"Rock Band Blitz" moves to traditional controllers in favor of plastic instruments

Get ready to rock, because Harmonix is back with the latest entry in the Rock Band series. However, leave the plastic instruments in the closet, because you won't need them.

Rock Band Blitz is a different way to play Rock Band. A throwback to an older game called Amplitude that was released in the days before plastic instrument games, Blitz uses a standard controller. Instead of playing one instrument, all of them are played simultaneously, with the ability to switch between them on the fly.

Essentially, Rock Band Blitz puts the power of an entire band right at your fingertips. But you can't just focus on one track. Each track needs to be played frequently to "level up" the instruments and increase the multiplier. The maximum multiplier increases at each check point by up to three times, but only if each track is fully leveled up.

Besides just switching around between instruments, to keep your score up, the game provides you with a series of powerups. Some are basic score boosters that will give bonus points while playing specific instrument. Others blast large sections of notes on multiple instruments with the press of a button.

Then there are unique powerups such as the Pinball, which releases a giant pinball on the screen that bounces around, forcing you to switch between tracks to keep it in play. There is also Blitz mode, which activates if you can play enough notes in succession without missing and provides bonus points as long as the combo is unbroken.

With these new game changers, getting a high score relies not only on how many notes you can hit, but also on what powerups you select and how well you can keep your multiplier up. It's not just about the music, but about the strategy.

 One of the greatest things about Rock Band Blitz is that it is instantly compatible with all previous Rock Band downloadable songs, as well as exports from Rock Band, Rock Band 2, Lego Rock Band and Green Day Rock Band. With thousands of songs available to purchase and download, there's no shortage of selection.

If you don't have any downloaded songs to start with, no problem. Rock Band Blitz comes pre-loaded with 25 new songs, featuring popular artists from today such as: Maroon 5, Foster the People and recent Sammypalooza performers The All-American Rejects and hit makers from decades past including: Elton John, Barenaked Ladies and Queen. Not only that, but all 25 songs are instantly available to download and play in Rock Band 3 at no extra charge, in case you want to break out the plastic instruments.

 All in all, with access to the largest music library in a video game, addictive gameplay and a fun challenge, Rock Band Blitz is a great new way to experience the Rock Band series.

Rock Band Blitz is available now on Xbox Live Arcade for 1200 MSP or Playstation Network for $14.99.