Tag Archives: Rock Band 3

Here is the 83-track setlist for Rock Band 3

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To make a short story even shorter… Last week RockBandAide leaked a partial setlist from the upcoming Harmonix music game Rock Band 3.  This week at Gamescom in Germany, three Harmonix developers set up a camera and dispelled all rumors surrounding the “official” setlist.  During this brief video (which is embedded after the break), the developers revealed the entire 83-track setlist in a tongue-in-cheek manner; while two devs told viewers not to believe the misinformed rumors posted online, the other dev nonchalantly scrolled through the entire setlist while the camera was rolling!  Avenged Sevenfold, The Bronx, Bob Marley, David Bowie, Deep Purple, Devo, Elton John, Foreigner, INXS, John Lennon, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Ozzy Osbourne, The Police, Queen, Steve Miller Band, War, The Who, Yes.  The setlist is pretty phenomenal, so make sure you peek past the break to check it out.  Thanks to disc export and DLC support, the game will have access to a library of over 2,000 songs!  Rock Band 3 releases October 26, 2010 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Nintendo Wii.

[Via Joystiq] Continue reading Here is the 83-track setlist for Rock Band 3 →

Rock Band 3 to release October 26, preorder options get detailed

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Are you ready to rock!?  Well don’t get too excited since we’re still a few months away from the next iteration of Rock Band.  MTV Games and Harmonix announced that RB3 hits stores October 26.  The game will ship for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, and DS.  Pricing details were previously reported.  Besides the all-important release date, a bunch of enticing preorder options were detailed, too.  If you preorder the game at Walmart you will get a $10 eGift card.  Those who shop early at Amazon will receive access to an exclusive in-game guitar plus $10 off a future videogame purchase (the latter offer applies only to Xbox 360 & PS3 RB3 preorders).  And last there’s the GameStop special: three free downloadable songs (“My Own Summer” by The Deftones, “Blue Monday” by New Order, and “Burning Down the House” by Talking Heads).  I don’t have to tell you which option is best to choose.  Look after the break for the official PR.

[Via Joystiq] Continue reading Rock Band 3 to release October 26, preorder options get detailed →

Booth tours: MTV Games/Harmonix

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Somehow the video footage from the MTV Games/Harmonix booth got lost in the archives…but I have pictures to put in its place!

The layout of the MTV Games/Harmonix was pretty straightforward.  The bulk of it was filled with the current Rock Band titles and they include The Beatles: Rock Band, Green Day: Rock Band, and Rock Band 3; a section of the booth contained Dance Central stations (that’s the Kinect-enabled dance party game).  Speaking of RB 3, the brand spankin’ new keyboard was playable at the booth.  It’s a very solid piece of hardware and a welcome addition to the guitar, drums, and mics.  The new Rock Band Pro guitars, including the Fender Mustang and six-string Fender Squier Stratocaster, were on display.  Man are they beautiful, and they look so real (in fact, the latter one is real)!  But don’t take my word for it; look in the gallery to see for yourself.

More Rock Band 3 details: new guitars, cymbals expansion kit, MIDI adapter & keyboard priced

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It was just yesterday when we learned all about Rock Band 3’s new instruments and game modes.  One day later comes even more news about the highly anticipated music game from developer Harmonix and peripheral maker Mad Catz.  Here’s what we know so far: RB3 will feature a new game mode beyond the Expert level called “Pro”.  Pro mode aims to actually teach you how to play an instrument.  If you’re asking to yourself, “How can plastic toy guitars teach me how to play the real thing?” I’ve got a definitive answer that might just blow your mind.

In addition to the redesigned standard guitar that will ship alongside the game, Mad Catz is also manufacturing two new guitars that will resemble real life guitars.  The Wireless Fender Mustang PRO-Guitar Controller ($149.99) contains 102 buttons in total, including 17 frets along a button-based neck and a 6-string strumming area which allows for discrete picking of each string and a touch-sensitive string box which allows players to mute or ‘cut-off’ notes when pressed.  This thing is so authentic that it operates as a fully functional MIDI guitar; a MIDI output connector provides compatibility with MIDI software sequencers.  A six-string Fender Squier Stratocaster is also in the works but has yet to be detailed.

The Wireless PRO-Cymbals Expansion Kit ($39.99) will bring the drums setup into Pro mode territory.  The kit will attach to the standard drums setup and add three new cymbals to the mix: hi-hat, crash, and ride.  The cymbals will feature enhanced responsiveness, quieter sound with noise-dampening rubber, and permanently rest at a pre-defined 10° angle.

Next up is the MIDI PRO-Adapter ($39.99) which allows you to hook up your own keyboard or electronic drum set to a console.  This conversion box will act as mediator to allow for MIDI to USB to console.  It features a velocity sensitive adjustment for MIDI drums and a full D-Pad plus standard gaming controller buttons so you can properly navigate on-screen menus.

And last but certainly not least is the Wireless Keyboard Controller ($79.99), the latest addition to the party.  The keyboard/keytar instrument includes 25 keys and features a two-octave (C3 to C5) range and non-weighted, velocity-sensitive key bed.  Just like the Fender Mustang, the keyboard has a MIDI out port allowing you to use it as a real keyboard with MIDI software sequencers and hardware devices.  It’s also been confirmed that it can be used to play the lead guitar and bass in the game.  (Note: A RB3 + keyboard bundle will sell for $129.99.)

