Rock Band 2 gets 2008 'best tech' nod from Yahoo
by Randy Nelson 
{ Dec 18th 2008 at 5:15PM }
Yahoo's Christopher Null – who not only shares a first name with, but a striking resemblance to our own Chris Grant – has picked Rock Band 2 as the sole video game represented on the site's 2008 "best tech" list. Or, as Null says, "the products that really floated my boat in 2008."
Null calls RB2 "arguably the best game of the year," and says that, "I find it humbling that I listen to more music while playing Rock Band than I do on my iPod. The ongoing addition of new – and good – music to the game makes it an ongoing favorite at Null HQ."
On the worst tech list of '08 boat sinking offenders? Blu-ray. "There's a very loud and vocal minority that insists that Blu-ray will be a huge success," he writes. "The market would seem to indicate otherwise."
[Thanks, Adam]
Null calls RB2 "arguably the best game of the year," and says that, "I find it humbling that I listen to more music while playing Rock Band than I do on my iPod. The ongoing addition of new – and good – music to the game makes it an ongoing favorite at Null HQ."
On the worst tech list of '08 boat sinking offenders? Blu-ray. "There's a very loud and vocal minority that insists that Blu-ray will be a huge success," he writes. "The market would seem to indicate otherwise."
[Thanks, Adam]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
copa @ Dec 18th 2008 5:24PM
I don't put Rock Band 2 on my GOTY list, just because it's more of a fancy expansion than an original title.
But we've put more hours into it than any other game this year, so I have no problem with it being labeled a top tech product.
I think it's still too soon to count out Blu-Ray, although it's success isn't guaranteed at this point.
Deprincer @ Dec 18th 2008 5:25PM
awww damn! HDDVD COMEBACK!
syrik zero @ Dec 18th 2008 5:26PM
IMO I do like the Rock Band 2 drum set a lot more than the GH:WT set. Mostly because it works all the time. I'm sure with some time the GH:WT set will be better. Or maybe just the next set that comes out.
Even after tweaking the set it doesn't work right. Quite annoying
Dr. @ Dec 18th 2008 6:10PM
I played on a GHWT set for the first time last night, it seemed to be configured ok, but I hated it. The pedal didn't travel anywhere near far enough for my liking, and the whole thing just felt... off.
oolz @ Dec 18th 2008 6:32PM
it'll never be better because the people who designed it didn't care how it played, only how it looked. OH IT HAS CYMBALS! That's the reaction they wanted, playability be damned. The RB set wasn't designed the way it is because it was cheaper or easier to have four generic pads. It sucks that they didn't get it right with the rb1 set in terms of quality, but thems is the breaks. The Rb2 set is awesome.
Shagittarius @ Dec 18th 2008 5:33PM
On the worst tech list of '08 boat sinking offenders? Blu-ray. "There's a very loud and vocal minority that insists that Blu-ray will be a huge success," he writes. "The market would seem to indicate otherwise."
LOLZ, what an idiot I bet he said the same thing about; Fire, The Wheel, Underware, RADIO, Color TV, DVD, etc....
oldschoolgamer @ Dec 18th 2008 5:45PM
"LOLZ, what an idiot I bet he said the same thing about; Fire, The Wheel, Underware, RADIO, Color TV, DVD, etc...."
Uhh I hate to break this to you dude but he's right. Blu-ray has pretty much lost the chance for mainstream adoption. Its over. Now it will be no more than a niche for technophiles like me. I have 2 $2000+ home theater set-ups in my house, 2 blu-ray players (both sony s350s), 3 hdtvs, and about 30 to 40 blu-ray movies but unfortunately I am the exception and not the norm. Most of my friends, family, and co-workers could care less about blu-ray. Even the latest big blu-ray release, The Dark Knight, as well as it did could have done much better. It sold 1.7 million copies on blu-ray but this includes WORLDWIDE numbers and sales to video-rental stores. Compare that to 13 million sales on dvd and that is no comparison. How many ps3 owners are out there? Clearly it should have sold much more.
Shagittarius @ Dec 18th 2008 6:02PM
Adoption of Bluray no matter how long it takes is innevetab...
inivitatab...
innevatab...
Its gonna happen eventually.
RiccochetJ @ Dec 18th 2008 6:37PM
Oldschool, I think you're being a bit hasty to call blu-ray dead. If I remember correctly dvd came out in 97 and people weren't saying it was dead 2 years later. Hell, players weren't really affordable to the mass market until 2001-02.
