Rock Band 3 has been one of the most hyped music games of the year, mostly because of the new features it adds to the series. The biggest addition being keyboards which gives an entirely new instrument that gamers can learn to play. The other major addition to the series is Pro Mode which allows players to actually learn how to play their instruments.
When Rock Band 3 was first announced many gamers wondered how the series was going to grow, the music genre has not had a major update since the original game. Ever since the original Rock Band fans have wanted the inclusion of keyboards in the series and they are getting it with Rock Band 3. The other major feature that was announced for Rock Band 3 was Pro Mode which was supposed to take players a step closer to learning how to play a real instrument.
At first glance Rock Band 3 might not seem that different than the others in the series, the graphics are pretty much the same and the interface although improved doesn’t seem that different either. However once players spend some time with the game they’ll quickly realize that Rock Band 3 is a major update to the Rock Band series. However it depends on players how much they want to put into this experience. Most gamers by now at least have some sort of guitar controller and some probably even have a drum set too, so unlike previous entries in the series there is going to be a lot more people who are just going to buy the game, however those who do this will not be experiencing any of the major new features to Rock Band 3. For those who want to get the keyboard a bundle package is being sold with the instrument and just the game, but even this new bundle pack doesn’t give you the entire Rock Band 3 experience, for those who want to experience Pro Mode on guitar they are going to have to buy the $150 Pro Guitar controller.
The Keyboard adds a lot of new gameplay to the Rock Band series, although play keyboard in the regular mode is very easy and requires little from the player the Pro Mode of the keyboard is where it’s real experience is. Playing keyboard is fairly difficult to learn at first but with time and effort from the player they can really start to feel like a real keyboardist and the best part is they kind of become one since they’re playing the actual notes to the song. So if anything keyboard is surprisingly fun to play and does a good job of adding a new gameplay type to the series. One important thing to mention however is that none of the previous Rock Band songs support keyboard.
The other new addition to Rock Band 3 is the use of the new Pro Guitar which is fairly close to being a real guitar, it has six string you can play however buttons are on the frets, so it’s still not exactly a real guitar. This is what becomes the main question of Rock Band 3, do you want to spend money on the game and $150 for a guitar that is still not quite real? The Pro Guitar is so close to being real that it really does become a question of whether or not you should spend the money for this or to simply pick up an actual guitar. However for those who do decide they want to invest in Pro Mode then you will get a very full featured mode. The game really teaches you how to play chords and with enough time players will be able to play full songs on guitar.
The game itself is a big upgrade from the other entries in the series, the career mode now is not like the world map in the games. Instead there are challenges that players have to complete, this might sound like a change for the worst but it actually ends up being a lot more fun then the other style. The other major aspect of Rock Band 3 to mention is the song themselves, Rock Band 3 is probably the best overall song list in the series. There are plenty of classic rock songs and a fair amount of even pop rock songs that are even fun to play.
Overall Rock Band 3 is probably the best music game, it adds a new instrument and a new Pro Mode which is difficult but lets players take the next step in learning how to play actual instruments. However the cost of Rock Band 3 starts to become a problem if you want to experience everything. If you do decide you want to do everything in Rock Band 3 then you’re going to have a music game that becomes an experience that no other game can provide.
[starreviewmulti id=2]
Overall = 8.7
