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Giant Bomb Review

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Rock Band 3 Review

5
  • X360

Harmonix brings the thrill back to rhythm games with a title that reminds you why your living room is cluttered with plastic controllers in the first place.


 We're gettin' the band back together.
 We're gettin' the band back together.
I hope you'll pardon me as I wax nostalgic here for a minute. As someone who's been enjoying rhythm games since they were little more than an exotic novelty for importers of Japanese video game delights, it's been an interesting journey these past 10 years watching the genre evolve into a full-blown cultural phenomenon, doing its share to put video games into the hands of people who would otherwise have no interest in the pastime. Harmonix was one of the first--if not the very first--Western developer to take on the genre with its spacey, techno-driven Frequency and Amplitude titles, both of which I was a passionate fan of. But even when I bullied my way into a cramped E3 backroom for an early look at the first Guitar Hero game, as giddy as I was to see someone bring some proper rock-'n-roll sensibilities to what I recognized as an extension of what Konami had started with the GuitarFreaks series in Japan, I never imagined anyone without an already-established interest in this niche would see the appeal of picking up one of these bright-buttoned plastic guitars.

And yet here we are. Still, I think it's fair to say that the fierce competition between Activision and Harmonix these past four years has been good for the evolution of the genre, but has also left some folks feeling a certain sense of rhythmic fatigue. Today, even as an ardent fan of the genre, I have significant doubts about its continued longevity, never mind its role as a savior of the struggling music industry. I give this lengthy preamble here, not just for my personal nostalgia's sake, but  to let you know what was swirling through my head as I first put Rock Band 3, Harmonix's latest and most heedlessly ambitious title, into my Xbox 360. This is still an iterative experience in a lot of significant ways, but Harmonix has, if you'll pardon my French, gone completely, utterly balls-out, delivering an experience that keys directly into the ways people actually play Rock Band, while also making what I have a hard time imagining as anything other than the final instrumental addition to the hardware lineup, and expanding on the core conceit in ways that address the perennial, and perhaps, misguided critique that rhythm game players should just pick up some real musical instruments, for God’s sake. Frankly, the only real slight I have against Rock Band 3, and part of the reason for this brief history of rhythm games, is that I come away feeling like I’ve experienced the end game for the genre, as I'm having an exceptionally hard time figuring out where it can all go from here.

 If this looks too familiar, look a little closer.
 If this looks too familiar, look a little closer.
For now, let's just talk about where it's at. Rock Band 3 finds all of the basics from Rock Band 2 in place, with a career mode that lets you form a virtual band and take them on the road as they go from playing local bars to trotting the globe in private jets to play sold-out arenas. It might seem like a minor point, but the knowing way that Rock Band has approached the weird, wearying trials of the touring rock band, and the tone that 3 maintains, has always been a key part of the Rock Band experience for me. Playing Rock Band is all about emulating the sense of musical performance, and the tone enhances that. You can also just play any of the songs in your Rock Band library--which, if you choose to pay the $5-$10 import fees for past Rock Band games, can include songs from Rock Band, Rock Band 2, LEGO Rock Band, and Green Day: Rock Band, plus any DLC you've picked up along the way--in a quick play format, as well as build custom playlists. You can also take it online.

None of this is new, but what's significant is how it's all structured, as there's no longer any real distinction between progress your band makes in the tour mode or in random play. It all goes in the same bucket, which, in a way, kind of strips much of the gameiness out of the package, or at least keeps it from distorting the way you'd prefer to approach the game. There's a series of road challenges for the tour experience, with each challenge mapping to a specific regional, national, or international tour for your band. Part of what I really appreciate about the road challenges is that, while each stop comes with a predefined setlist, you're also always presented with alternate options such as playing random or custom setlists from specific eras, genres, or combinations thereof. Not once did I feel like I was facing a bunch of songs that I had no interest in playing, which is a huge step for such a mode.

