Rock Band 3 goes Pro

PALGN News | Harmonix looks to change the face of rhythm games all over again.

As E3 draws closer, Harmonix is lifting the lid on the next title in their rhythm gaming juggernaut with a truckload of details spewing out on the features and the setlist of Rock Band 3.

Those players looking for a little more realism from the game will go into overdrive at the news of the title's newest mode - Pro Mode - which is designed to offer a more authentic gaming experience, helping gamers make the transition from playing Rock Band instruments to picking up the real thing. Each instrument will have a pro mode option, but for those who think it is merely just another difficulty level will be sadly mistaken. For instance, on keyboard Pro, players will have to be quite fleet fingered as each key on the peripheral will be used. Forget the coloured zones, those days are gone. Each note that falls will correspond to a single key and if you don't hit that key you'll need to be prepared for being booed off stage. In the case of the drums, Pro Mode will add three cymbals to the mix (which you can access through buying a PRO-Cymbals Expansion Kit to hook up to your existing Rock Band drum kit) and will require gamers to use them to hit specific notes. The guitar will be a whole new kettle of fish with Harmonix and Mad Catz getting together to cook up new guitar peripherals. Modeled after the Fender Squire and Mustang, these new guitars will do away with the push button frets, instead incorporating frets and six strings just like a traditional electric guitar.

The instrument evolution could be a costly endeavour for gamers, with US pricing currently set at between $40 - $150 depending on what you buy. For musos that bang around with MIDI keyboards and MIDI drum kits, you'll be able to use your own equipment in-game thanks to the MIDI PRO-Adapter.

Additionally, "Mad Catz will be offering updated versions of the guitar and drum peripherals from prior versions of Rock Band, as well as improved microphones in support of the Rock Band 3 vocal harmony feature," but these are yet to be detailed.

Other features also revealed include Party Mode, which will let you start up the game and allow for persistent drop-in/drop-out, making it easier to get a group of friends together to have a go without interrupting the flow of gameplay. Career Mode also gets an upgrade, featuring a more robust experience which will suit those looking for a long-term campaign experience as it features over 700 goals and rewards. Social networking also gets a look in with Harmonix confirming that the game will include tools which allow players to interact with friends and fellow Rock Band players through social networking sites such as: Facebook, Twitter, and more.

Finally, Harmonix has confirmed that the title will feature a setlist of 83 tracks on the disc and support for importing (and backwards compatibility) of all retail releases and DLC - with the exception being that players will not be able to access songs or DLC from The Beatles: Rock Band. So far, Harmonix have announced 22 of the tracks that will be available in the game, which are listed below:

2000s:

Metric - "Combat Baby"
Rilo Kiley - "Portions of Foxes"
Them Crooked Vultures - "Dead End Friends"
The Vines - "Get Free"
The White Stripes - "The Hardest Button to Button"
Phoenix - "Lasso"
Ida Maria - "Oh My God"
Juanes - "Me Enamora"

1990s:
Jane's Addiction - "Been Caught Stealing"
Smash Mouth - "Walkin' on the Sun"
Spacehog - "In the Meantime"
Stone Temple Pilots - "Plush"

1980s:
Dio - "Rainbow in the Dark"
Huey Lewis and the News - "The Power of Love"
Joan Jett - "I Love Rock and Roll"
Night Ranger - "Sister Christian"
Whitesnake - "Here I Go Again"
The Cure - "Just Like Heaven"
Ozzy Osbourne - "Crazy Train"

1970s:
Queen - "Bohemian Rhapsody"

1960s:
Jimi Hendrix - "Crosstown Traffic"
The Doors - "Break On Through"

Rock Band 3 is coming to PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii and Nintendo DS later this year. You can check out the first images of the new peripherals and the game itself in our media panel.

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15 Comments

jesuslol

2 years ago

Love it. A real guitar! Finally!

Kimberley Ellis

2 years ago

Personally, I'd prefer to have the option to plug in my real guitar, but this is definitely a step in the right direction.

rufati

2 years ago

Now I'll be able to use my MIDI Keyboard as a game controller. Woot =D

Capoeira

2 years ago

I'm all for progress and all that good stuff but come on... this is starting to get just a tad ridiculous. Look how many freaking buttons are on that guitar! Bananas!

I think we're getting to the point now where you may as well learn to play the actual instrument. If that is Harmonix's ultimate goal well then more power to them, I guess. It's only getting a little hard to justify the charade at this point...

G3ck0

2 years ago

I'm pretty sure that IS the whole point of it, to start to teach you to play the real guitar, as long as they get the charts right in game.

grim-one

2 years ago

Since one of the pro guitars they are releasing has six strings and no buttons - yes Harmonix want their game to teach you how to play a real guitar.

genxevo

2 years ago

wow! australia doesn't even have rockband 2 yet

sobriquet835

2 years ago

The reason I play Guitar Hero/ Rock Band over real guitar is because I can't play real guitar. I've tried, but I just don't have the co-ordination. This game is going to be too complex for me in Real mode, I really hope that they keep the simplified version we're used to in tact.

G3ck0

2 years ago

sobriquet835 wrote

It will. It will have everything from Rock Band 2, Pro mode is completely optional.

troublemaker

2 years ago

Sadly it looks like RB is going to have another dud Australian release.

Game is only stocking the game. And EB isn't selling bundles, so a Keyboard + game is going to cost you $237 ($138 + $99).

I suspect I'll just be importing the game only when the price drops, which is a shame because the keyboard looked fun and I like the RB experience better than GH

Jedi_Amara

2 years ago

I'd wait until it comes out before writing it off completely. I'd rather play using the MIDI-Pro adapter and a regular MIDI keyboard anyway, since I've been meaning to buy a keyboard. That said, considering the price gap between here and the US, I'll probably import the adapter anyway.

What's annoying me more is the price of the pro guitars - the Mustang will be US$149 RRP over there (around AU$155), but $288 here? I've been planning to get the Squier when it comes out, but people are predicting it'll be around US$300 in America (a price I'd be fine with paying), so I can't see it being less than $500 here (not fine with that

). Probably cheaper to import even with shipping!

troublemaker

2 years ago

I like the idea of getting a Squier too, please be sure to post here with any retailers you find (maybe could get a bulk purchase discount if there's enough of us?). I've contacted a few guitar shops but have had no reply.

Jedi_Amara

2 years ago

They've said the Squier won't be available on release and possibly not until next year, hopefully we can figure out something then

I've actually been thinking we should try and get a crew together to buy a case of games when something new/popular comes out and get a bulk discount, but I'm not sure where we'd buy in volume from.

troublemaker

2 years ago

Jedi_Amara wrote

we should try and get a crew together to buy a case of games when something new/popular comes out and get a bulk discount, but I'm not sure where we'd buy in volume from.

I tried my hand at buy & selling games, the discounts I got were pretty poor (often places like CDWow etc were selling games at the same price I was buying them). Often a game that retailed for $100 cost me about $80, which was about the same price that Target, JB etc would sell them at, and I had to factor in postage too.

Another gotchya is that you often have to put an order in before release (to guarantee stock), if it's a dud game people obviously won't want to buy it and you sell at a loss.

Jedi_Amara

2 years ago

Fair enough, I guess we don't really have enough people to make it worth it

I like that the Squier's going to be console-independent as long as you get the right adapter for your console. Thinking of holding off on RB3 now as I really want to buy a PS3 and if so I'd move my whole GH/RB setup to that (the Wii's so bad for DLC

) which would be expensive - especially since I use Logitech controllers - but if I give in when the Squier comes out at least I wouldn't have to buy a new Pro controller.

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