Winnipeg Free Press

After watching hours of the E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) coverage on G4Tech and online I can predict with confidence that Rock Band 2 is going to be THE BIG GAME this fall leading into the holiday shopping season.

In gamer-geek parlance - Epic Win!

Sure, some of the RPG (role-playing games) and first-person shooters look impressive, but the real buzz came with the announcement of this hyped follow-up to the original Rock Band game launched last November.

To briefly review the concept, you and three friends get together in front of the big screen and surround-sound system, grab game controllers shaped like guitars to play lead and bass, as well as step into a drum kit and sing into a realistic microphone to match musical charts of popular rock songs to re-create the music and earn points.

You can form a band and chart your growth and success through world tours that take you through cool cities and venues.

I’ve played the original game often and it’s the most fun you can legally have at a party.

While Rock Band 1 should win game maker Harmonix multiple awards for best musical/rhythm game, Rock Band 2 takes the original concept and moves it forward with many significant tweaks to game play and the peripherals.

Here are the highlights:

* By the end of the year Harmonix will have released 500 songs, either on disc or via download, for the game. This will surpass by many hundred of titles the nearest competitor (Guitar Hero: World Tour).
* They have upgraded the guitar peripherals (more stable, automatic calibration and quieter buttons).
* The new version of the drum kit features a steel-reinforced pedal, quieter drum pads, more responsive and bouncier pads, and an optional cymbal kit that makes the drumming experience even more realistic.
* They have also added a single-player mode for bass players - a much-requested feature on the forums. This complements the existing world tour modes for all other instruments and vocals.

I’ve compiled an extensive collection of video evidence to bolster my prediction, which details some of the enhancements noted above.

First up is the official game trailer which shows game play and in-game visuals. Gotta love Foo Fighters as the lead demo:

Here’s the walk through from one of the developers from game maker Harmonix showing detailed demos of the new peripherals and game modes:

For a second opinion, here’s a link to a decent interview and demo from the fine people at Popular Mechanics.

We’ll finish off with a game play vid so you can see all of this innovation in action.

Both the disc-only version and the special edition with the updated peripherals are scheduled to be available in Winnipeg for Xbox 360 users on Nov. 1, 2008.

The software-only version is set to retail for $59.99 and the special edition bundle will be $179.99.

Wii and PS3 users will have to wait another month…

I’d like to tell you I was saving up a month’s worth of blog ideas for today and I’ve been waiting for an opportune time to post…

Actually, that is partly correct. I’ve been tallying several topics over the last few weeks, but to be totally truthful, I’ve been covering for a staffer over the past month and I’ve been neglecting my blogging duties.

Yes, I also get weary of blogs that start off with apologies, but it was needed in this case.

Let’s get right into it, shall we?

E3: The Electronic Entertainment Exposition held annually to showcase what’s new in the game industry kicked off today.

Up right now is the Microsoft press conference.

Last night Microsoft unveiled their new Xbox 360 60 GB system, to be priced competitively at $349 CDN. This is very cool and it answers the “what new console should I buy?” question.

Of course the big event at E3 for me is the official unveiling of Rock Band 2. This is scheduled to hit the E3 stage Wednesday night at 5 p.m. Be sure to tune G4Tech TV if you subscribe. If you don’t, how can you call yourself a geek?

The most-discussed aspect of RB2 is the song setlist. I personally think this is a tremendous mix of artists and genres and should satisfy the average player.

This list will be augmented by the weekly downloadable content (DLC), which will feature diverse tunes and bands.

Speaking of unveilings… let’s talk about July 11, which shall be known as iD day.

Apple, through Rogers, launched the iPhone in Canada. It started out well with line ups and eager geeks ready to thrown down cash for the new gadget.

Network problems and iTunes issued created a backlog that took time to overcome. But, in the end, the geeks got what they came for and were able to iPhone to their heart’s content.

I’m holding off until version 2.1 so all of the bugs are cleaned out.

I’ll end this post with something brilliant. Watch the clip and then read my comments afterwards…

OK, before forwarding this around as the greatest catch you’ve ever seen, this clip was actually an ad for Powerade. It may not be real, but it’s extremely well done.

We are excited to launch phase one of our multimedia redevelopment today with the introduction of our new multimedia delivery system.

The media player on our main page is a dynamic collection of our 15 latest videos designed to provide you with a snapshot of the day’s clips at a glance. Its easy-to-scroll format makes browsing simple and quick.