At first blush, the lack of stuff like explicit, instrument-specific careers made Rock Band 3 seem a little spare to me. But all that stuff is still there, it's just organized into a generalized set of goals that encourages much more à la carte consumption. There are goals for band achievements and specific instrument achievements, goals based on performance in specific sets of songs. There are even sets of goals specific to downloadable songs, and the songs you can import from past Rock Band games. It provides all the sorts of objectives you'd expect and then some, so if you want those sorts of directives to help shape where you spend your time with Rock Band 3, they're there. They just don't get in the way when you just wanna get some friends together and rock out.

 Don't wanna play drums? Don't have to!
 Don't wanna play drums? Don't have to!
Speaking of which, if you've ever played Rock Band with a group, you're familiar with the dilemma of running into songs that no one wants to play on a specific instrument, and Rock Band 3 makes it much simpler for players to just drop in and drop out or adjust the difficulty level they're playing at. This system also makes it much, much easier for the solo player to hop from one instrument to another, without having to do lots of arduous profile swapping. Granted, some of this stuff was introduced in Guitar Hero a few iterations ago, but they're notable additions here regardless.

Completing your goals, in turn, increases your fanbase, unlocking bigger and better road challenges, as well as awarding you with new instruments and wardrobe to deck out your band in, eliminating the cash economy of Rock Band 2. Character creation runs just as deep here as it did in Rock Band 2, and while there's a significant amount of shared wardrobe and hairstyles, the underlying look of the characters has been altered. For lack of a better word, they look a little harder--still caricatured, but not quite as cartoony, and the overall look of the game just generally has more grit to it. Navigating the wardrobe for these ruffians and ne'erdowells has been streamlined, and while it's all still sorted into a series of different styles, it's easier to just page through, say, all of the shirts you might have available.

For the hardware, there are three, significant new pieces to consider. Most accessibly, and perhaps because of this, most importantly, is the keytar controller. This new controller features an abbreviated set of ebonies and ivories, a small touch-ribbon for some mild effects-bending, and a button for activating overdrive. It can be held like a keytar, from a standing position with the strap slung over your shoulder, though when first getting to know the instrument, I found it much easier to play from a seated position. Though there are two octaves worth of keys on the controller, for regular Rock Band play, you need only worry about five specific ivory keys near the middle. (We'll get into the pro mode business in a minute.) Aside from the fact that you're using your right hand instead of your left to follow the notes, this five-note configuration makes it very analogous to guitar notation in Rock Band, to the point that, should you find a song that has no specific keyboard charting, you can simply choose a guitar or bass part to play instead. Though you're not strumming anything with your off hand, there's a weight to the keys that makes it a little more physically demanding on your fingers. The fact that there are keys surrounding the five you're trying to hit, rather than the five isolated buttons found on the neck of a guitar controller, can make it harder to move the position of your hand and play by feel. Still, I regularly found myself choosing to play guitar and bass parts with the keytar controller, even when I had a capable guitar controller sitting right next to me, simply because there's something about the keys that makes it feel more like a musical instrument.

 Finally, those piano lessons are paying off.
 Finally, those piano lessons are paying off.
The keytar controller also comes with a pro mode option, easily the most ambitious feature in Rock Band 3, as well as one that's aimed squarely at the most hardcore and musically adventurous players out there. While Rock Band has always been about interpolating the act of playing a musical instrument into something that just evokes the feeling of playing that instrument, pro mode strips away that pretense, putting every last key to use. There are also pro mode options for the drums, which require you to purchase a set of additional cymbals to attach to a standard set of Rock Band drums, as well as a pro mode for guitar. There will be two hardware options for the pro mode guitar, though neither is available at launch. There's a MadCatz-produced controller whose neck features narrow, individual buttons for each fret and string placement, as well as five short strings at the bottom for picking and strumming, in addition to an actual, MIDI-enabled Fender Mustang guitar built to interface with Rock Band 3. The price tag for the pro mode guitars is just as daunting as the actual challenge of playing these songs note-for-note, starting at around $150.

