We've seen so many game announcements this week, it's almost sort of refreshing to get to write a non-announcement. During yesterday's Activision earnings call, the company revealed that there would be no new console Tony Hawk game in 2008. If you can believe it, it's the first time the game hasn't gotten an annual release since Tony Hawk's Pro Skater first ollied into the nation's heart in 1999.

Though we can understand if some of you are bummed without your yearly Hawk infusion, we couldn't be happier. After getting its clock cleaned 2 to 1 by Skate, it seems like the perfect time for Activision to regroup, lick its wounds and, you know, put some effort into the series.

[Via X3F]

Activision's recent conference call didn't consist entirely of gloating about those record holiday-quarter sales, as the publisher also took the opportunity to outline some of its plans for 2008. It seems we're in for quite the party, albeit one where you'll actually remember everybody's name. Guitar Hero? James Bond? Tony Hawk? Spider-Man? Yeah, we've met.

According to a Variety report, the aforementioned party will see multiple performances by The Instrument Protagonists, due to promote two Guitar Hero "add-ons" in Spring and a full sequel in Fall. While party animals debate the game tie-ins to animated films Kung Fu Panda and Madagascar 2, suave gentleman will attempt to decrypt James Bond's film adaptation, Quantum of Solace. A roughly equal amount of solace will be found by the comic fans huddled around the punch bowl, as new Spider-Man and Marvel Ultimate Alliance games are expected to knock on the door at some point during the festivities.

Finally, don't expect Tony Hawk to be turned away (he's on the guest list), especially since he's bringing his friend ... uh ... Call of Duty? We honestly don't know where we're going with this analogy.

[Via The Cut Scene]

Anyone who's spent even a little time rocking out to Guitar Hero III has likely noticed the game's heavy-handed approach to product placement, with stages littered with cans of Red Bull and billboards hocking everything from Axe Body Spray to Pontiac. The whole thing feels oppressive and graceless as even the game's underground rock venues are reduced to feeling like props to corporate shilling. And things are likely to get worse before they get better, as Activision today announced that it has inked a deal with Microsoft-owned Massive to provide in-game ads in not only Guitar Hero III, but Tony Hawk's Proving Ground as well.

The two titles have been added to the growing Massive Network advertising collective, which also includes Activision's Transformers adaptation, and will made to include "contextually relevant" dynamic ads. Interestingly, it's unclear if this partnership extends to all versions of the affected (afflicted?) games, or just those for Microsoft's console. What is clear, however, is that as games are now a big business, more and more companies are beginning to get in line for their slice of the money pie, and while game companies and advertisers reap the benefits of this arrangement, gamers are left holding the controller wondering just when their games became interactive commercials.

Those who downloaded the new demo for Tony Hawk Proving Ground demo on Xbox Live may have spotted the above poster in the sample. The poster advertising rumored sequel "GUN: Magruder's Ghost" is either a really big tease or a really unconventional game announcement. Our heart says the latter, but, well, you can probably guess which one our brains say.

If you want to see the poster for yourself, head down the hill at the beginning of the demo and keep on that road until you see a large stairway on your left. You'll find the poster at the top. We'll be a little too busy dreaming of Lance Henriksen-soaked gaming goodness.

[Thanks, Squeedom]

For the first time in a very long time, Tony Hawk has some real competition this year from EA's Skate. Though Tony Hawk Proving Ground has already won the award for most appropriate title of the year, the contest for the top skating franchise is still wide open. With the Skate demo already available, you can now officially lay odds on how the battle will pan out as the THPG demo backside kickflips its way on to Xbox Live.

You've seen the comparison videos, now you can get some hands-on time with both. Here's the big question: Which one will you be getting? Will you welcome a new succinctly-titled overlord, or will you keep Tony in his throne?

Guitar Hero fans rejoice, the demo for Guitar Hero III will be available on the Xbox 360 version of Tony Hawk's Proving Ground releasing October 9. Two weeks after that it will be available to download on Xbox Live Marketplace. The demo will feature:

• Lay Down (by Priestess)
• Even Flow (by Pearl Jam)
• The Metal (by Tenacious D)
• Hit Me with your Best Shot (as made famous by Pat Benatar)
• Rock You like a Hurricane (as made famous by Scorpions)

We had a positive experience with Guitar Hero III during E3, despite its different look and feel, the gameplay is exactly what you expect from the series. What about the PS3 version of Tony Hawk's Proving Ground having the GH III demo or release on PSN for those with the adapter? That's a very good question and one we made sure to ask Activision. Well, they told us to go ask Red Octane. We've sent emails to Red Octane and will update as soon as we get responses.

We've played Skate, and we've seen Tony Hawk's Proving Ground. Today's video picks compare the latest trailers for both games.

Admittedly, we think the two titles can coexist, at least for this year. Skate is a completely different control experience, while Tony Hawk is the latest in a solid franchise. We can see both games appealing to different -- or even the same -- gamers.

And we're glad Skate is here to keep Tony Hawk honest. Do we really expect a 1.0 game to dethrone Tony Hawk-we-stopped-counting-version-numbers? Maybe not, but competition should make them both stronger.

See the new trailers after the break.

When it comes to games not called Halo 3, EA's Tony Hawk killer, Skate, is most definitely near the top of our "most anticipated" lists. In our last preview, we dumped an unbridled amount of praise upon it and for a very good reason: it embodies the feeling of skateboarding more than any game to date. For those of us who've spent our lives skating, getting our hands on this title was practically a spiritual experience.

