Taken from Wikipedia
Gameplay
The Fender Stratocaster replica guitar controller, which features 10 frets and an effects switch.
The Fender Stratocaster replica guitar controller, which features 10 frets and an effects switch.
Information on the gameplay first revealed by the July 2007 issue of Game Informer.[6]. The game will feature independent single-player campaigns for three of the instruments (guitar, drums, and voice) called "Solo Tour Mode" [7], as well as a band campaign for multiple players called "Band World Tour" [7]. It was revealed in the issue that the bass lines for the game are too simple to constitute an entire campaign. However, players can use any combination of the 4 instruments on or off-line. The game will also include a "Tutorial Mode", as well as a "Practice Mode" that will allow players to practice songs for each instrument.
The game will feature special Rock Band-branded guitar controllers modeled after the Fender Stratocaster; these will be similar to the Guitar Hero controllers. The Stratocaster controller will have 5 additional fret buttons located further down the neck to be used in special solo sections. Additionally, the controller will feature an effects pickup switch. Harmonix has confirmed Guitar Hero guitar controllers will be compatible with the game.[8] The company has also said that Rock Band will also support the use of additional third-party controllers, and, should Activision (the current publishers of Guitar Hero) request it, they can make the Rock Band guitar controller work with Guitar Hero III. Rock Band's microphone instrument will be similar to the Singstar and Karaoke Revolution games, but also will have phoneme detection to determine the difference between vowels and consonants. The microphone can also be used as a tambourine when there are no vocals. The drum controller is similar to the DrumMania arcade game, and will be based on striking one of 4 pads, along with a kick pedal for bass drum. Harmonix has stated that if players can master the drum peripheral on expert difficulty, they will be able to play the instrument in reality.[7]
On-screen, Game Informer describes the game as a combination of the Guitar Hero and Karaoke Revolution gameplay elements[6]. Instead of a single guitar neck (as there is in Guitar Hero), there will be three vertically scrolling sections along the bottom of the screen, one each for guitar, drums, and bass. Along the top of the screen will be the vocals display, which will scroll horizontally, similar to Karaoke Revolution. The remainder of the screen is used to display the band's characters as they perform. Within the main co-op mode, all players earn points towards a common score, though multipliers and the equivalent of Guitar Hero's "Star Power" are tracked separately for each player. If a player fails to play well enough, their section will become grayed out, but any other player can activate their "Star Power" to bring back failed players back into the song. If all players are still active upon the song's completion, the band will be rewarded with a special "jam session".
When creating their band, players will be able to create and customize their game avatars (complete with adjustable hair, body type, clothing, tattoos, and onstage movements), as well as their band logos.