Once we heard Rock Band 3 would be presenting at E3 this year, Icrontic just had to be first on the scene. As E3’s show floor officially opened, IC’s posse hustled to the MTV Games/Harmonix booth to make the first appointment of the day. We fully expected to be underwhelmed by the game. Blahblahblah keyboard, yadda yadda.

We were shocked, though—at one point in the presentation, we actually broke out into heartfelt applause. Sure, the game has a keyboard, but that’s really not what makes Rock Band 3 great. The game’s single most powerful feature is Pro mode for all instruments. Pro mode includes the ability to play a true MIDI keyboard, or a real guitar.

I repeat for emphasis: a real guitar.

Fender will be releasing a Stratocaster model to complement the game. The new Stratocaster will act as either a Rock Band 3 controller, or—by plugging into an amp—a true electric guitar. Rock Band 3’s Pro mode will allow a range of true guitar play, from plucking a single string on Easy to actually playing along with the song on Expert. Finally the rhythm game genre has matured to the point where you can pick up a game and learn a real instrument.

All of the existing mechanics of the series are carried over: three part vocal harmonies, no fail mode, party or career gaming, and an enhanced version of the character builder. Menu systems have been enhanced, allowing any player to drop, join, or change settings at any time during a song.

Harmonix put on a strong presentation for the game, and then unleashed Icrontic onto a demonstration set. To sum it up: do want.