So, if you’re one of those people who has been playing Guitar Hero and Rock Band games for years now but you’ve been craving a more realistic experience, all signs point to Rock Band 3 on delivering and satisfying your quench for a new challenge.  Or if you’re the casual type RB3 has some good news for you, too.  Three-part vocal harmonies have been ported from The Beatles: Rock Band, bringing the grand total of potential simultaneous players to seven: guitar, bass, drums, keyboard, and three vocalists on mics (or however you decide to divvy it up).  Also, every game mode support player drop in/ drop out, meaning players can come and go as they please, new instruments can join and difficulty level can be changed on the fly.  House parties are about to get a whole lot more fun.

Rock Band 3 is expected to release this holiday season for all major consoles.  Look in the gallery below for some in-game screenshots.  After the break catch the newly release game trailer and an image of the Fender Squier Stratocaster.

[Via Engadget; Joystiq]

Continue reading More Rock Band 3 details: new guitars, cymbals expansion kit, MIDI adapter & keyboard priced →

Rock Band 3 keyboard revealed, plus new game mode and partial tracklist

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USA Today got the scoop on the latest peripheral to join the Rock Band party.  In addition to guitar, bass, drums, and mic, Rock Band 3 will support “a 25-key, fully functioning MIDI keyboard.”  RB3 project director Daniel Sussman on the keyboard: “We’re actually utilizing the full two-octave range that the keyboard controller has.  Everything that you are playing, whether you are playing on easy or expert, is accurate musical information.  The track looks like a real keyboard track, and you are playing notes on the keyboard that if you were to step away from the game and were to play on a real piano, they would be the right notes.”  For those of you wondering about the keytar rumors from a while back, it’s been confirmed that the keyboard is designed to use on a lap or strapped over a shoulder.  Watch the video embedded above to learn more about how the keyboard will work in-game.

Also announced was a new Pro Mode which makes the guitar, drums, and keyboard experiences more realistic.  For example, “More realistic music notations replace the standard color-coded notes during gameplay. For guitar, numbers flow down the screen along six guitar strings, telling you where to place your hands on the neck and when to strum.”  In fact, two new guitars are currently being developed that include actual strings where you need to strum.  Game developer Harmonix is working on a six-string Fender Squier Stratocaster and third party peripheral maker Mad Catz is making a Fender Mustang Pro.  Harmonix’s John Drake on the more realistic guitar: “It can tell where your fingers are based on technology in the neck and the bridge of the guitar.  No buttons.  While you’re playing it, it feels exactly like playing a real guitar.”  The drums will get three new cymbals and gameplay forces you to play the correct cymbal at the right time.  Says Harmonix CEO Alex Rigopulos: “If you are someone who is looking for a deeper challenge either because you are an expert player looking for the next level of challenge or because you actually have musical aspirations, there is the Pro game play (mode), which is really going to start to close the gap between simulated music and real musicmaking.”

Rock Band 3 will release for Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and Wii this holiday season.  Look after the break for a partial tracklist organized by decade (the disc will contain 83 new songs in total).

[Via USA Today, here & here] Continue reading Rock Band 3 keyboard revealed, plus new game mode and partial tracklist →

Rock Band 3 teases keytar peripheral

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Those of you who downloaded the Green Day: Rock Band demo from Xbox Live Marketplace (which includes the two tracks “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” & “Welcome to Paradise”) were treated to a teaser banner when exiting the demo for Rock Band 3.  Along with the usual suspects (guitar, drums, bass, and mic) sits an entirely new instrument, a keytar!  At first glance gamers interpreted the new icon to represent the addition of a keyboard peripheral for the new Rock Band game, but ArsTechnica claims their “now-famous Mole” has reliable information that the new instrument is in fact a keytar.  For those of you who are not familar with the instrument, a keytar essentially combines a guitar and keyboard into one, and it’s very ’80s.  Look after the break for a sexy image of said instrument.

Along with this tease comes more news surrounding the upcoming music game.  While the first two iterations of Rock Band were sold with instruments created by developer Harmonix, all peripherals for Rock Band 3 will be created and distributed by third-party game accessory company Mad Catz.  Mad Catz will promote a myriad of bundles including guitars, drums, and mics.  Information regarding the keytar will likely be detailed next month at E3.

And there’s one more morsel of news that comes from this same source.  Rock Band 3 will feature a new “pro mode” “that will require proper technique, and may lead to actual skills on guitars and bass.”  Again, expect more details about the game to be exposed at E3 in mid-June.

[Via Joystiq; ArsTechnica] Continue reading Rock Band 3 teases keytar peripheral →

Rock Band 3 to actually teach gamers how to play real instruments; Natal support?

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Dhani Harrison (son of The Beatles’ George Harrison and developer on The Beatles: Rock Band) sat down with The Chicago Tribune and spilled some new information of what’s to come with the next installment of Harmonix’s Rock Band.

“I’m working on ‘Rock Band 3’ and making the controllers more real so people can actually learn how to play music while playing the game.  Give me a couple years, it’s going to happen.”

When asked about potential integration with Microsoft’s upcoming Project Natal interface, MTV Games general manager Scott Guthrie: “We aren’t standing still – we will keep moving into new areas and look at new technologies that our platform holder partners are also developing, such as Project Natal from Microsoft.”

It’s starting to look like Rock Band 3 will not just be another rhythm game in the serieswith a new tracklist and an updated online catalogue.  With more realistic instruments and potential Project Natal integration Rock Band 3 will surely make gamers and newcomers alike ready to rock out all over again.

[Via IGN]