The Beatles: Rock Band
All you need is love — and this game.
Tags: Rock Band: Beatles Categories: Reviews, Xbox 360 Reviews
Posted by Mark "MadMup" Zwolanek on Sep 10th, 2009
Music games are only as good as the music they include – I think we can agree on that, right? A game might hit all the right notes with exciting gameplay, mind-blowing visuals, and superb multiplayer options, but if the music in the game ranges from Tiny Tim to Devastatin’ Dave to Barry Manilow, well… no one’s going to want to play that game very long. It stands to reason, then, that getting the greatest group of all time as the basis for your music game would be a pretty good idea.
(It is at this point in the review that you need to realize two things: this reviewer is a Beatles fan and he expects that you are, too. If you are not, feel free to go become one and come back when you are.)
Okay, now that everyone’s on the same page we can continue.
While great music is certainly the first step in having a good music game, the rest of the presentation can make a good game a great game. The opening cinematic for The Beatles: Rock Band sets high expectational standards, and the game doesn’t disappoint. Story Mode replaces the standard Rock Band Tour Mode here, and it follows the group from their beginnings playing at The Cavern through their trip to The Ed Sullivan Show, Shea Stadium, and Budokan. Each location is faithfully recreated, and there’s a thrill in seeing the Fab Four playing in such iconic venues.
The last few sets are played in (and on) the Abbey Road studio, but the game designers haven’t just left players in a recording studio for half the game. As songs from the latter part of the band’s career unfold, the studio is replaced by a “Dreamscape,” a visual representation of the feel of the song. The fanciful outfits from Magical Mystery Tour show up, the group takes a ride in the Yellow Submarine, and psychedelic lightshows abound – each song has its own Dreamscape that fades back into reality at the end of the song. Each fits so well that it’s easy to imagine them coming up with these exact ideas if they’d had access to the technology at the time.
Story Mode is part homage, part history lesson, and there’s a definite “being there” feel to the whole proceedings. As players progress to the next venue, a video montage of important photos swirls with quick glimpses of what was going on with the group at the time. As each song is beaten, a rare photograph is unlocked (with accompanying trivia), and as photos are collected, rare videos are unlocked. This is how a music game tribute to a band should be done.
Fans of the Rock Band series will find the gameplay experience familiar, but there are a couple of changes. Overdrive is now “Beatlemania,” and activating it will send fans into screaming hysterics. Using the whammy bar will still gain a bit more Beatlemania, but will not change the sound of the notes played – nor is there a drum fill to activate Beatlemania on drums. The music is sacrosanct! The biggest change to gameplay is that Vocals now include harmonies. Up to three people can sing at a time, for a total of six concurrent players. And, with the support for the wireless microphones from Microsoft’s Lips game, now every player can rock freely, unhampered by wires.
Quickplay mode is here, of course, as is online play. There are training sections for the new Vocal Harmonies and alongside the drum trainer is a Beatle Beats trainer that leads you through some of Ringo’s… unique rhythm sections.
Whole Beatle albums have been promised for future downloadable content, and by the time you read this, “All You Need Is Love” should be available.
The game designers worked with Sir Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Olivia Harrison, and Yoko Ono throughout every stage of the game. Input as miniscule as “I never lifted my arms that high when I drummed” and “John’s eyes don’t look quite right” sent the designers back to edit and modify the game. Bits of trivia that show up set some records straight. The whole game gives an inside look at the Greatest Band Ever, and that look doesn’t disappoint. It is very evidently a labor of love, and it’s an experience no Beatles fan should miss.
| What Works | Score |
|---|---|
|
+ It's right there in the title: it's The Beatles, man! + New vocal harmonies + Support for wireless microphones + The game is an essential history lesson on the group |
10 |
| What Doesn't | |
|
- Only 45 songs, when nothing but THE WHOLE BEATLES CATALOG will do - The psychedelic backgrounds can sometimes make it difficult to see notes |
|
| Under the Shrink-wrap | |
| Buy this game. Now. | |
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Tags: Rock Band: Beatles
Posted by Mark "MadMup" Zwolanek on Sep 10th, 2009 and is filed under Reviews, Xbox 360 Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