Part of this redevelopment is the newly designed Winnipeg Free Press multimedia page. Here you will find the new full-sized player with tabbed categories of our video content.

We have also included the photo gallery slideshows here for easy viewing.

The main reasons you should care:

1. The video is being sent from the Brightcove streaming servers. This means high resolution, no-lag video viewing in regular or full-screen modes.

2. You now have the ability to e-mail links of our videos to friends and family and grab the code to embed the clip right on your blog or webpage. It’s single-click functionality to make it simple to share our content. To show you how easy it is to embed content, here’s an example:

3. Videos are posted to the main page player as well as to each category page player. So, you’ll be able to scroll all of the latest videos or drill down to category specific content, like sports.

Kudos to our web development team and the good people at Brightcove for this industry-leading system.

Our photographers are eager to see what they can achieve with this dynamic vehicle for their visual art.

Let me know what you think.

I joined 10,500 others for the biggest concert event in Winnipeg in some time… the Rush show on Saturday.

It lived up to the hype, as Alex Lifeson, Geddy Lee and Neil Peart ripped through three hours of classics and new tunes to the delight of the mostly male audience.

Typically you’ll see air guitarists playing along with their axe-wielding heroes at a concert, but the air drummers outnumbered the guitarists five to one at this show. It was amazing to look around and see dozens of dudes trying to follow the drum charts along with Peart as he mastered his massive kit.

While they nailed every note of the show, the trio from TO also likes to have a laugh as evidenced by this hilarious intro to Tom Sawyer from the band L’il Rush (South Park characters Eric Cartman, Kenny, Kyle and Stan).

Speaking of guitar heroes and world tours, I was jabberwockied by the details unveiled of the new Guitar Hero World Tour game scheduled for release this fall.

Most notable is the new drum kit peripheral touted as the most realistic digital kit ever developed.

The kit is “velocity sensitive,” which means the game play charts can be set to subtle or slamming drum hits depending on the song. They have also added “cymbals” above the drum pads for more realistic patterns.

The new Guitar Hero website currently features two trailers showcasing the pending release. Trailer No. 2 shows Stewart Copeland from the Police talking about the merits of this amazing new digital kit.

Speaking of Guitar Hero once again, I have volunteered to participate in the Guitar Heroes fundraiser hosted by Child Find Manitoba. The fundraiser is set for June 13 and 14 at Polo Park where wannabe Eddie Van Halens can mash buttons to win major prizes, like a trip for two with WestJet.

I’m competing against other media types in a battle for bragging rights during the Saturday event. I’ve officially challenged the others to come in costume and raise funds through pledges drummed up in their newsrooms and in the community.

Be sure to enter as the prizes are top flight and the cause worthy.

Many web-types here at the Free Press use a Google tool of some sort on a daily basis.

I actually use it for countless tasks… I leverage Google Analytics daily for content tracking and trending, for frequent searches in content verification and I’ve signed up for many Google News Alerts. But the Google tool creating the most buzz on our site is Google Maps.

I have leveraged this incredible chunk of code to create dynamic local maps to track and bring context to many of our web stories.

The one receiving the most traffic, if you’ll pardon the pun, is our city road construction map.

Here you will see the location of all major construction projects, the expected duration of the work, and, the actual path of the blocked routes so you can plan the most effective commute.

It has been viewed close to 12,000 times in the first two weeks.

The next one to be crafted chronicles all Winnipeg homicide cases in 2008. This dynamic map is full of information.

Each pin on the map contains a link to the original web story on the case, and many include embedded photos of the victims.

The third active dynamic map was actually created by reporter Lindsey Wiebe, who was working on a story about locations that the province has set up for people to take “eWaste” - old computers and other electronics that need to be disposed of with care.

Here you can find the drop-off location nearest you.

I will be updating these maps consistently, and I’m looking for other ways to leverage this tool, so e-mail me with your ideas.

What a week to get hammered by a rampaging cold virus.

First, I’m laid up the morning that the iPhone-in-Canada announcement was made by Uncle Ted. I was thrilled but could only muster a weak ‘woo’ as I read the bulletin on my BlackBerry, as I was too fatigued to move from the couch.

So, Ted’s a little short on details… you know, nothing about flat-rate all-in-one plans, actual timeline, cost in Canada. These minor aspects will allegedly be confirmed in the weeks ahead.

