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Product DetailsPlatform: Xbox 360 | Edition: Game
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Product Description
Platform: Xbox 360 | Edition: Game
Amazon.com
Rock Band 3 is the third main release in the iconic video game series that challenges gamers to live out their Rock & Roll fantasies together in a band situation, both locally and online. The game features an ever expanding song list from every era of Rock & Roll history, easy to pick up yet challenging addictive Note Highway gameplay, compatibility with earlier releases in the series and all platform-specific instrument controllers including most Guitar Hero controllers, extreme in-game character and band customization, and a slew of new features. These new features include: new setlist search functionality, the addition of 3-part harmonies and a keyboard peripheral and expanded play modes, including the advanced Pro Mode.
The Most Music. Period
The Rock Band 3 disc soundtrack contains 83 tracks by the best bands from around the world, including bands that have never appeared in a music game, as well as support for existing Rock Band tracks (Rock Band and Rock Band 2 discs, downloaded songs, track packs, AC/DC Live: Rock Band Track Pack, LEGO Rock Band and Green Day: Rock Band). Additionally, Rock Band 3 gives players immediate access to a music library approaching 2,000 songs by launch, with new content added regularly. With a selection like this, it is clear that Rock Band's gigantic music selection dwarfs that of any other music game on the market. The full track list includes:
Signature Rock Band Note Highway gameplay mechanic.
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Addition of 3-part harmony to main release gameplay.
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New play option, including the advanced Pro Mode.
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New, optional keyboard instrument controller (sold separately).
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Redesigned Music Library
Rock Band 3 allows players to create and save setlists and share them with friends, both in-game and through RockBand.com. In addition, new song filters make it easier to find the types of songs fans want to play and hide the songs they don't, while a built-in song recommendation system will suggest tracks from Rock Band's colossal music library, based on personal fan preference.
Expand the Band
In addition to guitar, bass, drums and solo vocals, Rock Band 3 adds three-part vocal harmony functionality that was introduced with The Beatles: Rock Band and, for the first time ever, a keyboard peripheral to the band. The combination of all these possibilities means that up to seven players can rock together in Rock Band 3 for the ultimate social gaming experience.
Go Pro: Take Your Passion to the Next Level
Rock Band 3 empowers players to develop actual musical skills through the fun of fully scalable Rock Band Pro gameplay. Fans can dive in on the Easy setting to try out basic skills and work their way up to Expert for real mastery. Pro Drums supports three expansion cymbals, with gameplay differentiation between toms and cymbals. Pro Keys (Keyboard) features pitch-accurate keyboard performance across a two-octave range, displayed on an easy-to-read keyboard track. Pro Guitar features noted guitar and bass performances, available for play with either the new Fender Mustang PRO-Guitar simulated guitar controller from Mad Catz, or the Rock Band 3 Squier by Fender Stratocaster guitar controller that is a real guitar/controller hybrid. The Rock Band 3 Squier Stratocaster is a fully functional, full-sized, six-string electric guitar that also functions as a game controller.
New Gameplay Modes
For the casual player, Rock Band 3 has great new party modes that allow fans to get rocking with friends quicker than ever, including party shuffle and persistent drop-in/drop-out and difficulty selection from any gameplay screen. For the serious player, the revamped Career Mode features 700+ goals and rewards and seamless leaderboard integration for an endlessly deep campaign experience. Rock Band 3 also adds a suite of social networking tools to the game so fans can engage friends and fellow rockers over Facebook, Twitter and more. Whether players want to jump in for a quick song or take their band to the top, Rock Band 3 has a mode for everyone.