And so, we sought more information from the good folks at Canada's EA Blackbox and have returned with an in-depth interview with its creators. From online multiplayer to recorded films and why we won't be seeing female avatars, there's something for everyone in this Skate love-in.

Has your appetite for new-gen skateboarding games not been whetted by clips from Electronic Arts' Skate? Activision has just sent out a press release unveiling the latest Tony Hawk game, entitled Proving Ground.

New features with full-featured editing tools and visual effects for creating "epic skate videos," a customizable Skate Lounge where you and friends can skate around together, and seamless single player and online integration. There will be skateable terrain altering and more Nail-the-Trick moves.

Proving Ground is slated for release later this fall for Wii, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PS2 and Nintendo DS. GamePro is dedicated their next issue to the game. Has anyone already received their copy of the issue in the mail?



[Via Xbox 360 Fanboy]

Here's a charity item we guarantee no one has ever auctioned off before: a Guitar Hero controller bonded to a skateboard fragment -- with Tony Hawk's siggy, no less. Bidding starts at $100 and proceeds go to the MusiCares organization, which catches panhandling musicians in a delicate safety net and provides them with "critical assistance" (read: not a record deal). Some 29 other celeb- and rocker-decorated GH controllers are also up on eBay to support the cause.

For anyone hoping for more than just a geeky display piece, please note the fine print: "Owing to customization, the controller is offered solely as an art object and is not guaranteed to have retained any functionality; buyers who choose to connect the controller to a console do so at their own risk." (Ever seen a skate-guitar asplode...?)

[Via IGN]

Tony Hawk's presence is so strong in the gaming world that he even has titles available for imaginary consoles! Tucked away in the lower right corner of TonyHawk.com is an image promoting the latest game, Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam. It's available for -- brace yourself -- Sony Wii.

We're sure this is an innocent slip-up and not a portent of the future to come. Or are the folks behind Tony's website doing tarot card readings on the side?

For the record, Downhill Jam is available for Nintendo's Wii, DS and Game Boy Advance. A PS2 version is in the works and will be released later this year.

[Thanks, Stephen]

Someone call Activision and let 'em know that 720p means 1280x720, please. Games-Aktuell, a German gaming outlet, has discovered that Call of Duty 3 and Tony Hawk's Project 8 are not running at a 720p high-def resolution.

When the tests were run, CoD3 was shown to be running at 1040x620 pixels and THP8 at 1040x584 pixels. The pixel drop reflects a resolution drop of 30% and 34%, respectively. The resolution drop could be assumed to help keep framerates up, but THP8 reportedly has framerate problems. So what's up?

Activision Germany told Cynamite.de that they weren't aware of the problem and are looking into it. Lower resolution is not something that normally just happens by accident, but given the recent quality assurance problems with CoD3, these resolution problems may just be another woeful mistake. If intentional, why the resolution drop in THP8 when the 360 is clearly powerful enough to handle something like Gears of War just fine?

We've included a machine-translated link of the original German post.

While Downhill Jam and Project 8 are two very different takes on the Tony Hawk license, they share enough commonalities (ollies, grinds, rotations, grabs, etc.) to warrant a Wiimote vs. Sixaxis comparison.

Downhill Jam (Wii) and Project 8 (PS3) both feature motion-controlled skating, providing the gaming public with an ideal opportunity to judge the Wiimote and Sixaxis against each other. We'll have to wait until after November 19th to conduct hands-on trials, but a handy clip (see embedded video) has been spliced together giving us a preview of the showdown to come.

A quick round up of some of the other games at Microsoft's X06 party tonight:

• Tony Hawk's Project 8: The marquee new feature, already well-known, is the ability to slow down time to perform individualized tricks, using an analog stick to control each leg. The timing takes a bit of getting used to, but after a few minutes you'll be busting out some ridiculous combos -- and actually understanding what goes into the tricks to boot. Besides that the game seems like the same old Tony Hawk, though being able to choose the desired difficulty of each goal on the fly is a nice improvement.
• Lumines Live: The Xbox Live version of the PSP puzzler is actually significantly harder to control -- neither the analog stick nor the digital pad are precise enough for quick moves. Playing on a big screen is nice, but it actually makes it harder to take in the whole playfield with one quick glance. And the new mission mode seems intriguing, but there are only five levels available unless you purchase an additional mission pack. Yikes!
• Fuzion Frenzy 2: Only three mini-games were playable, though there were 43 listed in-game. My favorite was Sumo Paint, featuring rolling, bumping spheres battling for position and control of floor space. Seems like a decent enough drinking game with friends in the room, but not as appealing over Xbox Live.

Look for more impressions from the X06 show floor soon.

In another setback facing the PS3 launch, Activision and Neversoft confirmed to Joystiq last week that there will be no online gameplay in Tony Hawk's Project 8.

While the Xbox 360 version will feature up to eight players online, as well as persistent leaderboards and possible future downloadable content, the PS3 is getting no joy.

Possible reasons for this: Neversoft had gotten final hardware from Sony less than three weeks ago and they have yet to receive final software libraries. Hard to build a house when the lumber ain't there yet.

With Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam having already been confirmed as not having online play on the Wii, the Xbox 360 version is your only option if you want to kickflip with your buddy in New Jersey while you sit comfortably in Topeka.

[Thanks for all the reminders, readers]