Rock Band 3 (Pre-Release)

D4RK ONION

Really, if you compare the price-per-button, these new controllers aren't too pricey at all.


Mad Catz has announced the pricing for the new instruments for Rock Band 3.
The most significant addition to the Rock Band gameplay is the new keyboard controller, which features a 25-key wireless keyboard which can be laid flat on a table or held up with a strap while playing. The keyboard peripheral can also be used to play the guitar tracks. It will be priced at $79.99 if purchased separately, or $129.99 if bundled with the game.

The Rock Band 3 drumset features a new cymbal kit which is made to both reduce the sound made when hitting the cymbal and also increase responsiveness. The cymbal kit will be released separately at $39.99, but will also be bundled with the drumset controller.

Perhaps the most impressive new controller is the 120-button guitar, retailing at $150. The guitar is designed after the Fender Mustang, and contains actual guitar strings and a 17-fret neck with six buttons on each fret. This guitar is meant for the Rock Band 3 Pro mode, which is designed to teach you how to play an actual instrument. The guitar also functions as a MIDI device, like the keyboard.

Finally, at $39.99 is the MIDI PRO adapter, which allows players to take any of their MIDI instruments and use them as Rock Band 3 controllers. The MIDI Pro adapter also has a D-pad and controller face buttons so that it can be easily used to navigate game menus.

Rock Band 3 launches this fall for all console platforms.

150 for the Guitar isn't too bad, but I'm still wondering how you're supposed to change broken strings

calex71

D4RK ONION wrote: »

150 for the Guitar isn't too bad, but I'm still wondering how you're supposed to change broken strings

Well it aint too bad all given thats the price for guitar + game.

I was wondering the same about the strings, with the other one it was a real guitar so no issue there. Also been thinking about how practical that guitar will be for no pro-modes like old school expert?

D4RK ONION

Just some more video footage of the instruments in action, looking pretty awesome. Also a great shot of the new guitar peripheral. SO MANY BUTTONS!

calex71

D4RK ONION wrote: »

Just some more video footage of the instruments in action, looking pretty awesome. Also a great shot of the new guitar peripheral. SO MANY BUTTONS!

Links or it didn't happen

I'm secretly wishing that they have built in flux capacitors, oh the shenanigans that would be had!!!!!!

D4RK ONION

I'm tempted to edit both our posts and pretend I didn't fail epically :P

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-2010-rock-band-3/101091

calex71

Booooooooooooo they didn't show it being played, so my question remains how practical will that mustang be for normal play

Strum wise though it can not be beat, an actual plec on a string will be 100% true and boost accuracy no end. (I want that plectrum now more than the guitar )

I do have reservations about buttons vs strings though for pro mode, Id imagine strings will be the more natural / easier / accurate experience, all that said with out holding a guitar.

From playing irl i would for sure look at the neck to check my hand position when playing, so I'm thinking this is where pro mode teaches you to actually play as you will have to rely on memory more than you used to in rock band just like you would when playing a real guitar.

Liking the fact that you can filter songs and rate them, no more ''visions'' in random set lists for me

Jerichoholic

Playing real guitar has me sold. I was so bored of the whole genre. Although secretly I'm sold on Huey Lewis.

ongarite

OK, here is the whole Harmonix RB3 demo from E3:
Its explains the whole basis behind the game with the overshell and other cool ****.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpS7IH0pGi8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxvl5AaUkCY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikl83gnHdCw

calex71

Thanks for these, noticing a whole pile of little things. Did anyone notice the runway didn't change to blue during guitar solo? and that the runway changed on guitar when there was a sequence of hopo's? The 2 lanes went red and blue. Possibly how they have implemented trills?

Edit: Did anyone else find how the Pro Keys highway shifts left and right annoying? Also to me it looks like it's only designed to be played with one hand ? Boooooooooooo could be just that way in the songs I've seen though.

Pro guitar playing rb3 and connected to an amp at the same time is epic WIN!

D4RK ONION

Thanks for that ongarite, you're very good to us

I'm still seriously excited about this, but I don't know how you're supposed to read the notes that fast on Pro-Guitar Expert! Only time will tell I guess.

Also, that set up was in dire need of some calibration :P

ongarite

On my mission of information, this was gleemed from the Harmonix E3 podcast:

Vocals:
Can activate overdrive during tambourine sections

Guitar:
Trills and Tremolo picking is done by presenting a drum fill like lane where player must hit enough notes to match or beat a certain threshold, a good way to deal with fast playing that does not stay on beat.

