Harmonix has decided to listen to the fans and introduce Pro Mode, Keyboards, and more!
Along with the anticipation for Harmonix’s latest title Rock Band 3 came a lot of new features also. Harmonix really brought it this time, but of course this is not surprising with their natural talent for innovating in a franchise that feels dead. Before I get into the new features, I’ll show you some of the new songs that were announced to be part of the setlist for Rock Band 3.
The songlist includes:
“2000s:
- Metric – “Combat Baby”
- Rilo Kiley – “Portions for Foxes”
- Them Crooked Vultures – “Dead End Friends”
- The Vines – “Get Free”
- The White Stripes – “The Hardest Button to Button”
- Phoenix – “Lasso”
- Ida Maria – “Oh My God”
- Juanes – “Me Enamora”
1990s:
- Jane’s Addiction – “Been Caught Stealing”
- Stone Temple Pilots – “Plush”
- Smash Mouth – “Walkin’ on the Sun”
- Spacehog – “In the Meantime”
1980s:
- Dio – “Rainbow in the Dark”
- Huey Lewis and the News – “The Power of Love”
- Joan Jett – “I Love Rock and Roll”
- Night Ranger – “Sister Christian”
- Whitesnake – “Here I Go Again”
- The Cure – “Just Like Heaven”
- Ozzy Osbourne – “Crazy Train”
1970s:
- Queen – “Bohemian Rhapsody”
1960s:
- Jimi Hendrix – “Crosstown Traffic”
- The Doors – “Break On Through”"–Rock Band Zine (Available here)
Among the new features comes the keyboard, which will be another instrument added to the gameplay. The actual instrument pheripheral is a working MIDI keyboard, and you will plug it into the game and play along with the notes, similar to the other instruments. There will be 5 “sections” each having some notes, and as you progress through the difficulties you are required to play in more of the sections. The CEO of Harmonix (Alex Rigopolus) said “With the introduction of keyboards, we get to bring a ton of amazing new music onto the platform, which will help feed the appetite for music for years to come.” Not only are Harmonix listening to the fan’s requests for songs and instruments, but they also are including a whole new game mode to help the players learn real instruments. The mode will be titled “Pro Mode” and will add onto the instruments that are currently available. There will be easy, medium, and hard modes (just like the regular gameplay), and will include these features:
- “Pro Drums supports three expansion cymbals, with gameplay differentiation between toms and cymbals.
- Pro Keys features pitch-accurate keyboard performance across a two-octave range, displayed on an easy-to-read keyboard track.
- Pro Guitar features notated guitar and bass performances, available for play with either the new Fender Mustang PRO-Guitar simulated guitar controller from Mad Catz or the Rock Band 3 Squier by Fender Stratocaster Guitar real guitar/controller hybrid. The Rock Band 3 Squier Stratocaster is a fully functional, full-sized, six-string electric guitar that also functions as a game controller that Fender and Harmonix have teamed up to develop.”–Rock Band Zine (Available on their website, link posted above)
More modes that have been added/upgraded include Party Mode, which allows players to drop out and come back in at any moment, similar to GH5′s gameplay. The game’s career mode will also be “taking things out that players didn’t like, and putting more emphasis on popular aspects”. Not that much information has been released about this upgraded mode other than the fact that it will have 700+ challenges, and that is saying something. There will also be features that will coordinate with social networking sites such as Facebook, but how that would happen hasn’t been said.
Stay tuned on the Rock Band official site for more news about the upcoming game, and you can check out more about the game here.
I’m a fan of the Rock Band franchise, so any news about the upcoming game is “music” to my ears (sorry for the pun).
