1UP: A
“If you want an actual challenge, Rock Band 3 delivers that. That’s what I wanted out of a music game. It makes you more of a real musician, or at least introduce[s] people to a level of musicianship they wouldn’t have had otherwise. This is the ultimate rhythm game.”
Ars Technica: Buy
“This is the new state of the art for rhythm games, and it’s hard to find fault with what’s being offered. There are many different ways to play, and each one is a good time. There are also musical lessons to deepen your understanding of the instruments or get you started playing actual music. This is one of the best games of the year, and exceeded every one of our expectations.”
Destructoid: 9.5/10
“It’s a game that’s so solid that Harmonix could continue to support the game with downloadable content for years to come, and fans would find little to complain about. If they’re already dreaming of a follow-up, they’ve got their work cut out for them, because Rock Band 3 seems about as close to perfect as you’re going to get.”
G4TV.com: 5/5
“Rock Band 3 is a classic music game. It is at once the best party game on earth, a great solo pastime, and a potential entry-point into a lifelong artistic pursuit. … [I]t’s hard to imagine how Rock Band 4 could significantly improve upon the franchise, but let’s hope Harmonix has something up their sleeves anyway.”
Game Informer: 9.25/10
“In many ways, Rock Band 3 is a culmination of Harmonix’s efforts to bring music to the masses. But it’s also a new chapter in the franchise that starts the gradual merging of real and game-based music. Plenty of naysayers have already declared music games dead. Harmonix certainly hasn’t gotten the message; this band is primed for a new tour.”
GamePro: 5/5
“This is the game for all of you who have a dusty guitar sitting in the back of a closet somewhere that you’re totally gonna learn to play someday. This is for you steering-wheel drummers and you tabletop keyboardists. Rock Band 3 is the best way I know of to take music game skills and turn them into real-world skills. It’ll require plenty of work on your part, sure. … But nothing worth doing is easy…or else everybody would be doing it.” [Disclosure: I made this]
GameSpot: 9/10
“Rock Band 3 not only introduces new and exciting things to the world of rhythm games, but it does almost everything better than those that have come before it. When it comes to accessible, inventive, and immensely entertaining music video games, nobody does it better than Rock Band 3.”
Giant Bomb: 5/5
“Frankly, the only real slight I have against Rock Band 3, and part of the reason for this brief history of rhythm games, is that I come away feeling like I’ve experienced the end game for the genre, as I’m having an exceptionally hard time figuring out where it can all go from here.”
Gizmodo (AU)
“After getting bored with the entire music game phenomenon last year, Rock Band 3 is just the thing to bring me back. Like I keep saying, it’s more than just a game, and despite what the musical purists who insist on people learn to play instruments the traditional way (read: the way they did it), you can actually learn things here while playing. So what if you don’t actually get the intricacies of how to play a guitar? If you learn how to play Bowie and have fun doing it, then that’s money worth spending.”
IGN: 8.5/10
“Rock Band 3 is the best music game option around. The more you put into it, the more you’ll get out of it. But my bet is that most people will just buy the game and nothing more. And while that experience is still solid, it’s not all that different from Rock Band 2.”
Joystiq: 5/5
“Video games — not just rhythm games, but all video games — rarely show this much ambition. Even more rare are occasions where developers manage to fulfill the impossibly lofty goals they set before themselves. Rock Band 3 manages both with ease, backing up brilliant ideas with flawless execution. It raises the bar so exceptionally high that, once again, it’s just about impossible to see where the rhythm genre is going to go from here.”
Kotaku
“For the more casual aficionado of music mimicking … a more streamlined interface makes Rock Band more party-friendly than ever. For the hardcore plastic guitarist and drummer, Rock Band 3 puts the challenge into overdrive, with a legitimate music instruction tool for wannabe musicians looking to learn the fundamentals (or their favorite songs). Add keyboards, vocal harmonies and a strong, diverse soundtrack and we’re ready to certify this one double platinum.”
Official Xbox Magazine (U.S., via Metacritic): 9.5/10
“It’s not only an achievement within it’s own genre, but a landmark for the entire medium as well.”
Official Xbox Magazine (UK): 9/10
“Sure, Rock Band 3 won’t turn you into Jimi Hendrix or Neil Peart, but it can and will teach you musical skills you can turn around and apply in the real world. It’s aspirational, inspirational, educational, and eminently valuable. It’s not only an achievement within its own genre, but a landmark for the entire medium as well.”
Shacknews
“Rock Band 3 is easily the best entry in the series to date with its streamlined interface, career progression and goals, and Pro Mode. Admittedly, Pro might not be for everyone and it will require some extra money to experience. Regardless, the additional features and songs more than make up for the price of entry.”
Xbox World 360 (UK, via CVG): 9.5/10
“[Even] if you don’t buy the extra bits and just stick with the standard game and your old kit you’ll still discover you’ve got the greatest music game on the planet with enough features to last you for years. Everything you ever wanted from a music title, and so much more besides. It doesn’t matter how you want to play Rock Band 3, just know that you really do need to play it.”
Those reviews got you jonesing to pick up the game? If you haven’t preordered yet (and if not, what’s wrong with you?), you can pick the game up from Amazon — and help out this here site a little with a small commission — by clicking here
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And of course I’ll keep updating this post as new reviews roll in. Check back or stay tuned to The Twitters for a heads-up when more reviews get slotted in.
GamePro has just posted my review of Rock Band 3, which I thought deserved a special mention. (Hey, it’s my site, I’ll pimp if I want to.) Here’s a quote to get you started:
Over the weekend, 
It’s an exciting time for the world of music games. Rock Band 3 is scant days from release, and its bold new Pro mode features are about to be unleashed on an unsuspecting populace, turning mild-mannered gamers into real-life musicians.
Looking to vastly expand your library of available tracks in Rock Band 3? Harmonix has announced that you’ll be able to import “the vast majority” of songs from Rock Band 2 into RB3 for a mere $9.99. And yes, that appears to include you Wii owners.
Next Tuesday isn’t just the launch of Rock Band 3. It’s also the launch of Rock Band 3 DLC, headlined by The Doors. This morning, Harmonix sent out a press release detailing pricing and availability for the two Doors packs hitting on the 26th.
There’s not a whole lot new here, but Harmonix has posted a nice, long video showing off Pro Guitar mode in Rock Band 3. It shows Pro Expert gameplay footage of “Need You Tonight,” “Hey Man, Nice Shot,” and “Crazy Train,” and perhaps another tune or two I can’t quite make out.
Here’s a curiously offhand remark from UK industry pub 