The bigger problem is that in order to want to buy blu-ray, you need an HD TV, and those are finally coming down in price.
Mr Khan @ Dec 18th 2008 5:35PM
So where was this guy a year ago?
Eric @ Dec 18th 2008 5:39PM
This talk back is going to explode. Also Blu Ray ehhhh, it's nice and all but its only like a 20% difference from a dvd. It's not like going from VHS to DVD. I don't see the appeal lasting with Digital Distribution right around the corner.
Oh also Rock Band 2 is great. I have never played any other game more then then Rock Band 1 or 2.
idiot @ Dec 18th 2008 5:45PM
are you sure it's not like 25%? have you seen a bluray?
Eric @ Dec 18th 2008 5:49PM
Ha nice. 20 - 25. all i know is that My dvd's look fine upscaled. The extra resolution is wonderful and all. But you can live with out it. It's not like the muddy colors and poor sound quality of VHS. Plus i find that at time Blu Ray loses that film feel. It's almost to clean. I don't know Maybe i am to picky. All i know it the cost does not seem justified.
syrik zero @ Dec 18th 2008 5:59PM
Eric, I feel the same way as you.. It's not just you. But it's only some TVs that do that. My friend's TV makes everything look like a Soap Opera. It's just too clean and takes away from the movie. But BLU-RAYs on my TV look just fine. I really can't see a big difference from upscaled DVDs to BLU-RAY though
Spartacus @ Dec 18th 2008 6:41PM
I'm with you Eric. I'm a video fanatic (a notch or two below videophile) and even I am not blown away by blu-ray. I mean, the pq can be amazing, but the problem is the consistency.
DVD media and players have a standard feature set that blu-ray doesn't. Some BR are amazing, others look barely better than DVD. Even worse is the hardware. Some are good, but even some of the best don't have the basic features that DVD players have (like auto-resume for example). Also the load time can be ridiculous- upwards of 90 seconds just to get a BR playing. DVD is just more user friendly right now.
Adding to the problem is the ever-changing standards and firmware and the fact that PC BR playback software can be very hit and miss (some discs simply won't play) and the whole BR mess leaves a lot to be desired and quite frankly leaves a sour taste in my mouth.
This is most unfortunate as I was looking forward to the day that the HTPC ruled the living room with a standard aspect ratio (not that 16:10 funk) widescreen with a standard 1080p resolution for all my gaming, TV watching, home theater and personal computing needs. After I bought a 17" laptop with WUXGA (1920x1200) resolution 3 years ago, I can't see myself going back to a 720p HDTV for a PC monitor...
343 Guilty Fart @ Dec 18th 2008 6:45PM
I have a PS3 and I gotta admit, while Blu-ray is nice and all, it's not a total game changer the way DVDs were when they first came out. And with Netflix on the 360 I can really see digital distrubution finally working. I'd gladly pay an extra $10 a month if they just let me stream any and all titles.
Markez (Anti-Panda Death Murder Squadron) @ Dec 18th 2008 9:45PM
@ 343
It's kind of happened in an odd backwards way for me. I use to like getting movies off 360 quite a bit so I had something to watch with the roomies when we felt like watching something for the hell of it.
Now, I just got Netflix because it's on the 360, and I streamed a movie once, but now I'm way too focused on sending/receiving hard copies. Man does Netflix rule. I'll never go to a rental place again :P
I'll get around to streaming again at some point.
LordVesper007 @ Dec 18th 2008 5:59PM
I like Bluray and all but it definitely hasn't taken off as well as I thought it would or should once HD DVD died.
Lol at sony.
But on the other hand I do own like 20 movies on Bluray as well as a Bluray player and Bluray laptop so I'm sorta invested in it.
But it wouldn't be a big deal if it failed.
Have any of you ever been to bluray.com? Those guys are freaking fanatics. Like hardcore. If you say anything no positive about Bluray you get banned in an instant. It's absolutely laughable how much in denial they are over there.
Not to mention they've got a superiority complex 2nd to none. They laugh at all the little people who still "cling" to DVD or think that downloads are perfectly okay.
DonGeronimo @ Dec 18th 2008 6:15PM
Thanks for the link...time to go over there and tell them about their ignorant selves...