Product Description
Rock Band 3 is the next generation of the ultimate social and interactive music gaming platform developed by the category’s leading pioneers, Harmonix Music Systems. Featuring innovative game modes and instruments, Rock Band 3 will change the way fans think about and play music games.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
29 of 32 people found the following review helpful
By R. Reining
Platform for Display:Xbox 360| Edition:Game|Amazon Verified Purchase
Fun:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Things have changed, it's a fact. And I know some people are not going to like it. Back when I first played Guitar Hero 2, all the way up through playing Rock Band 3 most of tonight with my brother, what I have always loved about all of these games is shredding on a tasty solo. Something entirely self-indulgent, and an obscene amount of fun. That being said, that is not what Rock Band 3 aimed for this time. The emphasis has shifted and is now on the entire band. One could argue as Rock Band was the first to come out with the drums / bass / vocal parts to create the band performance, the emphasis has always been on the band. But for me it always seemed like for the most part the vocals, drums and bass parts were all secondary to most of the songs that really have stand-out guitar parts. The selection of songs is indicative of a change in focus, from being the "guitar" game, to being the "band game." No where is this more obvious than in Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody.' I was looking forward to playing the two awesome guitar solos in it, but when playing the song, a lot of it has me either sitting through vocal / drum / keyboard sections, or playing very easy note sequences. The songs are more mellowed-out, more easily accessible to those people looking to play as a group. Some people will not like that, but I don't mind so much.
As far as songs go, I was disappointed to a certain extent. While we do get 'Free Bird,' 'The Beast and the Harlot,' and 'No One Knows,' as the other reviewer pointed out, those songs have been in previous Guitar Hero games. There are so many songs that would be so cool on Rock Band, but some of these are just recycled, and I'm not sure why. But since all of my downloaded songs carried over it really wasn't too big a deal. What we are really paying for in this game is the new ways in which songs play out, and the upgraded features the new software offers.
You know that feeling in a sequel where you're having fun, but it's a tentative kind of fun, where you're waiting to see or experience something that they changed from the previous game that you are really not going to like? That's how I felt for the first couple of hours while I was playing tonight. But I have to give Harmonix credit once again. It seems that they left everything that worked in Rock Band 2, and then added features that were lacking from that game. For instance, when playing a set I was always disappointed that the only song you could see your note streak on was the last of them. It's been changed now. Rock Band has taken a page out of Guitar Hero's book here, and made your song stats viewable between songs. They even offer breakdowns of every section of the song, as well as a breakdown of how many points you earned in what ways (ie keeping a streak, overdrive, sustained, etc.). On top of that, when you are playing a song with more than just yourself, it shows you how many points each player got individually, minus the combined overdrive effect, which is neat. And you can rate songs right after you play them, which is a nice feature when you have ~500 songs so sift through.
Solos are slightly different looking, not so much in your face anymore. Instead of the note track glowing glue, the edges of the track glow blue. Most of the time you won't even realize you're playing a solo until you notice it counting your percentage. Same thing with a new addition to overdrive. There are still the white-note sequences that earn you 25% of overdrive, but now there is also a new kind, where the edges of the note track will glow yellow, and for getting those parts perfectly you earn 50% overdrive automatically. I'm ambivalent on that point though. I didn't see as the overdrive needed changing, but it's definitely not something I'm complaining about.
Setlists can now be saved to be played whenever you want, and the filters for organizing or displaying songs has been greatly expanded (Artist, Album, Genre, Decade, Instrument, Pro Mode Difficulty, Keyboard Part, Rating, Alphabetical by song, etc). Some things have been altered a bit, but it takes a learning curve or just a few minutes. As with recent Guitar Hero games, you can now drop in or out of a song or set at any time, as well as change profiles during any menu screen, which is a really nice new addition to the Rock Band repertoire. Another little thing that I noticed was pausing during a song. We've all done it, and it seems to happen unavoidably when we have a streak going, we've all been there. Rock Band 3 has solved the issue, and it's incredibly simple. Guitar Hero: World Tour made it so when you unpause it gives you a few seconds to see what notes are coming, which was cool...but it was a frozen screen, and you had no clear idea of how fast the notes might come at you. With this game, when you unpause the song rewinds a few seconds, and while it doesn't let you replay notes, it scrolls a blank note chart for a few seconds so you can get the feel of the speed, and then you pick up right back where you left off. Awesome new addition to the game.
