Rock Band 3, DJ Hero 2, and Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock reviews (Boston Herald, 11/08/2010)

What happened to the faux-rockers and pretend pop stars? Have they moved on to real music-making? Music game sales plummeted over the last year, thanks to overexposure, market glut and the economy. No fads last forever, but has the music really stopped?

“Rock Band 3” proves there’s still room for growth in the genre. It features the full-band tour modes, online options and deep, diverse set list you expect from “Rock Band,” along with the standard guitar, bass, drums and vocals lineup. It also adds a keyboard to the mix. This isn’t just a controller, but a fully functional, two-octave MIDI keyboard. In normal mode, you use five keys color-coded like the buttons on the guitar. Switch over to the new Pro Mode and you’re actually playing keyboards, hitting both white and black keys up and down the neck.

There’s also Pro Mode for guitar, with two new controllers arriving soon. One awkwardly simulates a real guitar with 17 frets and six plastic buttons apiece. The other is a real six-string Fender Squier that can plug into an amp or into an Xbox. The Squier has fantastic potential as an instructional tool, and there are enough lessons and tutorials here to teach the basics of guitar playing to anyone.

Pro Mode requires a gamer to either memorize each song or to possess an uncanny ability to understand a new musical notation system. It feels like work, but it’s worth it when you feel the pride of earning five stars on a song on Pro Mode’s expert level.

“Guitar Hero” returns with the limp “Warriors of Rock.” It regresses from last year’s fine installment, with an embarrassing story cribbed from “Brutal Legend” and a set list that skews toward metal and hard rock. It’s the least essential “Guitar Hero” since the series added drums and microphones.

“DJ Hero 2” superbly upgrades a strong original. You’ll hit buttons, scratch and crossfade between tracks like before, but now a friend can sing along. It’s easier to start up a multiplayer game with the new Party Play mode. Most importantly, the soundtrack is full of great music. While a few mash-ups are awkward, the New Order/Major Lazer and “War”/“Superstition” tracks more than compensate.

While “Guitar Hero” stagnates, “Rock Band 3” continues to grow as both a game and instructional tool. “DJ Hero 2” is fresher than either and feels more like a game. Still, “Rock Band 3” can’t be beat.

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