There's the full easy-to-expert gradation in difficulty within the pro mode, as well as a series of patient tutorials that introduce basic musical concepts like scales and chords and so on. As someone who's been playing this style of rhythm game for a long, long time, I'd settled into the difficulty settings I'm comfortable with a while ago, but pro mode reveals a whole new set of challenges to undertake. At its highest end, the difficulty seems insurmountable to me, someone with little in the way of actual musical skill, but it still starts off approachable enough.

The actual on-disc music of Rock Band 3 seems largely informed by the hardware additions, the keytar specifically. Songs like The Doors' "Break On Through," Dire Straits' "Walk of Life," J. Geils Band's "Centerfold," Huey Lewis and the News' "Power of Love," and Elton John's "Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting)" are just fun songs, but they seem particularly notable because of their prominent keys. Still, it's a varied soundtrack without feeling schizophrenic, and while there are definitely songs geared more towards some instruments than others--INXS's "Need You Tonight" is a fine jam, but there's barely enough keyboard parts to justify paying attention--everyone gets their fair due.

So with Rock Band 3, Harmonix has introduced the keyboard, the last of the common rock instruments, as well as a set of instruments that eliminate the distinction between playing a game and playing an actual instrument, wrapping it all up in a package that makes itself almost entirely passive to the way you want to play Rock Band 3. Like I said at the top, I'm not sure where else there is to go, but I don't really care. I'm having too much fun right now.

132 Comments

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rjayb89

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Edited By rjayb89

There is far too much history between the reviewer and John Drake for this to be a valid review.  The line must be drawn hee-ah.

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234r2we232

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Edited By 234r2we232

I've just spent the past 2 hours watching a live stream of this game... and I don't get mine 'till Friday.
 
It's gonna be a rough week.
 
And congrats to Harmonix on the game. Sounds like fun o_o

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MachoFantastico

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Edited By MachoFantastico

Pause backup mechanic... that's all I'm saying. 
  
Can't wait.

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D_Man_Taylor

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Edited By D_Man_Taylor

I would be getting this tomorrow, but I apparently pushed Second Day delivery on Amazon instead of Release Day delivery. Oh well getting it Wednesday, but I'll have Force Unleashed 2 to play while I wait! Wednesday can't come soon enough!

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Dude_What

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Edited By Dude_What

Never knew Uma Thurman played the piano.

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MjHealy

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Edited By MjHealy

I was sold on this game when they announced that full "Imagine" album can be bought. I think I shall be getting some Rock Band 3 plus keys this Christmas

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RagingLion

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Edited By RagingLion

A very thorough review Ryan and I agree, I don't see where the guitar-lead music genre can go from here.  Maybe dance is the way to go for Harmonix in the near future.

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ShaunassNZ

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Edited By ShaunassNZ
@sofacitysweetheart said:
" and I don't get mine 'till Friday.  It's gonna be a rough week.  And congrats to Harmonix on the game. Sounds like fun o_o "
Yea same, I just preordered mine now, will be here Friday, should be good though.
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elektrixx

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Edited By elektrixx

Thanks Ryan. That really put me in your "zone" of thought in the beginning. I was listening to The Doors - The End at the same time, so that made the review even better.

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AmericanNinja

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Edited By AmericanNinja

Wooohhooo! Can wait!

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JJWeatherman

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Edited By JJWeatherman

Hell yeah 5 stars. No time to read this now though, gotta get back to rockin'!

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lacke

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Edited By lacke
@AnEternalEnigma said:
" It needs to be noted that there are 14 songs from Rock Band 2 that will not export into Rock Band 3: 
 
