Rock Band 3

Rock Band 3 follows the same basic formula as its predecessor with players using plastic musical instruments to play along to a variety of songs. Story only enters the game when playing in "career" mode. In this mode, which has been expanded since previous games, players can create and customize characters that will stick with them as they progress through the game. Playing gigs and completing challenges earns the band more fame, money, and fans as well as new songs to play.

The game saves automatically after every song or setlist.

Rock Band 3's premise and controls are simple, but some players may have trouble keeping the tempo. The game's various difficulty settings can help make Rock Band 3 more accessible for people of different ages and ability levels. Players can also choose to turn on a "no fail" option, which, as the name suggests, prevents them from ever dropping out of the band mid song.

Players can join with others online to form a band, but they can also just play with others locally.

• What instrument do you like playing best? Why?
• Do you like to play Rock Band 3 for the challenge or just to have fun?
• Has Rock Band 3 made you want to learn an instrument? If so, do you think you could learn through the "Pro" mode?