Rock Band 3 (Pre-Release)

D4RK ONION · 08-09-2010 11:01am

Game and Keyboard for €100? Highly unlikely methinks. €120 at the least for that I think. Keyboard would be around 80 to 90 on it's own.

Adam · 08-09-2010 12:08pm

how much was a guitar on it's own when rock band 2 came out?

D4RK ONION · 08-09-2010 12:26pm

Well, the RB2 instruments never shipped here, so I can't really answer that. B'RB + Guitar was about 80 or 90 I think, but they knew a lot of second hand guitars would be floating around and thus couldn't ask for too much.

calex71 · 08-09-2010 1:21pm

D4RK ONION wrote: »

Well, the RB2 instruments never shipped here, so I can't really answer that. B'RB + Guitar was about 80 or 90 I think, but they knew a lot of second hand guitars would be floating around and thus couldn't ask for too much.

It was more like 120 for just a guitar when the beatles came out, got mine 3 months later for 1/3 of the price. Could you imagine paying 120 bucks for one ??????? Thats the have to have it now price, ill be using the everything comes to he who waits plan again this time

johnny_ultimate · 08-09-2010 1:25pm

calex71 wrote: »

Thats the have to have it now price, ill be using the everything comes to he who waits plan again this time

Yeah I'm firmly in the 'NOW, DAMMIT!' camp for the keyboard

I really should save considering I'm going travelling two weeks later for two months, but no chance I'm waiting til January for RB3 with keyboard!

D4RK ONION · 08-09-2010 2:19pm

I'm the same, I'm so firmly planted in the DO WANT camp that I'd prolly sell a kidney for the whole set.

Adam · 08-09-2010 3:05pm

i'm getting the impression people are more excited about the keys than the pro guitar, why is that?

calex71 · 08-09-2010 3:41pm

Adam wrote: »

i'm getting the impression people are more excited about the keys than the pro guitar, why is that?

Main reason for me is the cost, next one being I play it because it's a game and only semi realistic, with a pro note for note mode using a real guitar it jumps to being substantially more demanding in terms or effort and time to master depending on the song.

I just don't see the point in playing something even on a plastic guitar if im not going to try for 100% . Not say I won't go for the pro stuff down the line I likely will, I'm saying for me personally thats not why I play Rock Band. Nice to have the option though, very nice.

I know keys have a pro mode of their own but they also work in standard more pick up and play mode

Adam · 08-09-2010 5:11pm

i find it surprising, considering expert mode is note for note, it's just that there are only five buttons, so i would have assumed those who will only play expert any more would relish the idea of moving on to pro guitar, as it's still note for note but the end product of learning the song is far more productive...although i suppose i'm looking at it as a giutarist, which not everyone is...

i'm just trying to understand because when i first read about the game with keys and pro guitar i got super psyched about the guitar, the keys just seems like 'here's another instrument that you're not really playing', although i don't know how well the keys will translate on to an actual keyboard, i realise the actual key spacing is the same but how much will they try and stay true to the song without going to play it in pro mode? or does pro mode apply to the keys at all, or will the songs on expert just be the actual keyboard track for the song?

/rant

D4RK ONION · 08-09-2010 6:11pm

Adam wrote: »

i'm getting the impression people are more excited about the keys than the pro guitar, why is that?

It's mainly because a lot of Expert RB players (I would wager) can already play guitar. I can't play keys and have always wanted to, so it seems like this may actually help me get started.

johnny_ultimate · 08-09-2010 7:39pm

On the subject of the keyboard: http://kotaku.com/5632721/diving-in-to-rock-band-3s-keyboard-play

Worth watching that video. Personally, I'm interested in the keyboard for a few reasons. Firstly, on a purely enjoyment level, it is kind of the one instrument left to 'complete' the Rock Band experience. The set list suggests that we shall be fake rocking out to some fantastic music: which is ultimately what I personally play Rock Band for. Secondly, it's a pro instrument in itself. Rather than have to buy a new guitar, I can buy one new instrument to go alongside the ones I already have. If I want to advance to pro, I can with the keyboard. Pro mode isn't a massive draw for me, I play Rock Band as a game more than a tool. However, should I want to progress, I can try it out with the keyboard and then invest in the other kit if I'm really interested.

Also: that frickin' setlist!

Mr E · 08-09-2010 9:24pm

I can't believe I'm going to be buying some more freakin' plastic instruments! I hope they do a pro guitar/keyboard bundle (without drums).

D4RK ONION · 08-09-2010 9:38pm

That's is madly unlikely Mr. E :P I doubt they'll bundle pro instruments at all, due to how expensive they'll be. Also, pro guitar isn't plastic

calex71 · 08-09-2010 11:32pm

Good info on the library here http://www.rockband.com/zine/rb3-features-music-library

Wooo I got my sort by play count

It doesn't seem to have the bit at the top right that beatles and green day did that showed either your leaderboard rank or your rank and score compared to friends, I quite liked that.

D4RK ONION · 09-09-2010 12:34am

Is this not something similar?

Sort by Leaderboard Rank. This sorts the songs by your leaderboard rank on each song's respective leaderboard, so you can see the songs on which you're globally competitive.

calex71 · 09-09-2010 12:43am

D4RK ONION wrote: »

Is this not something similar?

