Eighty-three songs are included in Rock Band 3 , a 2010 music video game developed by Harmonix, published by MTV Games and distributed by Electronic Arts. The game, the third main title in the Rock Band series, was released in October 2010 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, and Nintendo DS. Rock Band 3 allows one to seven players to simulate the playing of rock music by providing the players with peripherals modeled after musical instruments. These include a guitar peripheral for lead guitar and bass gameplay, a drum kit peripheral, a keyboard peripheral, and up to three microphones. Rock Band 3 is the first game in the series to include a "Pro" mode, which allows players to use more realistic peripherals to play the game's songs note-for-note as they would be played on an actual instrument.
All of the songs included in Rock Band 3 were recorded either from master copies or live performances. Many were included to emphasize the keyboard instrument. Existing game content, including prior downloadable content and songs from the Rock Band Network, carries forward into Rock Band 3, with the full Rock Band library consisting of over 2,000 songs by the time the game was released. When Rock Band 3 was first detailed on June 11, 2010, Harmonix announced 22 of the game's songs. The next month, Harmonix used Facebook and Twitter to provide clues about additional songs for both Rock Band 3 and Dance Central , which they then confirmed to be six Rock Band tracks and three Dance Central tracks. During a video interview at the 2010 Gamescom convention, most of the setlist was inadvertently leaked because someone was scrolling through the setlist in the background. Rock Band 3's setlist was well-received by video game critics. Eurogamer's Johnny Minkley noted the contrast between it and the heavier style of Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock 's setlist.
When Rock Band 3 was first detailed on June 11, 2010, Harmonix announced 22 of the game's 83 songs. [1] The next month, Harmonix used Facebook and Twitter to provide clues about additional songs for both Rock Band 3 and Dance Central , which they then confirmed to be six Rock Band tracks and three Dance Central tracks. [2] On August 17, just before the 2010 Gamescom convention, Harmonix announced an additional ten songs by bands from around the world. [3]
During a video interview at Gamescom, most of the setlist was inadvertently leaked because someone was scrolling through the setlist in the background. [4] Harmonix released a video response to the leak the next day, officially denying the rumored setlist, while once again showing the setlist in the background and confirming additional songs. [5] The full setlist was formally announced on August 25 on the Rock Band website. [6]
The full Rock Band 3 setlist features 83 songs, including a mix of tracks which make use of the new keyboard peripheral and three-part vocal harmonies. [6] The Nintendo DS version of the game features a 25-song subset of the consoles' setlist. [6]
All 83 songs from the Rock Band 3 setlist can be exported into Rock Band 4 , as of early December 2015, as long as the player has previously played Rock Band 3 on the same store account for Xbox Live or PlayStation Network. [7] [8] As of December 2020, all 83 songs are no longer able to be exported into Rock Band 4, with some becoming available as Rock Band Rewind DLC instead.
