Video Game Review: ‘Rock Band 3’ Delivers Music Thrills For Hardcore Fans of Hit Franchise

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CHICAGO – The developers of “Rock Band 3” have surely heard the bell-ringers who claim that the music game genre is dead and have accepted the challenge presented to them. People have been proclaiming rock to be dead for decades only to be proven wrong by an amazing new release. Does “Rock Band 3” disprove the naysayers and reinvigorate the oversaturated genre?

HollywoodChicago.com Video Game Rating: 4.5/5.0
Video Game Rating: 4.5/5.0

It’s hard to see those who have given up on the “Guitar Hero” and “Rock Band” games being dragged back to the genre by a title that is essentially founded on what made music games popular in the first place. In other words, if you’ve given up on rock to the point that you don’t even like the sound of a guitar any more, there’s no new album that’s going to change the sound to your ear. “Rock Band 3” is an expansion of “Rock Band 2” in a way that plays to fans of the franchise not in a way that tries to re-imagine the wheel and bring people back to the series.

Rock Band 3
Rock Band 3
Photo credit: Reverb

And that’s the way it should be. There was concern that “Rock Band 3” might stray too far from what made these games work in the first place with new instruments, a new challenge structure, and more, but the “enhancements” to the sequel are just that — things that build on what came before. Think of “Rock Band 3” like a new model of a car that you’ve driven. It has some new tools, rides a little smoother, looks more modern, and features some new sounds but it’s basically the same automobile.

Rock Band 3
Rock Band 3
Photo credit: Reverb

Of course, the big draw of the new “Rock Band” title is the addition of keyboards and pro instruments that encourage actual note-playing over the five-color system of most music games. I wish we could report on those elements but new instruments were not available for review. At first, we weren’t sure whether or not to cover “Rock Band 3” without the new tools but the fact is that there are many, many people out there who cannot afford the pricy new toys and will be content, through choice or financial necessity, to use their well-worn guitar, drums, and mic on just the game while they send Santa letters for the other instruments. Perhaps we will get around to our opinion of the new instruments and how they play in the game down the road. For now, this is a game-only review with the awareness that Reverb deserves credit for trying to expand their music gaming universe. We just wish we knew how the expansion was going.

So, you’re one of the millions picking up the game-only edition of “Rock Band 3” — what can you expect? First of all, the game feels comfortably familiar. The graphics are similar to the last release although a little more refined and more smoothly animated but the basic gameplay feels the same. For many, this might be disappointing, as it’s easy to first see the title as nothing more than an 83-song track pack. Of course, when the songs are this well-chosen and executed, that might be enough for some.

The most impressive element of “Rock Band 3” for me has to be the way that it organizes your catalog, which for those of us addicted to music games should include hundreds of songs by now. Import your “Rock Band” and “Rock Band 2” songs, download a few notable tracks, and blend them all together into one cohesive experience. You could play through the game with just the “RB3” tracks but it’s surprising how clearly the game has been designed for the hardcore fans who check to see what new tracks are available every week. As your band progresses through a series of “Road Challenges,” you’ll constantly have set list options in which you can play “RB3” tracks, custom-made set lists, or random set lists. The idea is that if you have a larger catalog of songs to choose from, you’ll have a more diverse experience. Some might say that this is a move to get people to buy more DLC but it also plays to the fans of the franchise who already have.

Rock Band 3
Rock Band 3
Photo credit: Reverb

The recognition that a lot of “Rock Band 3” buyers already have extensive catalogs through the first two games, track packs, and DLC has also been used when it comes to the way most people probably play the game in the “Play Now” section. In a move that those of us with hundreds of tracks have been highly anticipating, there are now dozens of ways to sort your library including by song parts, artists, genre, and, finally, a ranking system. Download a track pack and rate your favorite songs to easily access them again.

Everything about “Rock Band 3” simply feels more refined than the last installment. Even the new songs seem more expertly-designed with better sound and note timing. The game takes what worked about the franchise to date and didn’t change a note of it, merely building on what came before. It’s like a studio debut of a great local band — a bit more polished without losing what made the group successful in the first place.

As for tracks in the new game, I’ve seen better set lists (and I think it’s interesting that some of the best recent releases in the franchise have been DLC…go download the Creedence Clearwater Revival pack if you haven’t yet) but there are still some stand-out tracks including “Crosstown Traffic,” “Everybody Wants to Rule the World,” “Free Bird,” “Here I Go Again,” “Just Like Heaven,” “Midlife Crisis,” “Need You Tonight,” “Plush,” “Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting,” “Sister Christian,” “Space Oddity,” “The Beautiful People,” “The Hardest Button to Button,” “The Power of Love,” “Walk of Life,” and “Werewolves of London.” Once again, the diversity of the set list and how it plays to the whole band is key. Any game that can include The Flaming Lips, Rammstein, Bob Marley, and The Smiths in one title deserves points for playing to the whole house.

And that’s what “Rock Band 3” will do this holiday season and beyond. I wish we could go into detail about how the Pro Guitar and keyboards are incorporated into the experience but that will have to wait. Until then, know that if you’re one of those people thinking about upgrading your game but can’t afford all the new instruments: It’s worth it. Who says rock is dead?

‘Rock Band 3’ was released by MTV Games and developed by Reverb and Harmonix Games. It is rated T (Teen). The version reviewed was for the PS3, but the title is also available for the XBox 360 and Nintendo Wii. It was released on October 26th, 2010.

HollywoodChicago.com content director Brian Tallerico

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Johnny5's picture

Video games and music

Talking about rock band made me think of old game music that is awesome like this list: http://www.nakedrobber.com/2010/06/11/10-reasons-why-video-game-music-ow…

David Smith's picture

Rock Band

I stink, but I love the Beatles!

samdrough's picture

very good

this was very good approach. i had a great time on ur site. thanks for the good post. keep posting…

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