If they really want to put a knee in the nads of the competition, they’ll do the $99 flat rate for everything plan popular in the US. I’d spend $400 on a phone if I could get the kind of functionality that the iPhone offers at a known price. I will not, however, if I have to pay upwards of $1,000 on my monthly bill.

Speculation says June or July for the official launch. Stay tuned…

The next news item to put geeks in a tizzy was the first day of sales for the Grand Theft Auto IV video game.

To get a sense of the epic nature of this release, check out the first trailer:

It’s deep, layered, free-wheeling and engrossing. Yes, it has more parental warnings than the entire gangsta rap section at your local music store, but the plot density and gameplay will surely set a lofty standard.

Once the PS3 60 GB arrives from the land of eBay, I’ll put in much overtime to research the game’s inner workings and report back here.

Everything is going organic these days, including the latest innovation in television technology.

Sony recently began selling their organic light emitting diode (OLED) TVs to much excitement and twittering in the videophile community.

I’ll let Sony’s writers boil down the technology for you:

Sony’s OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) TV, the XEL-1, is truly the next big thing in television technology. It boasts a 3 millimeter thin panel and offers unparalleled picture quality with amazing contrast, outstanding brightness, exceptional colour reproduction, and a rapid response time. It delivers astounding performance in all the key picture quality categories. OLED technology can completely turn off pixels when reproducing black, resulting in more outstanding dark scene detail and a contrast ratio of 1,000,000:1. OLED also creates unmatched colour expression and detail and enables rapid response times for smooth and natural reproduction of fast moving images like those found in sports and action movies. The XEL-1 features the latest connectivity options including two HDMI™ inputs, a digital tuner, and a Memory Stick® media slot for viewing high-resolution photos.

Only the geekiest of geeks will get excited by talk of 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio and “blacker blacks.” And let’s be realistic here… this first iteration is an 11-inch screen, half the resolution of true High Definition and is selling for $2,500.

If you spend $2,500 for an 11-inch TV you’re much more of a geek than I.

Speaking of geekier geeks, here’s one of my favourites. Wil Wheaton, one of the original tech/geek bloggers and star of Stand By Me sharing his admiration for the emerging technology.

The funniest line? “Sony has developed the Jessica Alba of televisions.”

The side view gives you some idea of how insanely thin this thing is. It reminds me of the first commercial for Apple’s new Twiggy-esque laptop.

My dream machine is a little less bleeding edge, but still sexy and somewhat expensive. And yes, it is also a Sony.

I’m enamoured with the 52-inch XBR LCD. It’s the best-reviewed TV in its class and looks marvellous.

Hopefully, by the time we’re ready to purchase our next TV, the XBR will come down in price thanks to the OLED technology hitting critical mass.

I’ve had visions of marathon Rock Band parties being played on the XBR for so long that it’s like watching Simpsons reruns. I know exactly how each episode will play out yet I still look forward to watching them.

How about you? What kind of technology are you lusting after? Are you itching for a Canadian retailer to support the iPhone and for wireless data packages to stabilize? Are you a Wii-er?

Let me know.

I was saddened to read about the death of Cambodian journalist Dith Pran from cancer.

Pran’s work with New York Times journalist Sydney Schanberg during the Vietnam War that was chronicled in my favourite movie of all time - The Killing Fields - was what initially inspired me to consider journalism as a career.

I watched the movie in the old Convention Centre cinema in 1984, long before it was converted to a meeting space. I was there with a football teammate, who shared an interest in political studies. Picture these two macho, 16-year-old football playing dudes sobbing, and you’ll understand the impact it had.

The story of his commitment to the pursuit of truth in the face of unspeakable personal danger was inspiring. The debate over the decision to stay behind with Schanberg even though the Khmer Rouge was killing hundreds of thousands of Cambodians was the touch point for many discussions among my journalism friends in later years. Pran was forced into a labour camp and somehow survived several brushes with death and a courageous escape, only to die from pancreatic cancer all these years later.

I once hosted a movie club event on this movie and the central debate was, “Did Schanberg betray Pran by pressuring him to stay to cover the war?” Much lively debate ensued that night.

Spoiler alert: If you haven’t seen the movie and do not wish to see the ending, skip this next clip. If you have seen the movie and want to remember this unforgettable scene, click away. I think it provides the answer to my movie club question.

An interesting side note… the actor who played Pran in the movie, Haing S. Nor, was murdered in L.A. in 1996 by three members of the “Oriental Lazy Boyz” street gang. There was speculation that it was a Khmer Rouge sponsored hit, but that was never proven.