B3astofthe3ast @ Dec 18th 2008 6:16PM
I
oolz @ Dec 18th 2008 6:16PM
blu-ray is a failure because when most people walk into best buy or wherever, and see it on demo, it's not a WOW moment. It's not like being a sports fan and seeing Sunday football for the first time in full HD or watching a documentary on Discovery that was filmed, broadcast and viewed using the latest 1080 equipment. The first time you saw those you went WOW, that's amazing.
Why would the average person want to pay 50% more for movies when, to them, there's no difference. Most people never noticed color banding on dvd's or artifacts, so that kills most of its advantage right there. It'll be around for years, but it'll never replace dvd and will eventually fade out as streamed media takes over.
oh and rock band 2 is the shit.
LordVesper007 @ Dec 18th 2008 6:23PM
Exactly. I work at BB and people constantly stop by the little demos over in Home Theater, press that button, sit back, and watch the Bluray demonstration.
However what do they do afterwards. They pause for a moment or so. They get this look on their face like, "umm okay is that it?" and then they walk away.
It's kinda sad really. If not for this Black Friday and The Dark Knight I'd call Bluray all but still born. Yet it still has a little chance of success.
However at this point I honestly don't care. It's just one of those things that people KNOW whether they want it or not. You can't really argue or "convince" someone that Bluray is "OMFG" crucial.
But yeah you guys should definitely look at www.bluray.com. The site is outta control. If Bluray dies they'll lose it. Especially this douchebag over there called Anthony P.
Dortamur @ Dec 18th 2008 8:35PM
I only went down the HD path due to a very definite Bluray "Wow" moment. Sure, I'd seen all those pretty HD screens before, but it was when I saw Ratatouille playing in a store demo that blew my socks off.
Of course, the quality of a Bluray release can vary widely, just like any format. Look back at the early DVD days and there were some pretty crap quality releases. Even The Matrix, heralded as an amazing DVD release, looks a bit meh in quality when you compare it to the standard new DVD release of today.
On the flipside, Bluray can still surprise me with how well some really old movies can scrub up, when done properly.
The investment in Bluray is also much bigger than DVD. You could buy a DVD player, plug it into a crappy old TV over composite, and see and instant improvement. Bluray on a SD TV looks, well, like DVD. The big HD TV, the expensive AVR and speakers - that's when Bluray shines - and your average Joe (who can't even set his Apsect Ratio right) doesn't care.
ChiTownRuler23 @ Dec 18th 2008 11:49PM
yahoo tech?!?! come on who cares its yahoo tech.
Vader582 @ Dec 19th 2008 10:01AM
Amen...who cares what Yahoo Tech has to say?! The HT experts are saying the opposite of that fool. He just wanted to cause a stir and get his 15 mintues with some nice and easy blu-ray bashing. Look, we're sorry all sorry HDDVD lost but get the fuck over it.
Also to the "expert", LordVesper007, from Best Buy, why don't you quit watching morons looking at your gawd-awful blu-ray demo and start charging someone $89 to install some PC RAM. *rolls eyes*
Jason @ Dec 19th 2008 9:30AM
Blu-Ray will take hold eventually. You can already tell from all the promotion going on. Remember when movie commercials started saying "Coming to DVD and Video" over "Coming to Video and DVD" like around 2001? Well, that's happening now with Blu-Ray, so I suspect within the next 1-2 years Blu-Ray will at least have equal shelf space to DVD.
ScottG13 @ Dec 19th 2008 9:36AM
I don't know if Rock Band 2 is my GOTY. But it is a tremendous extension of the brand. A great addtional list of songs with improved everything. You can use your old instruments and port over your old songs and DLC. All of that together is what Harmonix promised from the beginning. Rock Band 2 stands as the ultimate beer party game experience.
Mike @ Dec 19th 2008 10:23AM
Blu-ray players and media is still more expensive than DVD. Blu-Ray doesn't exactly have the benefit of a booming economy to help it on it's journey. "The market would seem to indicate otherwise" in just about every industry right now, tech is just staying afloat longer than most because people gots to have their toys.
Oh and Rock Band 2, best game of the year? There is no argument. I mean, they hooked some drum machines up to a video game! Oh-Em-Gee!
Tom Whitaker @ Dec 19th 2008 5:17PM
I know I'm not exactly in the minority, but I've got a HD projector (only 720p mind) and the difference between DVD and Blu-Ray is astonishing. The problem with those demo units in shops is that the screens aren't really big enough to show you the advantage, at least here in the UK.
Tom Whitaker @ Dec 19th 2008 5:18PM
I mean majority, of course :)