The Beatles: Rock Band offers history and fun
John Britt
Issue date: 11/25/09 Section: Entertainment
When "Guitar Hero" was released in 2005 it was a sleeper hit. It took "Guitar Hero 2" to realize that the music/rhythm game had become one of the fastest growing genres ever. With "Rock Band" entering the scene in 2007 the mark was set even higher. Fans were dreaming of the perfect set-lists available to play; this dream has been answered with the most important band in history making their appearance in video game form.
To be fair, "The Beatles: Rock Band" has some problems. The 46 songs available dwarf in size in comparison to the regular "Rock Band" (which stands to have 1,000 songs by year's end). But what the game lacks in volume it makes up for in quality. From "Twist and Shout" to "Revolution," the spectrum of the Beatles career is well presented.
Another issue is that most of the Beatles library is basic and short, only a few songs break the four minute mark, making the game easy to beat in a couple hours or more. The game play of "The Beatles: Rock Band" is fairly straightforward, it's just "Rock Band" with Beatle avatars and other finer touches added in. The guitar is the most preferred controller to play: It gives the feeling of being George Harrison pulling off his numerous solos to perfection.
"Guitar Hero Aerosmith" and "Metallica" padded their games with songs handpicked by the artists to be included; "The Beatles: Rock Band" puts the band center stage (where they belong). Playing through their Cavern Club days, all the way to The Abbey Road rooftop gives a feel comparable to an interactive documentary. In the middle period of their career they stopped touring and became a studio band. Harmonix made a very smart decision by creating dreamscapes to give the game a more interactive feel.
"The Beatles: Rock Band" offers up a nicer incentive for gamers to play their way through in the form of rare photos and videos. The rehearsal for their legendary Ed Sullivan show appearance is by far the most fascinating, seeing them tune up and practice for what would be a historic event for rock and music in general.
A small but qualitative set list, a Beatle approved (living and dead) presentation; the promise of downloadable albums ("Abbey Road," "Rubber Soul" and "Sgt. Peppers" have been announced) makes for an enjoyable and fun game. It also does something that the other music games haven't done: Makes an interactive history lesson on the most influential and legendary rock group of all time.
To be fair, "The Beatles: Rock Band" has some problems. The 46 songs available dwarf in size in comparison to the regular "Rock Band" (which stands to have 1,000 songs by year's end). But what the game lacks in volume it makes up for in quality. From "Twist and Shout" to "Revolution," the spectrum of the Beatles career is well presented.
Another issue is that most of the Beatles library is basic and short, only a few songs break the four minute mark, making the game easy to beat in a couple hours or more. The game play of "The Beatles: Rock Band" is fairly straightforward, it's just "Rock Band" with Beatle avatars and other finer touches added in. The guitar is the most preferred controller to play: It gives the feeling of being George Harrison pulling off his numerous solos to perfection.
"Guitar Hero Aerosmith" and "Metallica" padded their games with songs handpicked by the artists to be included; "The Beatles: Rock Band" puts the band center stage (where they belong). Playing through their Cavern Club days, all the way to The Abbey Road rooftop gives a feel comparable to an interactive documentary. In the middle period of their career they stopped touring and became a studio band. Harmonix made a very smart decision by creating dreamscapes to give the game a more interactive feel.
"The Beatles: Rock Band" offers up a nicer incentive for gamers to play their way through in the form of rare photos and videos. The rehearsal for their legendary Ed Sullivan show appearance is by far the most fascinating, seeing them tune up and practice for what would be a historic event for rock and music in general.
A small but qualitative set list, a Beatle approved (living and dead) presentation; the promise of downloadable albums ("Abbey Road," "Rubber Soul" and "Sgt. Peppers" have been announced) makes for an enjoyable and fun game. It also does something that the other music games haven't done: Makes an interactive history lesson on the most influential and legendary rock group of all time.
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professional CV
posted 12/15/09 @ 7:01 AM CST
The Beatles is a real legend.
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