I want to start by saying that IMO gh 2 was the best one. that being said, did anyone else feel like 3 was very sloppily put together. The track list, although having some great songs, is nothing to write home about. The actual gameplay has some frame rate issues at key points in songs. I also believe that Rock Band will trump GH3 and the only thing hold it back is the price tag for the full bundle.
Well I didn't think GH3 had any frame rate issues at all. I won't say that it is BETTER than GH2 but it is definitely more challenging. I think the track list is just as good as in GH2 if you count the bonus tracks because there are more awesome bonus tracks in GH3 to counter the superiority of the in-game tracks of GH2.
As I write this post, Rock Band came out nearly one week ago and so I can say it did NOT trump GH3, or even GH2....it's just a completely different game. Minus the difficulty of 2 of the 4 Metallica tracks available, the guitar portion of the game is significantly less challenging than any GH game to date. Rock Band guitar difficulty on expert is somewhere between medium and hard on GH3. For my dollar, that's cool...I think it's nice that the game is that much more accessible, while still being cool and fun to play. The bass tracks have to be played on expert to be an even remote challenge, however. The drums though are where it's at! I am a musician and have done a small bit of drumming, and it does a fun job of replicating the experience of set drumming (when played on the medium and hard levels). The easy level is too easy....and the expert level is realistic to actual drumming without the flexibility of real drumming...i.e. you mess up and you can improvise! You screw up in the game on expert level and, well...it IS a game...you get penalized!
Ok I just rambled. For you 3 people who read this, Rock Band IS great. But it doesn't overshadow GH3, it provides a different experience. They are both great games. Rock Band gives a greater group experience though....if you can check out either one, I say DO IT!!!!