Every week, I research all the best new video game releases to find the one game that you need to play and the one game that you need to stay away from: my Video Game Winners and Losers of the Week. This week with 100% more winners!

Listen to mankind’s greatest radio segment, Video Game Winners and Losers of the Week

Look, nobody’s perfect. And in the world we live in, people always to focus on these imperfections, as they tend to make or break a person’s career, or product. And the gaming industry is no different. Video games get leaked almost daily. Whether it’s gameplay footage, information, or even the game itself, leaks in the videogame industry are always important- even when it’s something as small as a title.

Brian Tyree, a creative director for Ayzenberg (the PR company that works with Activision), posted his resume online, with a lengthy list of games that he’s worked on. The list is pretty textbook- games like Banjo & Kazooie, Pure, Singularity, and Afro Samurai made the cut, but there’s also a game called Tony Hawk Ride on the list that we’ve never heard of.

Activision recently teased a ‘reinvention’ of the Tony Hawk franchise, which is most likely the new skateboard perihperal we’ve heard so much about, and it seems as though Tony Hawk Ride will be the name attached to it. I hope not, though- it sounds like a boring name. Maybe if it weren’t prefixed with “Tony Hawk”, it would sound better. I’m not alone in this, I hope- what do you guys think about the name?

As if you didn’t have enough games backtracked to carry you into the New Year, today, at an event hosted by Massive Inc., Activision announced a shitload of new games, though they’re mostly sequels to old titles. Hit the jump for the full details.

As expected, Activision announced yet another game for the Guitar Hero franchise. Whoo. If you haven’t been keeping track, that’s the 9th announced Guitar Hero game from Activision. I mean, jeez, Harmonix only made three in the two years they had the series, and as of Q1 2010 (that’s two and a half years in Activision’s hands) the game will have twelve sequels & spin-offs. The franchise is going to die faster than [some 80's rap star]’s career. Thank you, I’ll be here all night.

Surprisngly, Activision also announced a new Tony Hawk game — one that won’t use the controller and will probably use the rumored skateboard peripheral, along with a new Call of Duty game planned as a sequel to Modern Warfare. The last of Activision’s announcements included a new Bond game, probably based off of the 23rd Bond film in 2010, and an original racing game from Bizarre Creations, which they’ve described as ‘Mario Kart meets Forza.” If it allows me to shoot a blue shell from a Maserati, I’m all for it.

Source: MTV Multiplayer

Seriously, who thought four grown men wearing pink dress shirts and white boxers sock sliding across a hardwood floor was a good way to market Guitar Hero: World Tour?

What type of Rock Band Group are Tony Hawk, Alex Rodriguez, Kobe Bryant, and Michael Phelps forming? A sissy band that caps off a long night of underwear performances in their living room with a pillow fight? Maybe they can call their band the “Old News Pretty Boy Ski Lodge Olympic Mike” Band. Why Mike? Who told you to do this commercial?

Activision, please hear my plea. Fire your ad agency. The quadruple piano intro is to testosterone as Kryptonite is to Superman.

Afterthought: Does anyone actually like these commercials? Does this make you want to buy Guitar Hero over Rock Band 2?

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was just awarded Overall Game of the Year at last night’s 11th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards Show. See, we were right!

In addition to Game of the Year, Infinity Ward’s hot little number also called in an airstrike on Console Game of the Year, Action Game of the Year, and Outstanding Achievement in Online Game Play. Activision rejoiced at the kill streak and called in a helicopter.

Robin Kaminsky, Activision’s executive vice president of publishing, had this to say:

“It’s an honor for Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare to be recognized by the Academy as the best game of 2007. The team at Infinity Ward is committed to delivering groundbreaking entertainment to gamers worldwide and all of the awards are an acknowledgment of their talent, dedication and hard work.”

Jason West, studio head and project lead at Infinity Ward, added:

“We’re thrilled and truly appreciate that our efforts have been recognized by the Academy, especially with the incredible competition this year.”