I think the only negative thing I can say about the game is that I miss the fun facts about bands that would display while the songs were loading. But again Harmonix won't even let me complain about that, because the reason they're gone is because loading times are insanely faster than they used to be. You pick your set, and within a few seconds the song is starting. I don't know how they pulled that off, but it's impressive. In fact, I think the only loading screen I've had so far was the first time I loaded the game, and the game was updating my downloadable songs. A+ for efficiency.
The only REAL complaint I can make is that the Pro Mode guitar controller isn't coming out for a couple more weeks (what's up with that, Madcatz?). But I can say this, I browsed the training tutorials for both Pro Guitar and Keyboard, and they are extensive. It really is an impressive accomplishment, and I'm really looking forward to trying it out when the guitar gets here.
The bottom line really is this: Even if you don't like any of the songs that come with Rock Band 3, you should still buy it to play your old songs with the news features, because it's so worth it.
As far as songs go, I was disappointed to a certain extent. While we do get 'Free Bird,' 'The Beast and the Harlot,' and 'No One Knows,' as the other reviewer pointed out, those songs have been in previous Guitar Hero games. There are so many songs that would be so cool on Rock Band, but some of these are just recycled, and I'm not sure why. But since all of my downloaded songs carried over it really wasn't too big a deal. What we are really paying for in this game is the new ways in which songs play out, and the upgraded features the new software offers.
You know that feeling in a sequel where you're having fun, but it's a tentative kind of fun, where you're waiting to see or experience something that they changed from the previous game that you are really not going to like? That's how I felt for the first couple of hours while I was playing tonight. But I have to give Harmonix credit once again. It seems that they left everything that worked in Rock Band 2, and then added features that were lacking from that game. For instance, when playing a set I was always disappointed that the only song you could see your note streak on was the last of them. It's been changed now. Rock Band has taken a page out of Guitar Hero's book here, and made your song stats viewable between songs. They even offer breakdowns of every section of the song, as well as a breakdown of how many points you earned in what ways (ie keeping a streak, overdrive, sustained, etc.). On top of that, when you are playing a song with more than just yourself, it shows you how many points each player got individually, minus the combined overdrive effect, which is neat. And you can rate songs right after you play them, which is a nice feature when you have ~500 songs so sift through.
Solos are slightly different looking, not so much in your face anymore. Instead of the note track glowing glue, the edges of the track glow blue. Most of the time you won't even realize you're playing a solo until you notice it counting your percentage. Same thing with a new addition to overdrive. There are still the white-note sequences that earn you 25% of overdrive, but now there is also a new kind, where the edges of the note track will glow yellow, and for getting those parts perfectly you earn 50% overdrive automatically. I'm ambivalent on that point though. I didn't see as the overdrive needed changing, but it's definitely not something I'm complaining about.
Setlists can now be saved to be played whenever you want, and the filters for organizing or displaying songs has been greatly expanded (Artist, Album, Genre, Decade, Instrument, Pro Mode Difficulty, Keyboard Part, Rating, Alphabetical by song, etc). Some things have been altered a bit, but it takes a learning curve or just a few minutes. As with recent Guitar Hero games, you can now drop in or out of a song or set at any time, as well as change profiles during any menu screen, which is a really nice new addition to the Rock Band repertoire. Another little thing that I noticed was pausing during a song. We've all done it, and it seems to happen unavoidably when we have a streak going, we've all been there. Rock Band 3 has solved the issue, and it's incredibly simple. Guitar Hero: World Tour made it so when you unpause it gives you a few seconds to see what notes are coming, which was cool...but it was a frozen screen, and you had no clear idea of how fast the notes might come at you. With this game, when you unpause the song rewinds a few seconds, and while it doesn't let you replay notes, it scrolls a blank note chart for a few seconds so you can get the feel of the speed, and then you pick up right back where you left off. Awesome new addition to the game.
I think the only negative thing I can say about the game is that I miss the fun facts about bands that would display while the songs were loading. But again Harmonix won't even let me complain about that, because the reason they're gone is because loading times are insanely faster than they used to be. You pick your set, and within a few seconds the song is starting. I don't know how they pulled that off, but it's impressive. In fact, I think the only loading screen I've had so far was the first time I loaded the game, and the game was updating my downloadable songs. A+ for efficiency.
