Rock Band 3

[smartalco]

I have it.

Really really short review:
Fuck yeah.

Slight less short review:
The song list is easily the best of any rhythm game yet released. They added a few cool features to navigation of the menus and song selection and such that were much needed. Dropping in/out, changing difficulty, enabling no fail mode, etc can all be done during the song.
The keyboard is weird, and has made my normally quite skilled hands look absolutely silly on pro mode (I didn't actually get the guitar, but the guy in the attached apartment did :D ). I'm probably gonna get the cymbals for the drums shortly, and maybe actually get the keyboard later on down the line.

What I am most-fucking-definitely gonna get when they actually release it is the Fender Squire RB3 pro guitar. If you are unawares, using this guitar (or the MadCatz Mustang controller out now), you can actually play the real guitar part. Downside: it'll probably be $300. Upside: I'll learn a host of awesome songs and maybe actually get decent at guitar with enough practice (I have a guitar already and play a little, I just don't take lessons and my progress is rather slow...).

Final awesome feature: Bohemian Rhapsody

[Tanner]

I dunno about it being the best song list for any rhythm game yet released but there is some cool stuff on this game. Some very cool stuff.

[SlappyMcGee]

What a dumb fuckin' game. Buy a real guitar, sod.

[Heartattack]

What a dumb fuckin' game. Buy a real guitar, sod.

I hate when people say this. Hey you, playing TF2, go join the fucking army why don't you.

[sidke]

What a dumb fuckin' game. Buy a real guitar, sod.

I hate when people say this. Hey you, playing TF2, go join the fucking army why don't you.

that is a very bad analogy considering if you get a real guitar and learn it you have an actual skill rather than mashing some buttons for some rhythm game on the tele VERSUS going out and getting shot and killed because your hand-eye coordination only works with a mouse.

i think a better analogy would be "hey you, playing TF2, buy a /real/ flamethrower" because that's the only reason anyone would ever play tf2 is to light other people on fire and watch them suffer

[Kablizzy]

This is the worst community in history.

[Tanner]

I'm fairly certain Slaps is just trollin' y'all because he's actually a pretty cool guy. I've met him and he let me crash at his apartment for a few days.

[SlappyMcGee]

Haha. Well, like, seriously, the part I hate about this game is pro guitar. It literally has the same number of buttons as a real guitar. I love rhythm games as much as the next guy: I've logged days on RB2. But I think a movement towards a more realistic experience is the worst thing for this game to do.

Which is what I meant, when I said fuck this game. I'm sure it's still as fun as Rock Band 2; my qualms is that it doesn't add anything new to the part of the game I like, which is the silly six button timing game with Bon Jovi.

[Heartattack]

Which is what I meant, when I said fuck this game. I'm sure it's still as fun as Rock Band 2; my qualms is that it doesn't add anything new to the part of the game I like, which is the silly six button timing game with Bon Jovi.

Thank god. I thought you were one of /those/ people for a second there. As always, though, you have re-elevated yourself to the position you held previously, heartattack's role model.

[smartalco]

Haha. Well, like, seriously, the part I hate about this game is pro guitar. It literally has the same number of buttons as a real guitar.

Or, you know, instead of the 108 button guitar, you could buy the actual guitar that both allows you to play via amp and learn shit in game (or rather, will be able to in early 2011).

More Bon Jovi wouldn't be bad, as they generally end up as good party songs. However Bohemian Rhapsody fills pretty much the exact same role. Just get 3 enthusiastic singers and it is awesome.

[GamingWolf]

This is the worst community in history.

GamingWolf Solution: Wait, I got nothing... this solely depends on people listening to me.

I could simply equate music games to purchasing CDs at this point. Yeah the game disc involves the system wherein the music provides substantail gameplay... but wait the game can't possibly HOLD all that music. Corporate solution: YAY, LET'S SELL ALL THE MUSIC ALL OVER AGAIN.

The REAL GamingWolf Solution: Devise a game where the people have to take a course in ROCKology 101. They all learn how each of the musical instruments work and gain money for playing songs... wait wait. I think we have this already.

[Luminaflare]

I've seen the pro guitar, it's not a proper electric guitar at all (As in it's not fully stringed, there's strings on the lower bit and then some weird ass fret board). Check out Power Gig rise of the six string, I've heard it's a pretty bad game but check out the guitar, here's to hoping the inevitable rockband 4 has something which is a bit more than a knock off guitar for people who genuinely want to play it "pro" and hey who knows maybe we'll be getting a life size grand piano replica with it as well for our $5000 game.

[smartalco]

I've seen the pro guitar, it's not a proper electric guitar at all (As in it's not fully stringed, there's strings on the lower bit and then some weird ass fret board).

Please read my original post. You are talking about the Mustang controller. That is only one of the options to play the pro guitar part (unfortunately it also the only option currently). The other, which is the one I care about, is linked to above, and is literally a Fender Squire with some extra crap built in. Demo -> http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/16/rock ... tual-guit/

[SlappyMcGee]

I've seen the pro guitar, it's not a proper electric guitar at all (As in it's not fully stringed, there's strings on the lower bit and then some weird ass fret board).

Please read my original post. You are talking about the Mustang controller. That is only one of the options to play the pro guitar part (unfortunately it also the only option currently). The other, which is the one I care about, is linked to above, and is literally a Fender Squire with some extra crap built in. Demo -> http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/16/rock ... tual-guit/

Can you not read tablature?

I feel like the same people who are going to learn guitar by Rock Band 3 are people who listen to audiobooks of Dan Brown novels. You are missing the point.

[smartalco]

I already own a guitar and play a bit. I can read tabs. Generally my playing is limited to when I'm just trying to relax though, not when I'm actually trying to learn something, so I tend to only play things I already know, and as such my progress is rather slow going. I figure this will be an awesome motivation (and aid) to get better :D (I play video games a ton already, why not get better and something else while doing them?)