Following the release of Rock Band 3, Harmonix has kept up their commitment to releasing weekly downloadable content for the series, starting with a set of twelve songs from the Doors released the same week as the game. [9] Downloadable songs since the game's release include, when appropriate, support for keyboards and vocal harmonies within the base cost of the song. However, due to the cost and effort to create Pro Guitar and Pro Bass authoring, Harmonix releases these additional authored parts as a separate download for certain songs for US$1 per upgrade, in addition to the song's base price. [10] Downloaded content released by Harmonix after Rock Band 3's release is not compatible with previous games in the series due to changes in the song format. [11] Since the game's release, Harmonix has released downloadable songs from a variety of artists, including Bon Jovi, [12] Queen, [13] Billy Joel, [14] Linkin Park, [15] and the Clash. [16]
Most songs already released as downloadable content for the series can be used in Rock Band 3, with the exception of the tracks "Hier Kommt Alex" by Die Toten Hosen, and "Rock 'n' Roll Star" by Oasis. [17] In addition, the songs from many previous Rock Band games can be exported for use in Rock Band 3. [17] More than 2000 potential songs were available at the game's launch between these sources. [18]
Rock Band Network songs are also playable in Rock Band 3. A new version of the Network, called Rock Band Network 2.0, allows songs to be authored with harmonies, Basic and Pro Keys, and Pro Drums, but does not support Pro Guitar and Pro Bass charting due to the complexity of authoring those parts and the number of users able to test them. [19]
Rock Band 3's setlist was well-received by video game critics. Eurogamer's Johnny Minkley called it "strong and varied", and noted the contrast between it and the heavier style of Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock 's setlist. [20] Will Tuttle of GameSpy praised it as being "the most diverse track list in the franchise's history." [21] G4 TV's Stephen Johnson noted that the addition of the keyboard controller led to the setlist having a more pop-oriented style than the previous games in the series, and he said that Harmonix chose "substance ... over flashy, current bands." [22] Reviewer Ben Kuchera, of Ars Technica, also praised the setlist's variety, stating that it is "one of the best you'll see in rhythm games, spanning decades and genres and bringing a wide variety of songs to suit any taste." [23] In his review of the game in The Atlantic , Sam Machkovech summed up the setlist by saying that "with keyboards are in [ sic ] the mix, the songs are just plain better." [24]
Rock Band is a 2007 rhythm game developed by Harmonix, published by MTV Games, and distributed by Electronic Arts. It is the first installment in the Rock Band series. The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions were released in North America on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was released on December 18, 2007 and the Wii version on June 22, 2008. Harmonix previously developed the first two games in the Guitar Hero series, which popularized gameplay of rock music with guitar-shaped controllers. After development of the series was shifted to Neversoft, Harmonix conceived Rock Band as a new title that would offer multi-instrument gameplay.
Rock Band 2 is a 2008 rhythm game developed by Harmonix, published by MTV Games, and distributed by Electronic Arts. It is the sequel to Rock Band (2007) and the second installment in the Rock Band series. The game allows up to four players to simulate the performance of popular songs by playing with controllers modeled after musical instruments. Players can play the lead guitar, bass guitar, and drums parts to songs with "instrument controllers", as well as sing through a USB microphone. Players are scored on their ability to match scrolling musical "notes" while playing instruments, or by their ability to match the singer's pitch on vocals.
Rock Band is a series of rhythm games first released in 2007 and developed by Harmonix. Based on their previous development work from the Guitar Hero series, the main Rock Band games has players use game controllers modeled after musical instruments and microphones to perform the lead guitar, bass guitar, keyboard, drums and vocal parts of numerous licensed songs across a wide range of genres though mostly focusing on rock music by matching scrolling musical notes patterns shown on screen. Certain games support the use of "Pro" instruments that require special controllers that more closely mimic the playing of real instruments, providing a higher challenge to players. Players score points for hitting notes successfully, but may fail a song if they miss too many notes. The series has featured numerous game modes, and supports both local and online multiplayer modes where up to four players in most modes can perform together.
The Rock Band Network was a downloadable content service designed by Harmonix with the help of Microsoft to allow musical artists and record labels to make their music available as playable tracks for the Rock Band series of rhythm video games, starting with Rock Band 2 (2008). It was designed to allow more music to be incorporated into Rock Band than Harmonix themselves could produce for the games, and it was seen as a way to further expand the games' music catalog into a wide variety of genres. The Network started closed beta testing in July 2009. The Rock Band Network Store was publicly available on March 4, 2010 for all Xbox 360 players in selected countries. Rock Band Network songs were exclusive to the Xbox 360 for 30 days on each song's release, after which a selection of songs would be made available on the PlayStation 3.