The only REAL complaint I can make is that the Pro Mode guitar controller isn't coming out for a couple more weeks (what's up with that, Madcatz?). But I can say this, I browsed the training tutorials for both Pro Guitar and Keyboard, and they are extensive. It really is an impressive accomplishment, and I'm really looking forward to trying it out when the guitar gets here.
The bottom line really is this: Even if you don't like any of the songs that come with Rock Band 3, you should still buy it to play your old songs with the news features, because it's so worth it.
36 of 41 people found the following review helpful
Platform for Display:Xbox 360|Edition:Game
Fun:
4.0 out of 5 stars
I've been playing Rock Band 3 for the past couple of days with my friends. Before I continue, I'll outline my set up. We got the new keyboard, but have not yet bought the cymbals for the drums, and not planning on a pro-guitar until the Squier is released next year. So this is not a review about the touted 'Pro-Mode'.
This is a review for the people who have been waiting for the next evolution of their beloved Rock Band franchise.
At this moment, I'm hesitant to recommend this game too highly over Rock Band 2. Peripheral-wise, the keyboards sound like a great idea on paper. There is sufficient Pro-mode Piano instruction to get you started, and it looked like it could be fun, but the majority of songs we've played so far indicate that there are long pauses of nothing to do when on the keyboards for most songs. In addition, if you are playing with the game's 'random set-lists', you will be limited to songs that support it specifically--which amounts to maybe 60~ of our library of 250 songs. A little annoying to say the least. When making a set-list, you can use the keyboard as a guitar or bass, but it only seems relevant and fun in a few rare songs, like the Gorillaz 'Clint Eastwood'. When playing the game normally, we always have a tendency to avoid picking up the keyboard because it will limit our set-list so tremendously, which absolutely sucks.
Moving on to the gameplay and campaign, it is set up in an interesting, yet disjointed fashion now. Character creation is an absolute blast, and seeing my friends and I strutting through the city looks absolutely awesome! But there are no longer personalities to choose from, and so all characters on stage seem rather...the same? In Rock Band 2 we all laughed as our friend with a mohawk rampaged on stage; now my girlfriend's character may be doing that...or me. Eh. Also, is it just me or do the stages themselves seem more bland? In Rock Band 2 it was always a joy to go to a new venue and see our band's art on the stage somehow, and examine the stage's quirks. The fret-lanes that you play on as well take some time getting used to, and are decidedly more busy, but functional after spending some time on it. Not entirely sure if it is for the better.
The story is the typical 'rags to riches' fare, with a more personal feel to it as cut-scenes you unlock contain your characters in them and are usually pretty humorous. Getting your first van was one of my favorites. Also, instead of choosing venues to play at, you will now go on tours which revolve mostly around America. Your band is hypothetically located around the North-East, and the whole game's tours unveil around that fact. This creates a more linear affair, but also more personal. I like it.
What I don't like are questionable changes and ideas, and for lack of a better word, glitches. For one, Rock Band Stage Kit no longer works with the game. The game also has a tendency to stutter and have frame-rate issues in the middle of songs, which makes it heck on the singer every once in a while(it gives me headaches). The lack of personalities leads to odd sights on stage, where in one scene two people will be singing together, and a split-second camera change later, they will be on opposite sides of the stage. Huh? This omission really cuts down on the immersion when you realize that all of the videos are completely cookie-cutter and in no specific, logical order. The costume pieces(and every other character customization feature outside of body-sculpting) are mostly hand-me-downs from Rock Band 2. Disappointing.
And forget about playing Guitar, Bass, and Keyboards with your friends; you'll have to turn on All-instrument mode if you use this combination at all, and so drums and vocals will be turned on, with the vocals defaulted to easy, no-fail 'karaoke mode'. This was designed around the idea that only 4 players can be logged in at once, so the vocalist is the odd-player out by default...but even if you don't want a vocalist, or don't want a drummer, this is what you will have to use. You also won't be able to play on xbox live with this mode. And did I mention the venue will default to 'trippy music video' since the game doesn't want to render the crowd?
