Rock Band 3

What’s the story?

Just when you think music gaming was dying, Harmonix is back to inject a vital dose of life. Rock Band 3 promises to be the most realistic music-gaming experience ever, with all the innovations seen in Rock Band Beatles joining a new instrument and a new Pro mode.

What you need to know?

Everyone’s talking about the new keyboard instrument, and rightly so. It’s a fully-functioning MIDI machine, with two-octave range, divided into four colored sections. As you progress through the difficulties, more ’actual’ notes come into play, and by the time you’re at Expert, it’s note-for-note. Much like the new Pro mode, which makes use of the new six-stringed guitar controllers to create something quite special indeed. Actual note-for-note guitar tracks, drumming with three new cymbals and three-part vocal harmonies. It’s a legitimate way to learn music. And with tunes from The Doors and even Bohemian Rhapsody to test your digits out with, it could be the finest Rock Band song line-up ever.

When do we get more?

Harmonix has been demoing the game at the recent E3 game show in Los Angeles, but it’ll be later in the year before we get wind of the full track listing and the extent of the musical awesomeness. Until then though, we’d strongly recommend hanging up your plastic guitars and drum sticks until the end of the year. You’re really not going to need them.

What else?

Rockband 3 will be compatible with all your previous downloadable content, as well as all the songs from Rock Band and Rock Band 2, meaning there’s a potential 2,000 tunes you can be rocking out to. That’s a ridiculous number. Harmomix has once again proven that it’s the master of the music game, and we’re happy to be able to tell you that there’s real innovation happening in this year’s update.