It is but not the same , in greenday and beatles it was there regardless of sorting etc.

Adam · 09-09-2010 8:59am

calex71 wrote: »

It is but not the same , in greenday and beatles it was there regardless of sorting etc.

"As you browse through your library, you'll get a snapshot of your performance on each song via the star rating and friend rankings for each song (just like in The Beatles: Rock Band)."]

is this not what you mean?

calex71 · 09-09-2010 9:22am

Adam wrote: »

"As you browse through your library, you'll get a snapshot of your performance on each song via the star rating and friend rankings for each song (just like in The Beatles: Rock Band)."]

is this not what you mean?

Yes pretty much, but that doesn't seem to be on any of the screen shots, guess you Have press Y or rb to see it.

UberPrinny_Baal · 09-09-2010 10:17am

I'm really looking forward to the keyboard, because I've always wanted to play Piano, but since I live in a small flat a keyboard is far more practical.

calex71 · 15-09-2010 4:15pm

Lots of pro guitar info here http://www.rockband.com/zine/rb3-features-pro-guitar

Not sure I like how they are handling chords, guess its something to get used to really.

grimm2005 · 16-09-2010 2:44am

Interesting preview giving an actual guitarists and non-guitarists views on playing pro-mode guitar: http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/14/rock-band-3-pro-guitar-preview-the-guitarist-vs-the-guitar-her/

calex71 · 16-09-2010 9:13am

grimm2005 wrote: »

Interesting preview giving an actual guitarists and non-guitarists views on playing pro-mode guitar: http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/14/rock-band-3-pro-guitar-preview-the-guitarist-vs-the-guitar-her/

reading that just reinforced some of the fears I had about it, especially the mustang and how they implemented chords in the game. Also from the pictures it has a detachable neck, and we all know the GH les paul was crippled because of that for loads of people. That said it's mad catz so build quality should be a lot better.

The mad Catz one also looks to have a hole on the bottom end for lefty players, but from those pics the last fret looks inaccessible if playing lefty. The strings are all the same thickness so no need to change them but that would be just play weird to play.

Think I'll be holding off on these till more reviews come in and monitor forum posts for issues that arise with the guitars. Not that I have the € for one anyway

Adam · 16-09-2010 9:29am

yeah it sounds like the plastic pro guitar is a flop! i like what they had to say about the strat though, sounds promising.

Banjo Fella · 16-09-2010 11:11am

I think I do like how they're displaying chords on-screen. There's an awful lot of information to convey, and they've chosen one of the cleanest methods of displaying it. I've only been playing guitar since the beginning of this year and I'm quite rubbish, but I do think that you mentally picture the sort of hand shapes they're trying to represent when you barre different chords.

And if the on-screen information's too vague for you, they mentioned a modifier that shows you what fret your fingers should be at on each string, not just the base one. So it'll be like reading a corridor of tablature then.

I'm really excited about this! The Mustang looks awful, but then of course it would be... Pro mode is supposed to be a fun tool that can help you learn the instrument you're playing, and there's little point doing that with a strange plastic hybrid. Thankfully, it sounds like the Squier works really well, yay! Now for the matter of actually affording one...

16-09-2010 8:05pm

I think I'll save for the pro strat just for a relatively cheap MIDI guitar.

I wonder if other MIDI guitars would work with RB? Anybody know?
Personally, I think a lot of guitarists(myself included) are going to be annoyed at the sloppiness in their play that this game will show up.

The attraction to non-guitarists is obvious but I'm wondering how popular it will be, since it's going to be considerably dearer than the usual plastic instruments.

D4RK ONION · 16-09-2010 8:56pm

Deleted User wrote: »

I think I'll save for the pro strat just for a relatively cheap MIDI guitar.

I wonder if other MIDI guitars would work with RB? Anybody know?
Personally, I think a lot of guitarists(myself included) are going to be annoyed at the sloppiness in their play that this game will show up.

The attraction to non-guitarists is obvious but I'm wondering how popular it will be, since it's going to be considerably dearer than the usual plastic instruments.

I don't think other Midi Guitars will work, due to the tech in the neck which detects what note is being played.

Adam · 17-09-2010 9:10am

yeah the sloppy play is going to be a real wake up call for a lot of guitarists i'll bet, myself included no doubt!

calex71 · 17-09-2010 4:37pm

Was just thinking today you will be able to hear what you are playing on the guitar whether it's plugged into an amp or not. Wonder how off putting it will be to hear a guitar playing along either with the effects of the song missing (pedals etc) being out of tune :rolleyes: or standard tuning not matching the songs.

Adam · 17-09-2010 4:50pm

calex71 wrote: »

Was just thinking today you will be able to hear what you are playing on the guitar whether it's plugged into an amp or not. Wonder how off putting it will be to hear a guitar playing along either with the effects of the song missing (pedals etc) being out of tune :rolleyes: or standard tuning not matching the songs.

dont you turn your tv up to 11??

19-09-2010 10:40am

calex71 wrote: »

Was just thinking today you will be able to hear what you are playing on the guitar whether it's plugged into an amp or not. Wonder how off putting it will be to hear a guitar playing along either with the effects of the song missing (pedals etc) being out of tune :rolleyes: or standard tuning not matching the songs.

It'll pretty much be like playing with a practice amp so.

Rock Band 3 (Pre-Release)

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