This All-Instrument Mode(AIM) is a complete fail in my mind. You wont even be able to pick your character as the vocalist. There HAS to be a better way to do this.
However, the set list is insanely fun, and you will be doing a double-take on many of the songs you hadn't thought you had heard before. You have. Trust me.
All in all, a fun game, but it has several glaring issues that have me wondering out loud, "What were they thinking!?"
This is a review for the people who have been waiting for the next evolution of their beloved Rock Band franchise.
At this moment, I'm hesitant to recommend this game too highly over Rock Band 2. Peripheral-wise, the keyboards sound like a great idea on paper. There is sufficient Pro-mode Piano instruction to get you started, and it looked like it could be fun, but the majority of songs we've played so far indicate that there are long pauses of nothing to do when on the keyboards for most songs. In addition, if you are playing with the game's 'random set-lists', you will be limited to songs that support it specifically--which amounts to maybe 60~ of our library of 250 songs. A little annoying to say the least. When making a set-list, you can use the keyboard as a guitar or bass, but it only seems relevant and fun in a few rare songs, like the Gorillaz 'Clint Eastwood'. When playing the game normally, we always have a tendency to avoid picking up the keyboard because it will limit our set-list so tremendously, which absolutely sucks.
Moving on to the gameplay and campaign, it is set up in an interesting, yet disjointed fashion now. Character creation is an absolute blast, and seeing my friends and I strutting through the city looks absolutely awesome! But there are no longer personalities to choose from, and so all characters on stage seem rather...the same? In Rock Band 2 we all laughed as our friend with a mohawk rampaged on stage; now my girlfriend's character may be doing that...or me. Eh. Also, is it just me or do the stages themselves seem more bland? In Rock Band 2 it was always a joy to go to a new venue and see our band's art on the stage somehow, and examine the stage's quirks. The fret-lanes that you play on as well take some time getting used to, and are decidedly more busy, but functional after spending some time on it. Not entirely sure if it is for the better.
The story is the typical 'rags to riches' fare, with a more personal feel to it as cut-scenes you unlock contain your characters in them and are usually pretty humorous. Getting your first van was one of my favorites. Also, instead of choosing venues to play at, you will now go on tours which revolve mostly around America. Your band is hypothetically located around the North-East, and the whole game's tours unveil around that fact. This creates a more linear affair, but also more personal. I like it.
What I don't like are questionable changes and ideas, and for lack of a better word, glitches. For one, Rock Band Stage Kit no longer works with the game. The game also has a tendency to stutter and have frame-rate issues in the middle of songs, which makes it heck on the singer every once in a while(it gives me headaches). The lack of personalities leads to odd sights on stage, where in one scene two people will be singing together, and a split-second camera change later, they will be on opposite sides of the stage. Huh? This omission really cuts down on the immersion when you realize that all of the videos are completely cookie-cutter and in no specific, logical order. The costume pieces(and every other character customization feature outside of body-sculpting) are mostly hand-me-downs from Rock Band 2. Disappointing.
And forget about playing Guitar, Bass, and Keyboards with your friends; you'll have to turn on All-instrument mode if you use this combination at all, and so drums and vocals will be turned on, with the vocals defaulted to easy, no-fail 'karaoke mode'. This was designed around the idea that only 4 players can be logged in at once, so the vocalist is the odd-player out by default...but even if you don't want a vocalist, or don't want a drummer, this is what you will have to use. You also won't be able to play on xbox live with this mode. And did I mention the venue will default to 'trippy music video' since the game doesn't want to render the crowd?
This All-Instrument Mode(AIM) is a complete fail in my mind. You wont even be able to pick your character as the vocalist. There HAS to be a better way to do this.
However, the set list is insanely fun, and you will be doing a double-take on many of the songs you hadn't thought you had heard before. You have. Trust me.
All in all, a fun game, but it has several glaring issues that have me wondering out loud, "What were they thinking!?"