  • Abnormality - "Visions"
  • ACDC - "Let There Be Rock"
  • Anarchy Club - "Get Clean"
  • Bang Camaro - "Night Lies"
  • Breaking Wheel - "Shoulder to the Plow"
  • Journey - "Any Way You Want It"
  • Libyans - "Welcome to the Neighborhood"
  • The Main Drag - "A Jagged Gorgeous Winter"
  • Metallica - "Battery"
  • Red Hot Chili Peppers - "Give It Away"
  • Soundgarden - "Spoonman"
  • Speck - "Conventional Lover"
  • The Sterns - "Supreme Girl"
  • That Handsome Devil - "Rob the Prez-O-Dent"
"
There are other songs from RB2 I'd rather be without but these songs aren't a big loss for me. I'm a little disappointed so many didn't make it but I imagine it's not easy getting these deals. Also when John Drake said that some songs weren't going to be exported I'd figured there would only be a couple songs. Of course Battery would be one of them because I'm cynical.
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Deadboy

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Edited By Deadboy

whoa ... this review was really great.  I was already sold on RB3, but this totally solidifies it. 
 
P.S. Some really funny comments you guys ....  :)

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skrutop

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Edited By skrutop

God, Giantbomb are such Harmonix fanboys, it's not even funny.  It's like you two are married or something. 
 
(j/k, can't wait to pick this up today).

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lacke

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Edited By lacke

I recently bought the GH5 Super Bundle in preparation for this game. Wanted a new plastic guitar and I prefer the GH guitar over the RB guitar. This will be my first GH guitar with a slider though. Now I can finally get some achievements that required the new GH guitar and drums (I have the ION drums).

 
I might pick up a pro-guitar later depending on if Mad Catz release a model I like and the price/availability of the real guitar. Keytar doesn't interest me but I'll pick it up if it'll ever drop to €40 or less.
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cookiemonster

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Edited By cookiemonster

Bit gutted there isn't much of a mention of how the the real guitar plays, but I can understand why its not mentioned. Definitely keeping an eye on the price of this one.

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Kezmer

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Edited By Kezmer

Have they made any official annoucement on adding Keyboard tracks to older DLC you have purchased? I vaguely remember reading about being able to buy pro guitar charts for songs, but not keyboard tracks, of course I could have just missed reading it at some point but I cannot seem to find any word on it, picking it up after work though tonight, day one purchase for me

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RVonE

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Edited By RVonE

As I've come to expect from you, Ryan, you delivered another really well-written review. Reading your stuff is always a delight.
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winsord

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Edited By winsord

I have to wait an entire extra month to play this game; it's going to kill me.

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floodiastus

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Edited By floodiastus

Some pictures of the new peripherals would have been nice

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DeathByWaffle

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Edited By DeathByWaffle
@Killroycantkill: You like to play Visions? God, I hate that song.
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petitfool

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Edited By petitfool
@AnEternalEnigma said:
" It needs to be noted that there are 14 songs from Rock Band 2 that will not export into Rock Band 3: 
 
  • Abnormality - "Visions"
  • ACDC - "Let There Be Rock"
  • Anarchy Club - "Get Clean"
  • Bang Camaro - "Night Lies"
  • Breaking Wheel - "Shoulder to the Plow"
  • Journey - "Any Way You Want It"
  • Libyans - "Welcome to the Neighborhood"
  • The Main Drag - "A Jagged Gorgeous Winter"
  • Metallica - "Battery"
  • Red Hot Chili Peppers - "Give It Away"
  • Soundgarden - "Spoonman"
  • Speck - "Conventional Lover"
  • The Sterns - "Supreme Girl"
  • That Handsome Devil - "Rob the Prez-O-Dent"
"
That's just cruel. Journey didn't make the cut, and now no one will be able to own the entire album of Blood Sex Sugar Majik! I also find it weird that all the Harmonix songs are non-exportable as well. I wonder what was the rationale?
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deactivated-5865c6a5c9438

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I hope this is their last game (however unrealistic that may be) and they just keep putting out DLC. Also, I'm gonna buy the shit out of this game.

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DesktopMan

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Edited By DesktopMan

No mention of the new regular Rock Band 3 guitar? The one I will have to purchase for the normal people stopping by? I still have two guitars from Guitar Hero II, but they are getting quite worn out.