Apparently, the competition wasn’t as great as we all thought it was. In fact, Call of Duty 4 topped the 2007 sales charts as the number-one, best-selling game worldwide, according to The NPD Group, Chart Track, and GFK Group. The game sold in excess of 7 million copies, even though it was just released in November.

ActiBlizzion has effectively entered Prestige Mode, as I’m sure they are planning on doing this all over again in 2008 with titles like Guitar Hero 4, Tony Hawk 481 (or whatever number they are on now), StarCraft 2, and of course, Call of Duty 5.

There’s a right and a wrong way to do things. Then there’s a middle of the road. You know, complacent. Boring. Non eventful. Or as I like to call it, Tony Hawk, post Pro Skater 2.

I have a few philosophies in life. Tao of Mike #251. “If a hip and cool spokesperson is almost 10 years older than myself, he is no longer than face of a new generation. He’s just an old man selling out.” Sorry, Tony. There may have been a time where I sought out your tapes, owned several of your boards, and wished I could be as cool as you. That was 1986. I was 11. I am a fan, and I will always look on those days fondly. Like all great things that come to an end, your days of Pro Skater supremacy are over. Some say Skate is the next generation. I say it’s time to leave skateboards underneath my Vans and off of my console.

So, what is the problem with the Hawk series this year? The same virus that seems to be infecting almost all sports games in recent memory — too much complexity. Trying to include the kitchen sink, and thinking that every button on an overcrowded Six-axis has to cramp up my hand and leave it as lifeless as the stump Bob Dole sticks his pen into.

There’s so much going on, so many ways to manipulate a trick, that I found myself staring at the skateboard in my bedroom and thinking how much easier it would actually be to ride in real life than mash buttons in this game.

There’s plenty here to enjoy, yet it’s all been done before (and more effectively) in previous installments of the Hawk series. Proving Ground is tiresome and repetitive, and I have felt that way since Pro Skater 2 on the Dreamcast, which absolutely kicked ass.

It’s become such a joke that every single year during E3, Activision’s PR/marketing firm, or a Neversoft rep declares the new Hawk incarnation to be THE definitive skating/Tony Hawk experience. That leaves me wondering, ‘So why should we purchase THIS years edition, if in 2009 you’ll just be declaring how much 2008 sucked?’

So, here we are. Different year, with a similar experience. It’s hard to be inspired during a review when a game is so mediocre. A truly phenomenal game gets my juices flowing, and a horrid game will piss me off, instigating a rant. This is neither. It’s just there.

My Uncle Dan use to say that “It doesn’t matter if people love you or hate you, what’s important is that you do something that is memorable.” Although he probably ripped it off of someone else, it’s still cool, because my uncle Dan is a unique fellow who you surely would not forget. Make your mark and don’t settle, good advice in life, and in game design.

You can add one more to the list, and that would be “know when to retire”. Tony, do you really want to be the 45 year old guy on the cover a video game with hair dye and air-brushed wrinkles? You’ve had a good run, one could even consider you an endearing video game mascot. Even a perennial console veteran like Sonic the Hedgehog, had his reign come to an end (thanks to many sub-par adventures).

Once upon a time, that little blue cliché threatened Mickey Mouse and Super Mario for worldwide recognition, but now, it appears that his time has ended. Maybe you should consider a nice room in the retirement home with Sonic, Bubsy, Knuckles, Aero the Acrobat, and R.O.B. the Robot. I hear they have pudding with their lunch! Do you like pudding, Tony? Okay, calm down grandpa, don’t get too excited. That hip is fragile, and your bed (while it is tilted at an angle) is not a half pipe!

All of this is pointless, of course, if 2008’s Tony Hawk beats Skate to a bloody pulp in sales. Then, by all means, keep ‘em coming Hawk-man. Until then, I’ll let Roxy (my dog) pull me through the park on my board. It’s less cramping on my fingers and much more fun. Who knew? Reality can be enjoyable!