The problem with Pro mode is that it features a barrier of entry: The drum addition (cymbals that are sold separately and added to the Rock Band 2-version drum kit), top out at around $40, and the other instruments are even more expensive. But they’re also very cool, with a $150, 102-button guitar controller, an even more expensive Squier guitar that works as a game controller, and a keyboard with two fully playable octaves. All of the instruments can be hooked up to a MIDI-converter, so they actually function as working instruments.

And what about the rest of the game? Instead of the rigidity of RB2’s Tour mode, players now create a band and a character (and customize the band and the character), and use that band and character in every mode. Consistency is key here, so that no matter how you play, you’re always progressing in the game.

This goes for Road Challenges, which are essentially Tour mode redesigned, as well. Instead of a sprawling world map, filled to the brim with venues and songs (and repetition, especially without an extensive downloadable content [DLC] library), players go on short tours with their bandmates, following a slight narrative progression that’s illustrated by short, comic videos.

Career mode and Quickplay make comebacks, though there aren’t really any new bells or whistles there. To keep things involving and moving at a clip, Harmonix included goals, which add to your fans and reputation. This way, you can make progress with your band’s fame and fanbase by simply playing Career, or hopping into Quickplay for a couple of songs.

Songs can now be sorted far more extensively, and reviewed so that the songs that you aren’t exactly fond of don’t come up as often. The game ships with 83 songs, but that list is slight compared to the amount of content that you can bring over from other games (RB1, RB2, Lego Rock Band and Green Day Rock Band all allow their setlists to be transferred over, less three or four songs in RB1 and RB2 due to licensing rights), as well as DLC.

And the on-disc song list here is solid; in fact, it’s probably the best yet featured in a Rock Band game. Where the previous game skewed more towards metal, RB3 tends more towards pop (because of the addition of the keyboard), but that doesn’t mean that difficulty is lacking. In fact, songs by Chicago and Yes and Lynyrd Skynyrd take prominent places on the soundtrack, simply because of the difficulty that the songs present. Many of the songs tend towards rock from the 80s, so glam metal bands like Whitesnake and Night Ranger are featured pretty prominently, as are tracks from Foreigner and Ozzy Osbourne.

More exciting for me (given my musical sensibilities) is that indie rock is given its due here. Early stuff from Metric (“Combat Baby”), as well as more recent releases by Tegan and Sara (“The Con”), Rilo Kelly (“Portions for Foxes”) and Pretty Girls Make Graves (“Something Bigger, Something Brighter”), alongside classic stuff from The Doors, Elton John and Jimi Hendrix makes the soundtrack one with something for everyone on it. (Oh, and did I forget to mention John Lennon is on the soundtrack? Because he is.)

The visuals aren’t mindblowing, but look good. Character models aren’t as cartoony, but do maintain their same stylized looks. Animation is gorgeous, and characters interact on stage as they should, though the game still doesn’t animate between transitions. A character might be on their knees, nailing a solo in one shot, and a second later they’re across the stage, jumping up and down. It’s jarring, but you’re not likely to be looking at the animations anyway, especially not on harder difficulties.

One of the more visually disruptive aspects of the previous games, the load screens, are now almost completely gone. Instead of waiting for a song to load (as has been the case with every music game ever), you now see characters getting to the venue, or setting up. It adds to the sense of immersion in what this technically is: a band simulation, instead of a guitar game.

The core gameplay – beyond the addition of the aforementioned Pro mode – hasn’t changed in any drastic way. This is the same Rock Band, even as it’s far more polished and streamlined. It’s designed for parties and ease of use: The “Overshell” allows you to change instruments and difficulties and the little options in the game without ever going into a separate menu. All you have to do is hit the “Start” button on any screen, and things open up, because the Overshell is always present.

The monetary system from past games has been completely removed. Players unlock new clothing, instruments, accessories and more by completing challenges, which are sometimes tied to achievements or trophies. If you’ve transferred the content from previous games over, completing the setlists from those games is considered a “challenge,” but so is doing something like hitting a certain percentage in a certain song, or playing a certain number of songs from a certain band. Many of these challenges are completed during the course of the game; the ones that you have to go out of your way for present further challenge, and are basically there for completionists.