Rock Band 3
Producer: Electronic Arts
Release Date: October 21, 2010
Platform: Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, Nintendo DS
Rating: Teen
Genre: Music/Rhythm
I Wanna ROCK!!!
Written by Mike Lowther
Am I the only one who gets giddy when someone mentions Rock Band? Immediately, I’m brought back to my days in college; non-stop drum bashing before lecture and blistering strumming after labs. Why has this series been so bastardly addicting, and constantly and colorfully amusing? Before I factor in how musically accurate and content-rich the series has become, let’s note that Rock Band 3 is now the tier rhythm/simulation music game to date. Wait, are there even any competitors?
Immediately after giving the Guitar Hero series away to Neversoft, Harmonix delved full-speed into Rock Band. By creating an ensemble cast of instruments, we left the world of only playing guitar to a universe with percussion, vocals, and a bass. Over a short period of time, we’ve seen major additions and advancements such as cymbals with better rebound for the already responsive drum kit, and wireless Fender guitars and basses equipped with pickup selectors and wireless capability.
Exponentially, I didn’t expect anything less from the third title in the series. Standing in the lobby, awaiting the big doors of E3 to open, the banner hanging 35-feet in the air that read RB3 had a new icon occupying it’s microphone, drum, bass and guitar counterparts: a keyboard. Yes, guys. A fully functional MIDI piano keyboard. After speaking with a lead designer from Harmonix, I’ll never forget what he said about the Guitar Hero series, and how it compares to Rock Band: “Neversoft makes excellent skateboards…” To rant, I’ve never been enthralled by post-Guitar Hero II. Aside from its inaccurate note charts and bland animations, the adjusted series always seems to have great tracks but is demolished by poor execution. In my honest opinion, circles are tougher to hit than barred lines, and adding drums and a microphone to a series called Guitar Hero sounds wonky and non-heroic.
Some new additions to the Rock Band series make it simpler to rock out. This time around, it’s easier than ever to jump in and play, as all you need to do is press START on any instrument and you’ll pop into the song. Feel like leaving? Just leave! No more reason for other players to fail a song because someone gave up or had to go home. The campaign and tour mode are very nonlinear; lots of small challenges encourage you to be a better player. Throughout the tour, you will earn fresh add-ons to your arsenal of clothes and accessories to better form your style and appearance.
But the most stunning addition to the game resides in the peripheral department. The new Fender Mustang guitar has over 100 buttons that correspond to each note of each fret on the neck. This is used for Pro Mode, which has mapped out chord progressions and tabbed notes so you can play along exactly to the song, note for note. Coming in early 2011, we will see a real-life, Squire guitar that works with the game, as well as with an amplifier. There are nodes built into the neck that allow gestures to be picked up when holding down the strings, and you can have the guitar plugged into an amp to play along with the song as if you’re actually playing… because you are. The keyboard works in Pro Mode as well, and you may use it as a MIDI device for your own personal use. There is also the addition of vocal harmonies to the game that now lets up to seven people participate in a band.
Nothing has ever come this close to the real thing, and Harmonix once again blows the industry away by producing yet another hybrid music video game. As a RBN developer, I can vouch for their precious creativity and ingenuity pushed into every line of code that makes the Rock Band series so real, and musicians, as well as non-musicians, will be able to better grasp it’s simple playability. The days of plastic imaginations have finally kick flipped to an end.