It’s been nearly 45 years since The Beatles hit the scene and changed the world in music. When the game launches this week, Harmonix and MTV Games hope to change the way people listen to The Beatles. The Beatles: Rock Band comes to the market with new instruments, a couple of gameplay additions and the backing of the remaining members of The Beatles. Is this a Rock Band experience or a Beatles experience?
Ladies and Gentlemen; The Beatles!!
There is total of 45 songs in the catalog for The Beatles: Rock Band in the group’s short history. While it’s a short list when looking at the Story mode, downloadable content will fill the void after launch including an exclusive “All You Need is Love” for Xbox Live launching September 9th. The songs are plucked from the archives of Apple Corps and re-mastered for the gaming experience. Each of the songs provide a new look into the group’s experimental song writing and evolution of the music of their time period. As you ride through the Story mode you’ll experience all kinds of The Beatles excellent use of recording methods and the catchy lyrics. With Quickplay mode you’ll easily find yourself returning to the game for a quick round. Favorites include songs like “Yellow Submarine” and “A Hard Day’s Night” and even “Ticket to Ride”.
Fans of the group aren’t going unnoticed. There is plenty of Beatles lore and decorated scenery to keep ones interest. All of the famous locations of Beatles concerts populate the games Story mode from the recording studio of Abbey Road to the packed sold out concert of Shea Stadium. You’ll hear screaming fans in the background at every concert and music video dreamscapes, appearing during the recording studio gigs. For a game that centers around one band Harmonix certainly made sure to put all kinds of Beatles love in the game. As I mentioned earlier there were a couple of new gameplay additions to the game and one of them is the harmony. Using three microphones, players can sing together in harmony while playing The Beatles: Rock Band. The game tracks each individual score and ranks you separately. You’ll also have to watch on screen as there are also three different pitch notes as you play through the song.
Just because you played through all 8 chapters of the story doesn’t mean you’re good and done with the game. There is a challenge mode allowing you to play consistently through each song at once. There are also plenty of rewards for you to take a gander at like photos to unlock, and videos like the bands rehearsal on the Ed Sullivan Show for “A Hard Day’s Night”. You’ll even get a chance to take a look at the unreleased Christmas card message from the foursome in 1963. The multiplayer allows for Tug of War or even a Scoring Duel between 1-4 players either online or off. You’ll still be able to start off a band online and off as well in case you’re looking for some friends to tackle The Beatles.
If you were expecting anything close to resembling what Rock Band 3 might be then you might as well move right along. The Beatles: Rock Band although built from the ground up doesn’t bring anything new to the Rock Band experience. It’s still the same formula we’ve come to fall in love with from the beginning. It’s nice to have The Beatles involved and of course the harmony vocals as well, but that still doesn’t get one excited for a completely new Rock Band experience.
The Beatles: Rock Band has about half the experience of the other Rock Band titles. With only 45 songs listed in the catalog and downloadable content looking to exploit the rest of it, it’s unfortunate that Harmonix went this route. It also doesn’t help that most of the songs in the catalog are shorter then you’re average tune. The length does increase along with difficulty to the end but it just falls short of achieving any true gaming difficulty. At a $59.99 price tag, it isn’t exactly the greatest deal including only half of the bands greatest hits. Think twice before making the full plunge into purchasing the game day one.
Graphics
Background sounds during the loading screens and even the title sequence at the beginning of the game bring you into the world of The Beatles. You could hear the group’s introduction on the Ed Sullivan show to the foursome talking to each other in the recording studio. The Beatles themselves look close enough to their real life counter-parts it’s almost uncanny. The 60s and 70s detail that you’ll notice throughout the Story mode really changes as you move through each chapter. The dreamscapes are colorful and well designed. There are 20 dreamscapes designed for each chapter of the game are even more prominent when you enter into the recording studio. It’s a chance that launches gamers into a psychedelic fantasy world that the era of the 70s portrayed to supplement the songs of the time period.
Plasma Factor
You can’t go wrong with The Beatles, it’s a group that you either love or hate and how can you not give them their own video game? The Beatles: Rock Band is an excellent break from the other Rock Band experiences. The harmony vocals add a nice touch to reliving the classic music and pretending you’re on stage with the foursome. Ultimately what you’re getting in this package is a Rock Band game featuring The Beatles and only The Beatles, no filler bands to max out the song count. With downloadable albums coming your way after launch, this short song catalog will easily increase giving us more Beatlemania.
Conclusion
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