Rock Band 3 is a great game. We say as much in our review. Unfortunately, fans may be disappointed to hear that Harmonix is taking a move right out of the Star Wars franchise playbook, in that they will be charging gamers again and again for the same content. If you already own a song for Rock Band 2 you will need to purchase it again if you want to have the keyboard or vocal harmony portions.
According to the Harmonix website there are a few different options, all stemming from the Pro Guitar/Pro Bass, keyboard, and harmony modes. There will be three different downloads available for a song. A full version, and not as full version, and a less than not as full version.
-The new “RB3 Version” of a song, including traditional GBDV, keys (pro and regular) and harmony vocals
-A “Pro Guitar/Pro Bass” upgrade for that “RB3 Version”, allowing you to have the whole experience
-A “Pro Guitar/Pro Bass” upgrade for legacy “RB2 era DLC”. This will skip Keys and Harmonies being added (those are only in the “RB3 Version”, but allow you to purchase the Pro Guitar/Bass add-on without rebuying the core song file.)
That sounds like you need to re-buy the core song file if you want the Keys and Harmonies version. Oh wait, that's exactly what it is:
To reiterate, if you stick with your RB2 legacy track and want to upgrade to pro guitar/bass – you will not have access to Keys, Pro Keys or harmony vocals. If you want that latter content, you need to purchase the “RB3 Version” of the file.
The music genre has had slumping sales in recent years. Double charging consumers for content may be the final swan song.
How badly do you want to play the keytar for "Ramblin Man" by the Allman Brothers Band?