may prove to leave an equally bad taste in the consumer's mouth. More interestingly, the analyst notes that if Harmonix's EA-published Rock Band is fully playable with just a guitar controller, it will "compete quite favorably with Activision's [Guitar Hero]." He suspects the instrument protagonist genre will remain kind to RedOctane's owner, but adds that "new entrants will impact future growth of the band." Or did he mean brand?

Once the dust settles in the battle of the fake bands, will Pachter still stand by his belief that Activision was right to buy RedOctane over Harmonix?

Arriving fashionably late is the latest installment of the Joystiq Podcast, double-oh seven! No, it's not "Bond edition," it's "Synergy edition." Why synergy? When you combine guest host Shawn Andrich, of the popular Gamers with Jobs Conference Call podcast, with discussion of Jaffeton you can't help but feel the synergy. Roll in some discussion with GamePolitics blogger -- and Joystiq columnist -- Dennis McCauley, and thinks get downright synergistic.

Get the podcast:
[iTunes] Subscribe to the Joystiq Podcast directly in iTunes (MP3)
[RSS] Add the Joystiq Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator
[Digg] Like the show? Digg it.
[MP3] Download the MP3 directly

Hosts: Christopher Grant and Justin McElroy

Guests: Shawn Andrich (Gamers with Jobs) and Dennis McCauley (GamePolitics)

Music: "We Weren't Put Together" by David E. Sugar

Program:
0:01:30 - Spider-Man 3 synergy ("who cleans up all that webbing?")
0:12:36 - Sony goat of war II ("red phone")
0:21:07 - PlayStation 4 is coming ("fourth dimension new chipset")
0:27:53 - GTAIV "limited" on 360 ("it makes no qualitative difference")
0:33:38 - LucasArts' Fracture ("everybody's a miner")
0:41:00 - Wii release calendar ("What're ya' buyin'?")
0:49:55 - Dennis McCauley on Clements High maps
1:03:48 - The Jaffeton (censored)

In honor of Spider-Man 3 hitting game retailers and theatres near you this past weekend, DecalGirl has come out with a line of "Webslinger" skins for your electronic devices, most notably, the Xbox 360 console, controller, and HD DVD player accessory. All in all they look pretty solid, and the pricing isn't terrible, as you can choose how much of your console you want to skin. Hopefully they'll come with a Venom themed variation of the skin, as that would be pretty badass. You open to skinning your 360 Spidey style?

[Via Siliconera]

If you haven't yet swung in for the new Spider-Man game, tonight's video shows some of the Wii gameplay for the title. Spider-Man 3 Wii makes use of the Wii Remote in a few unique ways versus other versions of the game; we can't decide if they'll be fun or just another gimmick. Any opinions after watching this clip or playing for yourself?

See the video after the break.

With this week's releases sitting on store shelves and waiting for your eager hands to whisk them away to a land of ecstasy and wonder, we're pretty sure there's just one title beeping on your radar. That game is none other than Spider-Man 3. While we can honestly say we'll be seeing the movie before we play the game, we're fairly certain that upon leaving the theater, we'll want to swing around a virtual New York.

Will you be joining us? If not, what do you plan on playing this weekend?

Previous posts: What were you playing?

For those of you living under a gigantic rock that prevents any sort of common knowledge from seeping in, the film Spider-Man 3 is coming out this friday. With it, there was supposed to be some kind of video game entertainment dealie coming out as well on practically every system ever made. Don't get us wrong -- the Xbox 360, Wii, PS2, PC and DS will still get their Spidey on, but not the PS3 in the UK.

Activision UK lifted up that rock and shouted into the ears of Pro-G: "We're like, totally delaying Spider-Man 3 until, like, May 18 here in the UK!" Believe it or not, Activision UK's PR department is indeed run by Californian Valley Girls. Anyway, there was no reason for the delay... at least none given. Why would the game be delayed in the UK but not anywhere else? Don't point fingers at Sony -- this is Activision's doing. We know you might think Sony just loves screwing the UK, but this time... Activision is giving you something to cry about. Don't worry -- two weeks isn't that long.

[Thanks, Colin! Er, other Colin? Colin McP!]

This week is apparently the official week for movie tie-ins, because that's all we have coming out for our beloved DS here in the States. This week, Europe and Australia are the places to be, when it comes to games, and how often do you guys get to say that? Don't worry -- tomorrow, some delay will be announced for you guys, and it'll be back to business as usual.

