The Beatles: Rock Band Review

The difficult process of materializing The Beatles into interactive entertainment is finally over with the games release on September 9. Standing out on the game’s box art is The Beatles typeface with the latter Rock Band in a significantly smaller font. Upon that first impression, I curiously wondered if it was done intentionally to make The Beatles culturally relevant among a new generation or to stir up memories of the older crowd who grew up listening to them. Nevertheless, does the overall Rock Band experience justify the usage of The Beatles name and likeness or does it cash in amongst a saturated market of rhythm based music games?

The Beatles: Rock Band
Developer: Harmonix
Platform: Xbox 360 (reviewed)

The primary point to make is that this is The Beatles encompassed in a Rock Band experience which results in a friendly casual gaming environment. All the instruments “the microphone, guitar, bass, and drums” contribute to this intended unison practice of correctly timing and hitting colored notes that flow vertically down the screen. There are differences between The Beatles to its Rock Band predecessors especially in the number of gameplay elements that were noticeably absent. Ringo’s drum parts do not have fills, strumming with the whammy bar does not change the pitch, and there is no end of song rock out.

Aside from the small omissions, Harmonix has dedicated itself to refining the gameplay to render its authenticity. The addition of vocal harmonizers is a notable feature given the prominence of The Beatles vocals. The harmonizers allow players to connect up to three microphones simultaneously and have each player sing their selected part of the harmony. Perfecting harmonies is no laughing matter either. Players must now keep watch, not on a singular track, but different three tracks and is difficult to master the first time through. Harmonix added a vocal training mode to help ease the learning curve a bit and those dedicated to the vocals will find it worthwhile. Through the harmonies, a new dimension of the Rock Band gameplay is borne, not only adding a new layer of difficulty but also distinguishing it as unique to The Beatles. It is a simple addition that goes a long way.

The meat and bones of the gameplay is found in the Story Mode of The Beatles: Rock Band. The game progresses through the iconic eras of The Beatles such as the high-energy Cavern Club live performances, the psychedelic dreamscape sequences at Abbey Road studios, and the final appearance on the Apple Corps rooftops. The developers dedicated a lot of the time to perfecting the euphoric backdrops behind each song. Personally, the dreamscape sequences of the Abbey Road era are my favorites to play. Now if only there was a mode where I can sit back and gaze at the wonderful backdrops without actually interacting.

Also, there is a deep reverence to The Beatles history found throughout the game. Players can collect photographs and unlock rare videos documenting The Beatles. For example, there are archived recordings featuring audible chatter of the four between the ins and outs of each track. While these additions are minor subtleties, it certainly adds credibility to Rock Band’s handling of a single band music game. Boasting a collection of 45 songs, it initially sounds a bit too slim for a typical music game. However, the quantity of songs finds a delicate middle ground from having too little or going overboard. Given that the Abbey Road DLC is coming out October 20, today, for $17 and with Sgt. Pepper and Rubber Soul coming in November and December respectively it seems that it will ultimately prove to be an expensive collection of tracks. However, the premium is worth its monetary value if you want to play The Beatles experience in its entirety.

The Final Word
People will detract the fact that The Beatles: Rock Band is relatively simple to play. Well that’s a no-brainer. The Beatles were not known for their complex instrumental riffs and notes but rather for their great lyrical compositions and the Rock Band gameplay is tactful in presenting them for what they were. It does a great disservice to say that only Beatles fans will enjoy this game. That is a common misconception as anyone who enjoys music games or have any sort of interest in learning themselves about The Beatles should give this game a play. The clamor of its release may be in part due to the heavily marketed anniversary of the band. For what it is worth, Harmonix brings a fully fleshed out Beatlemania for audiences of all ages.

– MonsterVine Rating: 4 out of 5 – Good