17 of 21 people found the following review helpful
By Mottster
Platform for Display:Xbox 360|Edition:Game
Fun:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Been playing since RB1, and have had the pleasure of experiencing those crazy gotchas with RB1 and RB2.
(1) New tour mode: Got through the first two locations (accessible by train) last night. I've got to say it's much better now, instead of being forced to play a particular song now they give you some options for each location. Each gig will present to you what you would like to choose to play, what I saw was:
- Random set list (but at the top of the screen you could see the two songs that we're selected, instead of waiting until you're about to play to see the songs)
- Random or Select 90s songs (some were random 90s genre songs, or you could select what songs you want to play from that genre).
- Random or Select Classic Rock songs (^^)
(2) Achievements during game play: So, instead of just playing to collect stars you are also collecting spades. In which at one gig we had to get as many overdrives during the song, or another gig we were going for accuracy. Definitely adds to the gameplay I feel.
(3) People can now jump in or out during the song, no more having to start over! This will be put to the test this weekend, our son (17) is having his halloween party this weekend with a bunch of friends.
(4) Song interface is way better and much easier to use.
As we continue to play more I will update my review. If you are Rockband fan, this is a definite must have as you will not be disappointed!
(1) New tour mode: Got through the first two locations (accessible by train) last night. I've got to say it's much better now, instead of being forced to play a particular song now they give you some options for each location. Each gig will present to you what you would like to choose to play, what I saw was:
- Random set list (but at the top of the screen you could see the two songs that we're selected, instead of waiting until you're about to play to see the songs)
- Random or Select 90s songs (some were random 90s genre songs, or you could select what songs you want to play from that genre).
- Random or Select Classic Rock songs (^^)
(2) Achievements during game play: So, instead of just playing to collect stars you are also collecting spades. In which at one gig we had to get as many overdrives during the song, or another gig we were going for accuracy. Definitely adds to the gameplay I feel.
(3) People can now jump in or out during the song, no more having to start over! This will be put to the test this weekend, our son (17) is having his halloween party this weekend with a bunch of friends.
(4) Song interface is way better and much easier to use.
As we continue to play more I will update my review. If you are Rockband fan, this is a definite must have as you will not be disappointed!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Love the Keyboard Feature!
Rockband 3 is great. I love the keyboard feature, and look forward to more songs where the keyboard is available.
Published 3 days ago by Dianne
5.0 out of 5 stars
Long Live Rock Band
well with Guitar hero dead. All we have is Rock Band leading the way, with a MASSIVE music library to choose from.
Published 19 days ago by Montano A Gonzales
4.0 out of 5 stars
An advanced step in the music genre game
My other Rock Band guitars from the original game have stopped working due to extensive use, so I was able to pick up a new controller from a seller on Craigslist.com. Read more
Published 22 days ago by booge
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome.
This game is one of the best rockband games and very customizable, the best part is that you can have more people join in on the fun compared to rockband 1 and 2, also all your... Read more
Published 1 month ago by chris
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing!!!
What can I say you play till your arms feel like they are going to fall off... Any game that puts songs from Rammstein in it is a game for me!!! Read more
Published 1 month ago by FireArcher84
5.0 out of 5 stars
I had a real guitar and gave it up just to play this game.
I really like this game and still play it to this day. With Down Loadable Content (DLC) of songs every week this has been great. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Salvatore G. Crivello
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fun
This was fun, you actually had wierd looking band member's that were with you all the time, not an avatar like in Guitar Hero.
Published 1 month ago by D. Aanenson
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is so much fun, even for us "older" folk
My department at work decided to have a battle of the bands contest and used Rock Band 3 for this. Someone had multiple guitars plus the microphone and drumset. Read more
Published 2 months ago by M. Kooiman
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best music game out there.
LOVE IT! Best music game its a blast. Song list is amazing. Tons of great songs avilable through DLC as well. Youll have tons of fun with a few friends.
Published 2 months ago by J. Magdits
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good game for what it is.
I want a game that would help with my guitar playing. Guitarsmith blows this thing away and uses my "real" guitars. Read more
Published 3 months ago by makton
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