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When Rock Band 4 new features , Rock Band Rivals (out in October) is the first paid expansion pack adding significant new contact in the form of two new modes: Rockudrama and Rivals.

Rock Band Rivals 15 IMAGES

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The former is a new campaign mode for 1-4 players that bookends your band's career with intentionally cheesy VH1 Behind the Music-style live-action cutscenes that reflect on your performance, telling the story of how you went from the garage to the world's biggest stages. It's meant to be laughed at, which makes it a good fit for Rock Band's party-centric gameplay.The namesake mode, meanwhile, promises asynchronous, clan-based head-to-head multiplayer gameplay. I haven't seen it in action yet, but Harmonix says you'll be able to have up to 10 people in a crew, with any mix of instruments in the mix (so, for example, you could have 10 drummers if you wanted to). Rivals mode will also include leaderboards and weekly challenges.No songs are included in the $30 expansion (which does require Rock Band 4 in order to play), though pre-ordering through select retailers will net you a 10-song pack (see those songs at the end of the trailer above). New co-publisher and instrument controller manufacturer PDP has new bundles and pricing for the game as well: $200 for the full band kit, $90 for guitar + Rock Band 4 + Rivals, and $60 for a digital Rock Band 4 + Rivals bundle with no instruments. Meanwhile, Harmonix added that synchronous online multiplayer is due to be added as an update to Rivals in December.

Ryan McCaffrey is IGN’s Executive Editor of Previews and Xbox Guru-in-Chief. Follow him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan , catch him on Podcast Unlocked , and drop-ship him Taylor Ham sandwiches from New Jersey whenever possible.