G l i t c h y G o b l i n !

The ability to play Keytar while singing “The Power of Love” from Back to the Future is almost upon us.  This awesome moment is going to be made possible by Rock Band 3 and players like you.  I’ve been playing Rock Band 3 for the past two weeks, as Amazon.com delivered it to me mistakenly early on October 6th.  Let me tell you about it.

PROS:

First, under the “PROS” section, there are PRO modes. See what I did there?  There are lots of new additions to the plastic instruments that we have grown to love.  It’s like the new season of a TV show, where you get some new characters and more character development for previous ones.

First, there’s an all-new guitar.  Well, two new guitars actually.  These Pro guitars both have to be string-plucked.  The Mad Catz Rock Band 3 Fender Mustang PRO-Guitar Controller (whew, what a mouthful) has a string box with 5 strings at the bottom.  Above that are the 102 fret buttons (!!) that you use to play.  It also can be used as a MIDI guitar controller while not playing the game.  This one will set you back $150 and isn’t available until November 16^th.  The Rock Band 3 Fender Squier Stratocaster has 6 strings (along the entire neck) and 22 frets.  There’s a sensor all along the neck that senses where you’re pressing down the strings.  Also, it can be plugged into an amp.  Harmonix has shown a screenshot of this one, but no one knows when it’s coming or how much it will be. These guitars can also be used in the PRO BASS mode.

Next is the keyboard, a dream of many Rock Band fans for a long time.  It’s wireless, spans two octaves, and even has a touch sensor for some WAH-WAHing sustained notes.  It feels like a well made MIDI keyboard, and can be used as such.  The modes for it are KEYS and PRO KEYS, with the normal one using only 5 keys while PRO uses the whole thing.  The regular KEYS mode can get very tiring on Expert on the hardest songs, so take some painkillers.  Also, you can play the guitar or bass track on the keyboard if you so choose.  The keyboard by itself is $76.99 and the bundle with the game is around $120 (this is the bundle I got).

There are also extensions for the drums in the form of the Pro-cymbals kit.  I don’t know too much about drums, but they are apparently the Crash, Ride, and Hi-Hat cymbals.  What’s great is that every song that has been created so far can be done in the PRO DRUMS mode, even songs that were made before the extensions were made.  They cost $39.99 by themselves or $129.99 for the Rock Band 3 drums and extensions.

Also, Vocal Harmonies are finally added. A feature first introduced in The Beatles:  Rock Band, Vocal Harmonies allow up to three vocalists to sing up to three-part harmony.  So, it’s kind of like a PRO VOX (vocals) mode.  Since Bohemian Rhapsody is included in this game, this is definitely a winner.

The “Overshell” is amazing. As you play the game, there is always an “Overshell” menu above the gameplay and other menus.  This allows people to actively drop in and out, breakneck speed can be turned on and off, and calibration can be instantly done.  Now you don’t have to completely back up to the main menu to do these things anymore.

In Quickplay, everything is tracked. All score information, star-tracking (something sorely missed in Rock Band 2), leaderboards, and more is available within Quickplay.  You can complete Challenges, save setlists, and even challenge other players within the mode.  You can now use your personal character in Quickplay, unlike in Rock Band 2, and you also gain fans for your band, even though you’re not in the “Road Challenges” (Career) mode.  Also, a complex search engine has been added that lets you tailor your available songs to exactly what you’re looking for.  It’s really awesome.

The setlist is great as well. Pretty much all of the songs are interesting to play on at least something.  With ten different instrument modes to try the songs out on (not including Band, which can have 5 players in all sorts of combinations), these songs, plus all of your DLC and Exported songs, will last an awfully long time.

CONS:

With the PRO Guitar modes, you think they would have their new guitar(s) out on release day.  I feel like I’m missing a vast amount of the game.  I guess we’ll all wait until November 16^th, then.

The Road Challenges mode (the new World Tour mode) seems shorter. Within 3 days of not playing it that much I had it beat.  You can make your own playlists on pretty much everything, though, so I guess it feels more like you’re managing your own band’s tour.  I guess they wanted to make the vast majority of the game in Quickplay, which is better in the long run.  It means that you’re working to further your career no matter what you do.

About 20 or so of the new Rock Band 3 songs don’t support keyboard. So, in addition to there being no Pro guitar yet, I feel a little lacking in the Keys department as well.  Add to this the fact that a lot of the least difficult songs have you barely play any keyboard at all.

Score Duel is gone. I love battling other players, but I can tell that these changes are Rock Band’s way of trying to stay as far away from Guitar Hero’s problems as they can.

With all of these add-ons and new controllers, it’s a lot to invest in. If new experiences are what you’re after, you’re going to be forking over quite a bit of money for it.  Make sure you’re willing to go all of the way before making any big purchases.  Find out if any of your friends have the new keyboard or drum extensions and ask to try them before you buy.

If you only buy the game, you’re basically getting just another Rock Band.  If you don’t have any DLC, your experience won’t be as diverse.  If you don’t plop down the money for the new stuff, you’re really missing out on a whole lot of fun.  As stated earlier, how good this game is depends on how devoted you are to it.

Goblin here, and I played alongside Vegieza when I could find the time. It was a lot of fun, and the character creation is something he didn’t touch on. It’s WAY more vast this time without feeling cumbersome, and the shopping basically takes care of itself. Instead of just stockpiling ridiculous amounts of cash, you complete challenges and bam: new clothes.

I will say, when some songs’ vocals merge too well and you can’t tell whose voice is whose, it’s a bit rough trying to sing along. Best try to find some solo tracks and listen well, or just trial and error if you can’t read pitch, my friends. Also, Vocals with Keyboard will equal win. Goblin out.