Bass:
Uses same controller for pro, but only shows the number of strings that the bassist was using for the song. Four strings for the four stringed bass, unless bassist used five or six stringed bass on the song

Squire:
Does not have in-game tuner, guitar can be out of tune when playing all that matters is finger position and which string are strummed

Drums:
Turning off Drum Fills gives the play the Beatles style overdrive activation

Gameplay:
Now has breakdown of scoring, you will get how many points you received brokendown for example by overdrive and streaks.

Game now has independent track speeds so a person playing expert does not have to play with a slower moving highway when playing with a person not at the same experience level

ongarite

ongarite wrote: »

On my mission of information, this was gleemed from the Harmonix E3 podcast:

Guitar:
Trills and Tremolo picking is done by presenting a drum fill like lane where player must hit enough notes to match or beat a certain threshold, a good way to deal with fast playing that does not stay on beat.

Thank God. That'll stop me thinking "I can tremolo pick this IRL, why can I not hit these notes in RB!?"

calex71

D4RK ONION

Looking good! So hyped for this right now I'd love to see some more freezepop now that we have keys. Imagine less talk more rokk reworked for this. It was made for them!

calex71

Mark Oct 29 in your calendar folks !!!!!

Could be worth shopping around for preorders, as some of the places in the US are doing a free 3 song pack with it. So I'd say it's safe to assume Amazon etc will do the same here.

For example, gamestop in the US have

• "Burning Down the House" by Talking Heads
• "My Own Summer" by Deftones
• "Blue Monday" by New Order

Not throwaway tracks by a long shot, I'd gladly pay for those even if I don't get them free here.

D4RK ONION

Good stuff. Can't wait for this. Played a bit of RB2 at Hotaru's house today and I've gotten pretty ****, I'll have to up my game for the pro mode

Was just thinking about the Guitar pro mode today. If you get the madcats version, how are you going to do bends? They're pretty vital for solos and the like. Are they going to leave out bends or something?

calex71

Guitars have been on my mind too, as I'm lefty I can play it upsidedown, but am much better playing it restrung lefty. I've done this many times but if was for fork out $250 on the fender squire I'd likely be voiding any warrantee by removing the nut and reglueing it. Also I'm pretty sure it will work like that but there is always the chance it wont. No way I see them bringing out a lefty version :mad:

D4RK ONION

You can be guaranteed someone will do that before you and post about it on the internet. You can find out that way. Bloody lefties :P

calex71

D4RK ONION wrote: »

You can be guaranteed someone will do that before you and post about it on the internet. You can find out that way. Bloody lefties :P

Ha quite true

Banjo

There's the whole issue of access to upper frets as well though... let's face it if you take a hacksaw to the upper cut-away it's going to be more obvious in a warranty situation than if the nut is on backwards... (which you'd get away with if it's neat, say if there're issues with the neck on the same scale as the drumkit and they're exchanging through the retailer rather than send-away)

calex71

More bands announced on Twitter and Facebook today that will be on the disc songs. No tracks just the artists so far.

From facebook

Rock Band Yowza! What a day! We announced that Filter, Def Leppard, Foreigner, The B-52s, Marilyn Manson and Tears for Fears are all coming on the #RB3 disc!

D4RK ONION

Foreigner. Niiiice

Was thinking today in the shower (as you do :P) now we can have November Rain in RB! How epic would that be?

calex71

D4RK ONION wrote: »

Foreigner. Niiiice

Was thinking today in the shower (as you do :P) now we can have November Rain in RB! How epic would that be?

Quite epic indeed!!!!!!

Also B-52's is a guilty pleasure isn't it (well it was for me in lips ), it will have to be love shack me thinks as Roam is already out as dlc

Let's hope we get Shout by Tears for Fears, though I much prefer the Disturbed's cover of that one. There are a few Def Leopard one's that woucl al be wins too.

Does anyone know if I can continue to use my Beatles rockband set when rock band 3 comes out rather then having to buy a whole new set of instruments?

D4RK ONION

Of course you can, it'll play the same as B:RB essentially. But you wont be able to play any of the new pro modes unless you cash out.

D4RK ONION

D4RK ONION wrote: »

Of course you can, it'll play the same as B:RB essentially. But you wont be able to play any of the new pro modes unless you cash out.

Cheers!

Definite buy for me then

calex71

I think (assuming my guitars last ) I'll not be in any rush to go pro myself. At most I'll pick up the keyboard I'd say.

D4RK ONION

I'll be buying the entire set of pro stuff. 5 buttons is SO last decade

Mr. K

Nice to see Cold as Ice added.

Not decided on the Pro mode stuff, I'll see how it looks in action. It's gonna be very expensive to splash out on that.

Banjo

MAybe at first but it shouldn't take long for some enterprising hong kongian to come up with a replacement neck and pickup so you can modalise a cheap axe yourself. That's what I'm counting on anyhoo