Rock Band 3

by Nathaniel Crouch The Rock Band franchise and Australia are fairly unfamiliar with each other, which is a shame considering just how much I loved the nd game! Now that "armoni# are back with their latest iteration of the series, is Rock Band $ worth your time or can you %ack those %lastic instruments back into the s%are room cu%board&

'es%ite releasing nine standalone games and si# disc(based track %acks, the Rock Band franchise and Australia are largely unfamiliar with one another! After the infamously shambolic release of the first game a year late and com%lete ignorance of releasing the second at all, the series been met with %altry sales figures within our great island nation! It)s a shame, really, as I)ve gone on record stating <just how much I love Rock Band 2>, which near(%erfected the music(rhythm genre! Now that "armoni# are trying to kiss and make u% with their latest *and likely last+ iteration of the series, Rock Band $, is the game worth your time and money, or can you %ack those %lastic instruments back into the s%are room cu%board& Before we answer that %articular ,uestion, however, let)s start off with the basics! Rock Band $ %lays just like every other Rock Band and -uitar "ero game you)ve ever %layed, using your de#trous digits to mash away at various instrument sha%ed %eri%herals in tune with the music! "armoni# have tweaked small elements of game%lay that would be com%letely unrecogni.able to the casual %layer, but to long term fans of both the series and the genre, they go a long way to im%roving the overall e#%erience! Tighter restrictions on hammer(ons and %ull(offs whilst %laying the guitar/ the sim%lification of drum rolls and the introduction of %itch(shifting to vocalists *making the Bee -ees %ossible to sing without castration+ are e#tremely welcome changes to the series! 0verall, with its near(%erfected game%lay, this is without a doubt the best music rhythm game on the market to %lay!
Stop me if youve played this before..

The im%lementation of keyboards, the fifth instrument, is a nice touch that further fleshes out the total rock e#%erience! The keyboard %eri%heral, two octaves in length, is a solid build and reasonably %riced! 1laying the ordinary keyboard mode is similar to guitar, with %layers %ressing one of five coloured buttons streaming toward the screen! In the end, it)s nice that it was im%lemented, but it)s fairly boring 2 without having to strum, it)s like %laying half of a guitar! 1ro 3eys, however, is a whole different story! Instead of being restricted to just five keys, %layers take use of two whole octaves, making game%lay a hell of a lot more fun! There)s something intangibly enjoyable about mashing away at the keyboard 2 whenever we would %lay "uey 4ewis 5 The News) 6The Power of Love7, I found myself with a big goofy grin on my face the entire time, mashing the keyboard from end to end! It)s a worthwhile and fun addition to the series, and o%ens the gates to the %ossibility of other great 3eyboard(based '4C *Nik 3ershaw better get a look(in soon, I swear+! 1ro 8ode isn)t just restricted to keys, however, e#tending to both guitar and drums! 1ro drums sees %layers forced to differentiate between ordinary drum notes and cymbals, effectively increasing the total number of notes to eight! I)m frankly terrible at drums, but still found the new %ro mode to be incredibly enjoyable, more accurately mimicking the music I was hearing! 9nfortunately I didn)t get a chance to

%lay 1ro -uitar before the review 2 the :ender ;,uire ;tratocaster 1ro -uitar doesn)t release until 8arch!
Keys are a great addition to the series

"armoni# have im%lemented a number of other little tweaks to make the game%lay as seamless as %ossible! 1layers have access to their own %ersonal menus at all time, letting them select system %rofiles, characters and adjust settings without affecting other %layers or interru%ting the selection of music! :urthermore, %layers can dro% in or out as well as change difficulty on the fly, making it %erfect for %arty situations! -ra%hically, the game looks more The Beatles: Rock Band than Rock Band 2, and whether that)s a good thing or not is u% to your own %ersonal taste! The background animations during songs are cool, but fairly ugly 2 to be honest though, if you)re more concerned about how the backgrounds are looking than what you)re %laying, you)re not really %aying attention to the im%ortant things! The soundtrack is a good, if eclectic, mi#(bag of songs of all genres, eras and styles! I thoroughly enjoyed most of it, and when it was com%lemented with my own collection of downloaded tracks, I found myself having a great time! 8y biggest %roblem with the game, though, is that it feels somewhat em%ty! "armoni# stri%%ed out the career mode and re%laced it with around ten Road Challenges, which are little more than large %laylists! There is no outstanding content in the game demanding to be %layed 2 instead, it feels as if they)ve created a '4C(fuelled engine, greater than any other alternative on the market! 4et me make it %erfectly clear that if all you want this game for is to %lay a few songs with some mates when you have a %arty, it)s near %erfect! "owever, for the discerning solo( %layer, there is no reason to u%grade besides the set list! "armoni# have long strived to %erfect the 6jukebo#7 style of game%lay, where you load a single title u% with as many songs as you enjoy and start %laying, and that)s e#actly what they)ve achieved! The %roblem is, though, that Rock Band $ has no lasting value outside of that %ur%ose! There is no incentive to kee% %laying, besides a love for the game%lay!

This does not qualify as a career mode.

It all comes down to %ersonal %reference in the end 2 make no mistakes about it, Rock Band $ is the best music rhythm game available! <ith over =>> songs available on discs and as '4C you)ll never starve for content, and the game%lay is to%(notch! The %roblem, however, is that)s all it has to offer to %layers 2 there)s no story or career or any other incentive dragging solo %layers back in for another go! 8aybe it just goes to show that my relationshi% with the music rhythm game is on its last legs, but just serving me u% the same as before no longer cuts it! ros! ( ( ( Absolutely %henomenal game%lay, miles ahead of the com%etition! 8ake no mistakes about it/ this is the king of the genre! :un and varied soundtrack 2 I)ve had the ridiculous chorus from Werewolves of London stuck in my head since I first %ut the disc in! 1ro 8ode is a worthwhile challenge for all instruments 2 haven)t %layed 1ro -uitar yet *still waiting on the :ender ;tratocaster ne#t year+, but 'rums and 3eys are great fun!

"ons! ( ( No career mode ;ame old Rock Band

#inal verdict! Rock band $ is a %henomenal game, but it)s one you)ve already %layed! The mechanics might be as %erfect as they can get, but at the end of the day you)re getting the same game you bought in >>?! If you)re looking for the king of music games, its right here 2 just know that you)ve met him before!