[Luminaflare]

I've seen the pro guitar, it's not a proper electric guitar at all (As in it's not fully stringed, there's strings on the lower bit and then some weird ass fret board).

Please read my original post. You are talking about the Mustang controller. That is only one of the options to play the pro guitar part (unfortunately it also the only option currently). The other, which is the one I care about, is linked to above, and is literally a Fender Squire with some extra crap built in. Demo -> http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/16/rock ... tual-guit/

Sorry, my bad. $10,000 game.

[wedgie]

I had a feeling this thread would go down the inevitable 'just go buy a real guitar' route.

I think RB 3 looks pretty sweet. I've always stuck with guitar hero in general but I think that RB 3 had added quite a few good innovative things to it. Setlist looks pretty sweet too. Even though there are a lot of duplicates from old versions.

[Luminaflare]

I had a feeling this thread would go down the inevitable 'just go buy a real guitar' route.

I think RB 3 looks pretty sweet. I've always stuck with guitar hero in general but I think that RB 3 had added quite a few good innovative things to it. Setlist looks pretty sweet too. Even though there are a lot of duplicates from old versions.

Nah, I can see the help in learning you to use the fretboard, I just find the cost insane on top of the fact that it's not a proper electric guitar. It's actually -cheaper- to buy and learn a real guitar.

[smartalco]

Nah, I can see the help in learning you to use the fretboard, I just find the cost insane on top of the fact that it's not a proper electric guitar. It's actually -cheaper- to buy and learn a real guitar.

Jesus christ. This is a real got-damn electric guitar. You can plug it in to an amp and play. It also happens to have console controls and a MIDI out.

[SlappyMcGee]

Nah, I can see the help in learning you to use the fretboard, I just find the cost insane on top of the fact that it's not a proper electric guitar. It's actually -cheaper- to buy and learn a real guitar.

Jesus christ. This is a real got-damn electric guitar. You can plug it in to an amp and play. It also happens to have console controls and a MIDI out.

smartalco:

You do not play guitar much, so I will be soft.


YOU CAN NOT BUY A REAL FENDER STRATOCASTER FOR 250$.


You can buy, maybe, a Junior one, that has terrible sound, one pickup, and some of the cheapest wood available.

Or, alternatively, you can buy a controller for your light game that is even less good than that.

This is simple economics. You can not buy a quality product for less money BECAUSE it does more. Since we know for a fact that it is for something like 500$ less than an actual Strat, and since we know that the guitar itself has midi out in addition to RB interaction, we have to assume that the quality of the guitar is significantly less. In fact, it would have to be less to the degree of at least 500$ plus whatever the Fender corporation values the Rock Band features at. In addition, since we are to presume they will make a profit, I estimate the value of the parts of this guitar to be no greater than those of a First Act guitar that you can purchase at Wal*Mart. In fact, since my presumption is that one of those pickups is for the midi slot and one for the output, being that there seems to be no selector switch, the First Act 100$ guitars, that sound completely terrible, would be a better investment than this.

And to once again reiterate: You will never be able to just pick up this guitar and play any of the setlist. It will require the same, if not MORE work to be able to play a song in this game. So, despite Rock Band being the game that initially catered to the party audience, they have created a product that could only help those who wish to spend hours memorizing a song. \\ And they are memorizing said songs while they rocket past them on a road onscreen. Tablature is easier, the same quality of guitar is cheaper, and your friends are going to tire of the novelty of having 120-odd buttons very quickly and go back to the five button life.

[smartalco]

YOU CAN NOT BUY A REAL FENDER STRATOCASTER FOR 250$.

You can buy a Squier for even less than that. Which, you know, the Squier is exactly what the page I linked to says. (Some Harmonix rep said they were building it on a $250 body, so the above could be the basis for it). Furthermore, I'm not sure how any of the qualities you mentioned make it not a real electric guitar, or matter at all. It is a guitar. It has pickups. Those pickups function to turn vibrations in to tiny electrical pulses that can then be passed on to an amp. Thousands of people learn on guitars that also sound like complete shit. A Squier is probably a step up from the hundreds if not thousands of $100 electric guitars wal-mart sells. And I already have a Strat. Buying a high quality guitar isn't the point of this.

And to once again reiterate: You will never be able to just pick up this guitar and play any of the setlist. It will require the same, if not MORE work to be able to play a song in this game.

No shit. My probably 500+ hours in GH/RB over the years makes me laugh at any time requirements you can possibly attempt to disway me with.

So, despite Rock Band being the game that initially catered to the party audience, they have created a product that could only help those who wish to spend hours memorizing a song.

They did the same damn thing with the keyboards, and everyone I've seen play it so far has had quite a bit of fun, on medium, with their ridiculous .5 notes/second. I think you underestimate the amount of fun a lot of people have pretending they are playing music. I'm fully aware I'll probably be starting in Pro mode on medium and working my way up. I still can't even play medium pro keys decently. But I don't care, it is fun to try. (I didn't actually buy the keyboard, but my neighbor brings over his quite often)

And, which, you know, since this guitar is $280 and is going to be limited in availability, they are probably betting on only the people who spend countless hours in the game buying it.

your friends are going to tire of the novelty of having 120-odd buttons very quickly and go back to the five button life.

Well then it is a good thing I'm not spending $280 on guitar a (which only has 7 buttons) to entertain my friends.

This is still relevant nearly 3 years later.

[SlappyMcGee]

This is still relevant nearly 3 years later.

Honestly, the fact that you are mentioning this comic indicates to me just how clearly you are missing the point. So, I'm stepping off. Come back in three months and tell me how pro you've gotten at the guitar now that you have an incredibly inefficient tutor.