The Rock Band series of music video games supports downloadable songs for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii versions through the consoles' respective online services. Users can download songs on a track-by-track basis, with many of the tracks also offered as part of a "song pack" or complete album at a discounted rate. These packs are available for the Wii only on Rock Band 3. Most downloadable songs are playable within every game mode, including the Band World Tour career mode. All downloadable songs released before October 26, 2010 are cross-compatible between Rock Band, Rock Band 2 and Rock Band 3, while those after only work with Rock Band 3. Certain songs deemed "suitable for all ages" by Harmonix are also available for use in Lego Rock Band.
The Rock Band series of music video games supports downloadable songs for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii versions through the consoles' respective online services. Users can download songs on a track-by-track basis, with many of the tracks also offered as part of a "song pack" or complete album at a discounted rate. These packs are available for the Wii only on Rock Band 3. Most downloadable songs are playable within every game mode, including the Band World Tour career mode. All downloadable songs released before October 26, 2010, are cross-compatible between Rock Band, Rock Band 2 and Rock Band 3, while those after only work with Rock Band 3. Certain songs deemed "suitable for all ages" by Harmonix are also available for use in Lego Rock Band.
Rock Band 3 is a 2010 rhythm game developed by Harmonix. The game was initially published and distributed by MTV Games and Electronic Arts, respectively, on October 26, 2010. Mad Catz took over both roles and re-released the title on November 23, 2011. It is the third main installment and the seventh console release in the Rock Band series. As with the previous titles, Rock Band 3 allows players to simulate the playing of rock music and many other subgenres using special instrument controllers mimicking lead and bass guitar, keyboard, drums, and vocals. Rock Band 3 expands upon previous games by including three-part vocal harmonies — previously used in The Beatles: Rock Band and Green Day: Rock Band — plus support for MIDI-compatible keyboards, electronic drumkits, and even use of a real guitar in "Pro" mode.
The Rock Band series of music video games supports downloadable songs for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii versions through the consoles' respective online services. Users can download songs on a track-by-track basis, with many of the tracks also offered as part of a "song pack" or complete album at a discounted rate. These packs are available for the Wii only on Rock Band 3. Most downloadable songs are playable within every game mode, including the Band World Tour career mode. All downloadable songs released before October 26, 2010 are cross-compatible between Rock Band, Rock Band 2 and Rock Band 3, while those after only work with Rock Band 3. Certain songs deemed "suitable for all ages" by Harmonix are also available for use in Lego Rock Band.
The Rock Band series of music video games supports downloadable songs for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii versions through the consoles' respective online services. Users can download songs on a track-by-track basis, with many of the tracks also offered as part of a "song pack" or complete album at a discounted rate. These packs are available for the Wii only on Rock Band 3. Most downloadable songs are playable within every game mode, including the Band World Tour career mode. All downloadable songs released before October 26, 2010 are cross-compatible between Rock Band, Rock Band 2 and Rock Band 3, while those after only work with Rock Band 3. All songs that are available to Rock Band 3 will be playable in Rock Band Blitz. Certain songs deemed "suitable for all ages" by Harmonix are also available for use in Lego Rock Band.
The Rock Band series of music video games supports downloadable songs for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii versions through the consoles' respective online services. Users can download songs on a track-by-track basis, with many of the tracks also offered as part of a "song pack" or complete album at a discounted rate. These packs are available for the Wii only on Rock Band 3. Most downloadable songs are playable within every game mode, including the Band World Tour career mode. All downloadable songs released before October 26, 2010, are cross-compatible between Rock Band, Rock Band 2 and Rock Band 3, while those after only work with Rock Band 3. All songs that are available to Rock Band 3 are playable in Rock Band Blitz. Certain songs deemed "suitable for all ages" by Harmonix are also available for use in Lego Rock Band.
The Rock Band series of music video games supports downloadable songs for the Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 versions through the consoles' respective online services. Users can download songs on a track-by-track basis, with many of the tracks also offered as part of a "song pack" or complete album at a discounted rate. All songs that are available to Rock Band 3 are playable in Rock Band Blitz.