Rock Band 3 brings keytar and ‘Pro’ mode
A week before E3, it looks like it’s official. Rock Band 3 will be bringing both the keytar and a Pro mode, courtesy of a story on USA Today. Though the new keytar is being called a piano peripheral, when you have a 2 octave keyboard, with a handle so that you can play it standing up, it’s a keytar, and don’t let anyone tell you different! Seeing the play mechanic in action is actually quite interesting, as once you start playing at the Hard setting, you’re basically playing the keyboard note for note.
In current iterations of Rock Band (and that other music game), the guitars have also been singled out by real musicians as having little to do with real instruments. While many drummers saw decent albeit basic representation of a real drum kit in the game which was quickly grasped, and singing is, well, singing, the more ‘toylike’ nature of the guitars is getting a bump into realism, with the “Pro” mode. While the game can be played with the standard existing guitar peripherals, there will be new peripherals aimed at the pro mode, including a Mad Catz Fender replica and, according to Joystiq, a hybrid controller/”full-sized, fully functional six-string Squier Stratocaster” made by Fender.
A partial song list also came out, including and there’s certainly a few choice keyboard related songs, including Break On Through from The Doors, a song that wouldn’t be right to play WITHOUT somebody getting their Ray Manzarek on. Though it means more of an investment for people already a few hundred dollars into the franchise plastic toys, the idea of really picking away at a six string as opposed to clicking at the plastic strum bar is totally compelling.
For a look at the USA Today video, and more songs from the set list, click on through
2000s
Combat Baby — Metric
Dead End Friends — Them Crooked Vultures
Get Free — The Vines
Lasso — Phoenix
Me Enamora — Juanes
Oh My God — Ida Maria
Portions of Foxes — Rilo Kiley
The Hardest Button to Button — The White Stripes
1990s
Been Caught Stealing — Jane’s Addiction
In the Meantime — Spacehog
Plush — Stone Temple Pilots
Walkin’ on the Sun — Smash Mouth
1980s
Crazy Train — Ozzy Osbourne
Here I Go Again — Whitesnake
I Love Rock and Roll — Joan Jett
Just Like Heaven — The Cure
Rainbow in the Dark — Dio
The Power of Love — Huey Lewis and the News
Sister Christian — Night Ranger
1960s-1970s
Bohemian Rhapsody — Queen
Break On Through — The Doors
Crosstown Traffic — Jimi Hendrix
(list from USA Today)
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This sucks!
First I had to peel my ass off the couch to play Wii games, and now this.
When will these video game makers realize that doing stuff in real life is hard?
It’s getting to the point where a guy might as well learn to play an actual instrument, join a band, and start rolling around in coke and cash while banging groupies.
Way to take all the fun out of it.
You think THAT’S bad? Wait til Kinect comes out for the Xbox. 🙂
834005 577940one of the finest system I know, thank you really significantly . 815058