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.

In a press release, Sony revealed the second wave of Greatest Hits games that will hit the PSP later this year. The first wave will launch tomorow, as reported earlier. Ace Escape: On the Loose, ATV Offroad Fury: Blazin' Trails, Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee, Twisted Metal: Head On and Wipeout Pure make up the first wave. Many people were disappointed that some popular titles like Lumines wouldn't be making the cut. Well, Sony has fixed that! The second wave games are as follows:

• Lumines
• Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition
• Star Wars Battlefront II
• Tony Hawk's Underground 2 Remix
• Untold Legends: Brotherhood of the Blade

All Greatest Hits games will retail for $19.99 in the USA. Retailers in Canada seem to live in 2001 when it comes to exchange rates, so expect $29.99 or $24.99 if we're lucky.

Along with the press release came the information that "With more than 5 million units sold, the PSP system remains North America’s top-selling next-generation handheld in the period since its record-setting launch in March 2005." I'm just noting this because it's the most creative marketing spin I've ever seen in a press release. In one sentence, Sony has added enough restrictions to give the idea that PSP is the dominant handheld in the continent! I know some of you are thinking "Shipped vs Sold?" but that's not the case. Sony has sold 5 million since its launch in March. However, that's the thing! "Period since [sic] March 2005" means that November 2004 - April 2005, in which the DS sold 1,651,786 units, is not counted. Also, they say "next-generation handheld" to exclude the GBA which has surprisingly outsold the DS and PSP since March! Again, very creative people in marketing. They deserve a raise or something!

Boys and girls, listen up! It's time to stock up on DS and PSP Games because Circuit City is having an early summer sale for all the videogame junkies out there. A bunch of games are listed on sale for only $8.96. You're not dreaming and that's no typo! But before you zoom your way to the nearest Circuit City, please remember that not all stores will have all these games in stock. Also, don't be surprised if some stores put them aside for now, because technically, the sale doesn't start until the week of July 4. Oh, by the way, as it turns out, the sale also covers titles for the PS2, Xbox, Gamecube, and Gameboy Advance.

Here's the list of PSP and DS Games for the Circuit City $8.96 summer sale taken from Cheap Ass Gamer.

PSP
Darkstalkers
Exit
FIFA Soccer
Gretzky NHL
NBA Street Showdown
Need For Speed Underground Rivals
Spiderman 2
Tiger Woods PGA
Tony Hawk Underground 2 Remix
World Soccer Tour

Nintendo DS
Advance Wars
Asphault GT (DS) - $5.96
ATV Quad Frenzy
Burnout Legends
Dig Dug: Digging Strike
Dragonball Z Supersonic Warriors 2
FIFA Soccer 2006
Finding Nemo
Goldeneye Rouge Agent
Great Juju Challenge
Gulty Gears Dust Strike
Incredibles Rise Of The Underminer
King Kong
Lunar Dragon Song
Madden 2005
Madden 2006
Meteos
Metroid Prime Pinball
Monster Truck
Need For Speed Underground 2
Pac N Roll
Pac Pix
Pokemon Dash
Polarium
Scooby Doo Unmasked
Spongebob Yellow Avenger
Spyro Shadow Legacy
Star Wars Episode 3 Revenge Of The Sith
Texas Hold Em
Tiger Woods 2005
Trace Memory
Ultimate Spiderman
Urbz: Sims In The City

Source: PSPWorld

GameSpot 8.5 (of 10)
"Tony Hawk's Underground 2 Remix is, first and foremost, a great game. But with its ability to successfully mimic the console versions, it's an impressive technical achievement, too."

IGN 8.7 (of 10)
"THUG 2 Remix is a great portable game in that you can pick it up, session for a bit on the bus, complete a few goals and then flip into sleep mode when you get where you're going. If you're a fan of the series and are getting a PSP, you certainly should pick this up.

GameSpy 4.5 (of 5)
"If you're aching for action sports on the go then this is the only game in town. That said, I don't expect to see a better PSP action-sports game until Tony Hawk next visits the system."

GamePro 4.5 (of 5)
"It was expected--the release of Tony Hawk on the PSP. It was not expected, however, that Remix would bring so much to a portable system."

PSPworld Rating: A-
"Pros: Very strong depth, tight controls, goes beyond the console version.
Cons: Sometime problems with camera, additions may not be enough for those that played the console version."

Aggregate Rating: 8.8 (out of 10)