Let there be Rock

This weekend I went on something of a Rock Band binge: I finally got the money/XBLA points to pay for the licenses that will enable music exportation from RB 1+2. Thus, this weekend has been a case of wailing on and on so much I'm surprised the neighbors didn't knock down my door thinking someone inside was getting murdered.

There's a lot I like about RB3: I like how it completely updates the concept so much that going back to RB1+2 is completely impossible. I like how the music library keeps best scores. I like the amusing cut-scenes. I like the afore-mentioned music exportation. I like the challenges scattered throughout and how they unlock additional items in the store. I like how the user can assess the tunes they just did and how it can affect future games. And the presence of the Spades challenges make for a fun addition too.

One problem though is that there seems a sense that multiple players are a necessity. RB1 did this as well but RB2 made it more accommodating to the single player making it possible to still play and complete the game even if you were a friendless grump. But to take that away from the player is indeed a problem - indeed insulting to make it an expectation of the player.
And why can I only have one band? Again, this seems more of a holdover from RB1 when it should be a holdover from RB2. Taking away something that worked is not really a good move for sequels.

These are small things but to me they seem like backwards step - which is surprising considering how much improvements RB3 makes over it's predecessors.