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Marlowefire

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Edited By Marlowefire

Well done HMX and GB! I got an early copy and am loving this game so far

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Ronald

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Edited By Ronald

Unfortunately,  we can't buy the pro guitar for another month, and the Squire doesn't come out until next year. I'm still planning on getting this today. Deciding on whether to buy the keyboard with it now or not.

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Shabs

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Edited By Shabs

This review basically confirmed what I thought the game would be. 
 
Can't wait to play it tonight!

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GS_Dan

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Edited By GS_Dan

Someone on the Rock Band UK forums posted ... 
 
The 9 Harmonix band songs [missing from the RB2 export] will come out later as a FREE song pack" 
 
Fingers crossed it's true, I loved the Main Drag.

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Jeffsekai

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Edited By Jeffsekai

Awesome. 
 
 
I actually wanna get this, not because of the review but because I just watched South Park episode Guitar Queer-O

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silentsnake510

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Edited By silentsnake510

My RB3 is currently in a UPS truck out for delivery :-)

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Duecenage

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Edited By Duecenage

Goddammit!! I was set on putting this off and adding it to my christmas wishlist.... but I don't think I can do that now... thank Ryan.. thanks!

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Scribbly

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Edited By Scribbly

This game, I must have it. Love Rock Band, ever since the beginning it's smashed Guitar Hero out of the park with a nicer interface, cooler graphics, and most importantly, a soundtrack that doesn't consist entirely of "classic" rock. Thank you Harmonix, you win.
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ch13696

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Edited By ch13696
@MegaGoat said:
" @canucks23 said:
" Harmonix game gets 5 stars... suprise suprise "
Bought and paid for "
I can't wait till Jeff shows off his Lamborghini.
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Edited By GirlsAreGeeks

I cannot wait to play! We may get a chance to test out the drop-in/out feature this Saturday since we're having a party. I'm hoping the Keyboard arrives by then, but the game disc is arriving today (silly Amazon). I'm a piano player, so the pro-mode is totally my thing. Never thought to play bass/guitar on the keyboard, bet I'd be better at that then the guitar! I'm also silly excited for Billy Joel. 
Rosalind 

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damswedon

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Edited By damswedon
@AnEternalEnigma said:
" It needs to be noted that there are 14 songs from Rock Band 2 that will not export into Rock Band 3: 
 
  • Abnormality - "Visions"
  • ACDC - "Let There Be Rock"
  • Anarchy Club - "Get Clean"
  • Bang Camaro - "Night Lies"
  • Breaking Wheel - "Shoulder to the Plow"
  • Journey - "Any Way You Want It"
  • Libyans - "Welcome to the Neighborhood"
  • The Main Drag - "A Jagged Gorgeous Winter"
  • Metallica - "Battery"
  • Red Hot Chili Peppers - "Give It Away"
  • Soundgarden - "Spoonman"
  • Speck - "Conventional Lover"
  • The Sterns - "Supreme Girl"
  • That Handsome Devil - "Rob the Prez-O-Dent"
"
The 9 "Harmonix bands" will be added later as free DLC.
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Jayross

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Edited By Jayross

The amount and price of the DLC songs is kind of intimidating to me, and I'm a bit hesitant to buy RB3 because I know I will potentially spend $60 on just 30 songs, which seems like a complete rip-off.

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coolvee

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Edited By coolvee

Sounds amazing.  And it makes Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock,  Archmages of Smooth Jazz etc... seem even more irrelevant.

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Jayzilla

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Edited By Jayzilla
@Ronald said:
" Unfortunately,  we can't buy the pro guitar for another month, and the Squire doesn't come out until next year. I'm still planning on getting this today. Deciding on whether to buy the keyboard with it now or not. "
then why buy it now? i would wait til the guitars come out first so that you dont get sick of the songs that come with the main game. also, you may be able to get it cheaper at that point. to each his own i guess though.
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vogon

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Edited By vogon

hey Ryan duder, just a small correction: the full-up insane pro guitar / electric guitar is a Squier Stratocaster; the one that is less insane (more insane?) and has buttons on the fretboard is Fender Mustang-styled. 
 