Nor won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar that year, and Sam Waterston’s Oscar-nominated work playing Schanberg in the movie was also stunning. Yes, you young whipper-snappers, Waterston was in something before Law and Order.

I honestly don’t think that in the convening 24 years a drama has nailed me in the kisser like this one did.

If you’re like me and you occasionally wonder how geeky/nerdy you really are, there’s now an official test…

I scored very high… luckily I’m already married, or this would be a badge of shame and not honour.

Although, my wife may see that in reverse.

To test your dweebosity, click on the ‘click here to find out’ link above and to the left. Of course, if you needed that instruction, you’re probably not a geek.

The geeks are saying “you shouldn’t have ‘click here’ anywhere on a website” as it shows functionality flaws with your design.

To them I say, “I’d pwn you in World of Warcraft, if I didn’t think that game was so 2007.”

Thanks to the magic of Google and my own, caffiene-infused brain, here’s a carefully edited list of ways to know if you might be a geek, if the digital quiz fails to prove it once and for all.

First, my own submissions:

• You’ve uttered the phrase, “that looks pixellated.”
• You’ve kept stats from your Sega Hockey league, in a binder, 10 years after the league ended.
• Further, you kept stats in your table hockey league.
• Further still, you played in a table hockey league.
• You took the day off from school to watch a solar eclipse, and actually watched the eclipse.
• Your favourite South Park episodes are the World of Warcraft and Guitar Hero satires.
• You had/have a subscription to PC Gamer.
• You know what the ’sock mod’ is for Rock Band.
• You’ve used the [rant][/rant] tags in an e-mail.
• You’ve said all along that the next great innovation in computing will see the end of the keyboard and mouse.

Next, gathered from Google searches:

• You get sudden attacks of bittersweet nostalgic feelings when thinking about your long-lost old Commodore 64, Sinclair ZX-81, TRS-80, and use large amounts of money/time trying to track one down. (For me it was the Atari 130XE… Track and Field was totally mint!)
• You look at a movie trailer and think, “I have that font.”
• You get depressed when you get less than 10 e-mails a day.
• You start getting paranoid you aren’t getting all your e-mail.
• You design detailed floorplans before moving all of your furniture around.
• If anyone has said to you: “You are Jhayden?!?! I see you on the Vax all the time!” (Insert the appropirate substitutions, as appropriate.)
• If you paid $6,000 for your computer and $500 for your car.
• Everyone in the neighborhood brings you (to) their computers to figure out what is wrong.
• You can hold detailed technical conversations in a second language.
• You arrange to get e-mail access no matter where you go.
• You hear the word “Scuzzy” and the first thing you think of is not an adjective.
• You get REALLY excited when people from countries with limited access to the ‘net are frequent visitors to your pages.
• You write web pages about your web pages.
• You do your best work after 11 p.m.
• You work in a building where you need a badge to move between floors.
• You head straight past People and the always entertaining Weekly World News for this month’s Computer Shopper. (For me, it’s Wired, Geek, Frank and Playstation.)
• You froth at the mouth when someone talks about the “Information Superhighway.” Or even better, they bring up that “series of tubes” line like it’s new.
• You organize your CDs, so the tops all face upward, alphabetically, or by record label (If you do more than one of these, you are an Anal-Retentive Geek).
• You plot to get your grandmother on e-mail.

Feel free to send any that I’ve missed.

It’s been difficult to find something new to watch on TV this year thanks to the writers’ strike, so I’m delving into unique realms for entertainment.

When I’ve carpel tunnelled my wrists after four hours of Guitar Hero 2 on Hard, I look to more relaxing ways to distract my over-active geek brain.

I found a gem tonight that I had to tell you about.

It was on HD Net. It’s a program called In Focus and the episode was Over Beautiful British Columbia.

You will be taken on a stunning, high-definition helicopter journey over B.C. Thrill to sites of mountains, glaciers, ocean vistas… millions of birds flying over sea swells… all to a Dolby Digital soundtrack of classical music, original pop songs and well-written commentary.

While this episode was recorded in 1996, it is technically awesome. The visuals are crisp and will showcase your HDTV equipment as a reference work.

If you’re interested in watching it, be sure to check out HD Net at 9 a.m. Central Daylight Time on Friday - or set your PVR if you are so equipped. For other showtimes, check out the schedule on the HD Net website.

I found it perfect viewing to wind down after a high-energy day.