We don't poke fun at you. We're commiserating. Luckily, this week there are games slated to hit PAL regions that are worth the wait, particularly in Australia.

On the shelves this week in the U.S.:

• Shrek the Third
• Spider-Man 3

For the rest of the world, check after the jump.

Games based on movies tend to launch on every system imaginable. So, why is poor PSP not receiving its own version of Spider-Man 3 this week? Every other console is getting its own version, from PS3 to GBA. Considering how many games appear cross-platform, it should be easy enough to port the PS2 or Wii version to PSP.

Unfortunately, PSP owners wanting some portable Spidey action will have to wait until later this year. Gamestop has a release date set for November--in time for its DVD release?

[Via Gamespot]

Those of us who've seen the producer video interview and read about the control scheme, yet still have a tough time imagining how we'll be playing the game, look no further. The embedded trailer, past the post break, provides a bit of humor along side a controls demonstration. And it features Bruce Campbell narrating! Seriously, what else do you need from us? Haven't you ever seen Army of Darkness? Don't you even care about our feelings?

[Via Gaming Bits]

PSP Fanboy offers the latest and greatest movie and game trailers, formatted for the PSP in this new weekly feature. Check it out every Saturday. PSP owners can download files wirelessly via m.pspfanboy.com.

Instructions: Save all movie and thumbnail files to the VIDEO folder. These high resolution 480x272 videos require firmware 3.30 or above. (Note: OE custom firmware will also play these videos.)

The sleuths over at Xbox 360 Achievements uncovered the Achievement list for May's Spider-Man 3. Looking over the list, it seems to cover all the free-roaming and mission based aspects of the game, similar to Crackdown, but in an SM context. A cool thing we're seeing for the first time is a secret achievement that is simply listed as one in the details that isn't actually "hidden". Our guess is that it has to do with the symbiote costume and/or your actions with it.

So, we leave you with three queries. First, are you looking forward to going through the trick races and completing all the side quests for some Gamerscore goodness. Second, why does the gamer in question not have the "Master Web Swinger" Achievement if he's got the preceding and following ones? Finally, does the tendency for Spider-Man films and movies releasing in May have anything to do with the title character's Aunt?

The media hounds over at GameTrailers have uncovered a new trailer for Spider-Man 3 (available in HD here). The video shows off a massive city and some very detailed characters. The trailer gives us glimpses of all the villains in the movie, including the Sandman and the new Goblin. Venom, one of the best villains evar, is in there too, but you'll have to keep your eyes open to spot him. All in all the game is looking pretty sharp, and as long as it plays as well as Spider-Man 2, we'll be first in line to check it out. Having watched the new trailer, who's ready for some new gen webslinging?

Gametrailers has a new video for Spider-Man 3, showcasing the subterranean element of the game's enviroments. Not only does Spider-Man 3 have a realistic representation of Manhattan above the streets, but also has included the subway and sewer system below. While we find it easy to believe that the subway system is true to life, we don't know if the sewer system got the same treatment, or if it is open to artistic license for the sake of gameplay. Because seriously, who'd want to confirm that their sewers are accurate, right? In any case, the added depth to the environment is definitely promising. The video is also available in Standard and High Definition WMVs if it suits your fancy. Did you enjoy Spider-Man 2 last generation, and are you looking forward to Spider-Man 3?

[Thanks, DjDATZ]

Chris Archer, producer on the upcoming game based on the film Spider-Man 3, recently conducted another interview, this time with Gamespot. This interview is in video form and was taken during an event in San Francisco where the first game footage was shown. The interview talks about how Treyarch is looking to make everything bigger this time around (bigger environments, bigger dramatic moment, bigger boss battles etc.) and the difficulties of handling an IP with such an incredible fan base.

Chris also reveals that the game will have ten different possible story lines, with one being the actual movie story line. The game is slated for a May release on all major consoles.

Gamertag Radio has posted some new screens of Spider-Man 3. Releasing this summer alongside the movie, Spider-Man 3 promises to return to the incredible gameplay and swing dynamics of Spider-Man 2. While the video we've seen so far is a little too pastel for our taste, there is no denying that webslinging, when done well, is some of the most fun you can have playing a video game. Here's hoping the game (and the movie) deliver. Hit the "read" link to check out the shots.