Rock Band 3 (Harmonix) Review

Gaming Age

21st December 2010

Rock Band 3

Author: Brian Peterson
Publisher: Harmonix
Machine: PlayStation 3 (US Version)

It is no secret that the infamous music genre has pretty much run its course in the videogame world. It really takes ingenuity and creativity to not only interest the general public, but keep the flickering lighter of rock a burnin'. Leave it to the originators of the modern music genre to make such a move that not only provides new and innovative features, yet doesn't shun the loyal audience who have supported them for these many years by forcing them to buy a whole new set of plastic accessories. That's right; I'm speaking of Rock Band 3 brought to you by the team of Harmonix.

What makes Rock Band 3 a must buy for fans of the genre is not only can you still play and use the current arrangement of instruments, songs, and DLC you have already purchased and play the game without any restrictions, but those who are looking for new features will find them in the new additions of a keyboard for playing piano and if you have the knowledge and skills, the added pro mode that will, along with a pro guitar, allow you to play actual notes and tabs in this version of Rock Band. What's more, some songs have been updated to use some of the new instruments and pro modes, but not all.

Of course I'm not going to pull your chain and pretend that the game still plays and feels the same as it ever has, but the new pro mode and presentation additions help make the game feel fresh, even if it's not quite new or unique. The first thing you will notice is the visual facelift that looks as if the engine was borrowed from the Sims series, but in a good way. Your band members look more realistic and show more emotion than before, and the lip syncing seems to be more in time with the actions on screen comparitively to what you hear. Top it off with the ability to fully customize your band and stand-ins as you see if to provide a real sense of unity and band membership, all the way down to the game's cut scenes that accompany the storyline of sorts.

Where the real differences, rather than the obvious use of the pro modes and instruments, come into play are subtle but huge, especially to fans of the series. First you have a new review system that allows you to rate each song after performing from 1 to 5 and if you dislike a song, review it poorly and it will never be chosen when doing random set lists. Next, the game finally initializes the pause and revisit feature that will enable you to take that sip of beverage or go to the bathroom or even answer the phone, without feeling as you may miss out on that five star performance if you stop. One of the game's best additions is the drop in and out feature where you can literally quit when you want whether it is in mid song or after one, and you can go from one to seven players at anytime without having to go back to the main menu. Just as cool is the feature to allow you to stop during a set list at any song and pick up from the song you left off at without having to play the songs you finished already. This comes in handy when you are playing a lofty set list of 20 or more songs.

Rock Band 3 offers a few new ways to enjoy the career, online and single player modes that will keep the tunes coming all through the night. The career objective system gives gamers a checklist of songs, modes, and completion rates to take hold of. Whether it's playing a list of hard songs, finishing 5 stars, or providing a perfect vocal performance, all aspects of the game are listed and categorized accordingly. Thankfully, you can actually complete multiple checklist items in one song as you will not have to repeat objectives just because they were not on your current list of objectives. There are many, many item lists to complete, so don't expect a quick run through. Even quick play and online modes have spiced up their play lifespan by adding things like note streaks and finisher bonuses to try and acquire.

Of course all of this game play doesn't mean a nickels worth if you don't have the tunes to keep you rock and rolling all night. Besides the 70 plus new tracks offered in Rock Band 3, gamers can use the more than 2000 songs in the Rock Band library to keep the beat. If you have imported any older Rock Band titles, you can find them accessible as well, all except The Beatles that never allowed for such an option. As mentioned, the game even updated some songs to use the new pro feature and keyboard options.

As for how the game plays with the keyboard and new 120 button guitar and pro modes, I unfortunately do not have these in my possession at the time of this review. Once I do acquire them, I will add a footnote to this review in the not too distant future. I'm sure this will add a few more hundred words to my review as I do play the piano and guitar in real life, so I am very interested in how these instruments translate over into the Rock Band universe. I expect nothing but positive results, but for now I will not assume and just review the game as is, which is surprisingly addictive and fun as it ever has been. Even though I'm perfectly content with the game using the standard instruments, I can only imagine how deep my game play life will be expanded once I acquire the new instrument values to the games already impressive additions.

So that it for what it's worth, this is not just another 60 DLC disc like other game offers, this has tons of new additions even if you don't plan on buying more plastic instruments in the meantime. Rock Band three continues to delight my gaming senses and eardrums, and I look forward in watching my wallet deplete of funds with new DLC songs and instrument options on down the line.

Brian Peterson