http://fendermustangstory.com/default.htm  
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fender_Stratocaster 
http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/rock-band-3-gets-pro-mode-real-guitar-hybrid-controller-and-k/      
(compare the pickguard shapes and the style of the tailpiece)
 
either way I have already bought the fuck out of rock band 3, a normal plastic guitar, and two MIDI boxes, and I'm going to buy the fuck out of a pro Stratocaster when they ship.
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FreakAche

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Edited By FreakAche

Nice. I just wish I had the money for this. There's no way I'll buy the software by itself considering at some point down the line, I'll probably want to pick up some of this new hardware.
 
I'm really curious as to where Harmonix goes from here.

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Benjo

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Edited By Benjo

This continues the trend of Harmonix trying to innovate and do something new with this format, and Activision just continuing to run Guitar Hero into the ground.  It's sad, really.

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BrettJB

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Edited By BrettJB

" There's a MadCatz-produced controller whose neck features narrow, individual buttons for each fret and string placement, as well as five short strings at the bottom for picking and strumming... "
 
Sweet! Banjo peripheral! 
 
I can't wait for the Dueling Banjos DLC!

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He_Mank

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Edited By He_Mank

To Ryan Davis, 

Where the Rock Band Franchise can go from Here

  1. Complete Music Download Service with a music purchase selection size similar to iTunes, Napster, or Amazonmp3
  2. Full-Blown Music studio allowing players to record, and upload their own music to the Rock Band online community (Including Vocals with 3 part Harmonies - better than whatever the Guitar Hero franchise has ever offered).
  3. Custom User created Backgrounds to play with songs, customizable to the level of something like Little Big Planet .  Instead of the standard Band character stage, users can have the freedom to design whatever characters, and backgrounds,  stage mood environment they prefer to be run with whatever genre of music - all also uploadable to the Rock Band online community.  Something like the cool Guitar Hero World Tour Tool backgrounds would totally be doable with this feature.
  4. Custom User created Challenge modes compatible with backgrounds they've setup/uploaded compatible with custom music setup/uploaded.
  5. Similar to Sing-star, allow users the option of playing the real artist music videos in the background for songs that already have them.
  6. Make the Rockband Network library equally available on all platforms.
  7. Make the stage kit function equally on all platforms, and allow users the option of customizing the stage kit effects to sync however they desire with whatever songs they desire (have these effect scripts also be uploadable).
  8. Allow users the ability to design whatever skins they desire for the music notes, and the music note highways (also uploadable).  I remember Guitar Hero 3 allowed users limited customization of this.  Don't know why they removed it in later games.  It was a cool option.
  9. Allow users the ability to use multiple instruments of the same kind much like the Guitar Hero franchise did in their later games.
  10. Don't remove any songs when exporting song lists from previous games.
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wolf_blitzer85

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Edited By wolf_blitzer85

Only 6 and a half hours till I have the game in my hands. My god I can't wait!

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eznark

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Edited By eznark

Game seems great but I really, really hope it fails.  Maybe then they will go to the "Rock Band as a platform" that they promised with the initial release instead of yearly bundles.

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SavageM2

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Edited By SavageM2

Man I would really love to know when they plan on releasing the Fender pro guitar. The exact set in stone price would be nice as well.

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Sin4profit

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Edited By Sin4profit

Where can Rock Band go next?

 
Another pedal to simulate open and closed high hats in Pro Mode...then they'll be complete.
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sdnewman

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Edited By sdnewman

Great review, Ryan. I really want to pick this up, but I'm afraid it's a bit too pricey.

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GS_Dan

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@eznark said:
" Game seems great but I really, really hope it fails.  Maybe then they will go to the "Rock Band as a platform" that they promised with the initial release instead of yearly bundles. "
2000 songs not enough for you?
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eznark

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Edited By eznark
@GS_Dan: It would be if they allowed me to patch my existing game with their yearly expansion packs and simply add the new updates to Rock Band 1 (for a reasonable fee of course). That's a platform, not just adding content.