I'm definitely interested in this, but it clearly needs to be a larger upgrade from Rock Band 2 than that was to Rock Band 1.  I want to be able to bring all of my DLC with me, including RB1 and RB2 tracks to RB3. 

My RB setup is on 360, FWIW.

Keyboard or bust.

Four years, six games in this series (assuming this and Green Day ship this year). Time to start a countdown clock for the irrelevance of this genre for video games.

Personally I think that Guitar Hero is contributing to that far more than Rock Band is, but I see your point.

I think Jonny's right, they have to add an instrument, or drastically change the way the game works, in order to justify another disc release. Though, as long as it lets me import Rock Band 2 and play my whole non-Beatles library with one disc, I'll probably buy it regardless.

I agree fully. It's unfortunate because as far as I know they are still in the red with Rock Band. Given the reduced sales of this genre, they have little option than to continue to pump out releases as otherwise Activision will milk it all to themselves. Regardless of the situation, though, it's hard to deny that this genre is getting ready to burn out consumers at a phenomenal rate.

*continues waiting*

There have been more than 6 games, there's been 10.

Correct me if i'm wrong, but the Wii version of the series doesn't let you import songs, right? Considering that the Wii version was the best selling of the 2 main Rock Band games, I hope Harmonix (who better develop the Wii version and not just hand it off to Pi Studios again) fixes this mistake and lets Wii owners import their purchased songs to Rock Band 3.

No, there have been 6. The track packs (which are, I assume, how you're getting the number 10) are disc-based collections of DLC. They're no more their own games than the disc version of the GTA 4 expansion packs.

They still count as games though, especially since you don't need the main games to actually play them (you can play any of them by themselves). Grand Theft Auto: Episodes From Liberty City can be considered separate, if you want to, since you don't need Grand Theft Auto IV to play them.

If you don't count the track packs, then the number drops to 3 (MAYBE 4 if you count The Beatles). Stand-alone expansion packs still count as games.

I will give full credit to the first game but how are Rock Band 2 or The Beatles: Rock Band innovation or revolutionary?

I shouldn't be so sarcastic and cynical though.  Guitar Hero is responsible for my disinterest in these games.  It kind of sucks for Rock Band because they've been reasonably good at not overexposing the franchise.  The genre will die because of Activision and this series will be taken down with it.

I don't have any Rock Band games because they dropped the ball with the first game's Wii release so I went with Guitar Hero instead.  And there's too much crossover between the two series to really embrace both.  I really just want a standardized "band game" where I can pick and choose whatever song I like.  This is never going to happen because the genre is overexposed.  Even if the two companies wanted to join forces, no one cares anymore.

Keyboards would make sense as the obvious next step though.  Where else do you go?  Sax?  There aren't enough songs that really make use of that instrument.  There are a lot of bands that have no keyboards but there's enough that do to make it worthwhile.  Fuck, I want a Progressive Rock Band with keyboards and all sorts of pretenious 10 minute songs by Genesis, Yes, Pink Floyd, etc.  And then for like Jethro Tull you blow into the mic for flute solos!  This is only a sorta serious idea.

You make the distinction between games and apps on DSiWare; I'm arguing that the track packs don't count as games. The number 6 includes the two games that are to be released this year, Rock Band: Green Day and Rock Band 3, in addition to Rock Band 1 & 2, Beatles Rock Band, and Lego Rock Band.

Track packs do take up shelf space.  Space on the Wall.

Not to mention that apps are not actually games. Would you consider TurboTax to be a game? Or Office 2007? The Track Packs are stand alone games, you don't need to have Rock Band or Rock Band 2 to play them. I have never owned any of the Rock Band games, but I could go out and grab Rock Band Country Track Pack (for example) and be able to play it by itself.

The line I would draw is that you need the instruments to play the games, and you can't get the instruments bundled with one of the track packs. I suppose it's possible to buy instruments separately, but where that distinction really falls apart is that you can't get Lego Rock Band with instruments, and that is certainly a separate game.

I suppose it just depends on how you define things. I already brought up the GTA4 DLC disc; would you consider the Xbox Live Unplugged collection a game? It is simply a disc containing several games that were previously only available as downloads. I'm not even sure I'd call something like Metroid Prime Trilogy a game, as it's just a compilation of things previously available in other ways.

I think the point is that there is a lot of shit with "Rock Band" on the box and a lot of shit with "Guitar Hero" on the box. Counting SKUs is a wasted exercise.

Surprise game of the year.

What in the world does "FWIW" mean?

FWIW = For what it's worth

pronounced,

Feh-wheew

http://i729.photobucket.com/albums/ww295/SuperStratos/1988_party_noise_maker_and_hat.gif

Guitar Hero already has a way to import songs from previous games. I can get most of the libraries for Greatest Hits, World Tour and GHV on my Band Hero game for a small fee per disc. This can give you hundreds of songs. The DLC you bought on World Tour can be imported for free, by the way.

I am rather surprised no one has released a keyboard peripheral yet. Konami had it going years ago with Keyboard Mania and that linked with Guitar Freaks and Drum Mania in arcades. I had actually hoped they would bring in back in Rock Revolution, but we all know how that turned out...