The Beatles: Rock Band Video Game Review

The Beatles are, in my opinion, the greatest band of all time. That's a debatable assertion, but it's one backed up by the piles of records they've sold and the numerous records they still hold (I'd go as far as to say only Elvis and Michael Jackson have had an impact in the same league.) But now, almost 40 years later, fans have a chance to step into their shoes and play their songs, with a tad more dignity than the karaoke bar allows. The Beatles: Rock Band is now out for the Wii, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

The Beatles is the third Rock Band title developed by Harmonix, who until 2007 also produced the Guitar Hero video games (which is now a competing brand). In case you didn't know, Rock Band allows players to strap on fascimiles of guitars, drums, and microphones to perform the vocals and instrumentals in a song. As the title suggests, The Beatles forgoes the usual mix of music to focus on the decade-long career of the Beatles. To play the game, players must either try and keep in the proper pitch for the vocals, or else in time with the notes scrolling down the screen. Hitting the proper notes in sequence earns points for that player and boosts the performance meter; likewise, poor performance causes the meter to drop, eventually kicking the hapless wannabe out of play entirely. Fear not: intrepid teammates can help their friends back in by the use of "Beatlemania", generated by nailing specially-marked parts of the song.

The differences between other Rock Band titles and The Beatles are fairly obvious. In the game you cannot be booted off the stage, and chances for improvisation are restricted. The differences are also cosmetic and translate to your instrument peripherals; instruments include Rickenbacker 325 and Gretsch Duo Jet guitars, a Höfner bass and a Ludwig drum set. For the seriously inclined, there's also a collector's edition that adds a microphone, microphone stand, and some collectible merchandise.

Like previous games, there's a "Story" mode, which has the players take a trip through Beatles history. Performing well unlocks photos and audio from the Beatles' career. There are also quickplay modes that allow you to jump into playing a song. An interesting new feature is the "Beatle Beats" training feature, which allows you to train for the complex three-part harmonies that are a staple of Beatles songs. Trust me, for the uninitiated to the Beatles and/or Rock Band, you're going to need to try it. Like previous games, you can whet your appetites for whatever difficulty, from the impossible-to-fail "Easy" mode to the punishing "Expert".

So besides the instruments and Beatle history, what are you getting? The Beatles contains 45 songs spanning the band's career. The good news is that Harmonix didn't skimp on including both popular songs, plus the forgotten but excellent gems from their career. Alongside the classics such as "Get Back", "Revolution", "Something" and "Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" are excellent tunes such as "And Your Bird Can Sing", "If I Needed Someone", and "Hey Bulldog". Even better is that there's a plan to eventually release more music as downloadable content--essentially making full albums available for a complete playthrough. This goes a long way towards differentiating its offerings from previous titles.

So is it worth the buy? That depends. The software package you get will depend on your previous Rock Band/music game experience and your personal level of Beatlemania. Purchasing the standalone game (around US$60) is the best option if you have controllers from previous games--buying a Rick or similar controller will set you back $99, meaning that trying to outfit your entire band will prove costly ($250 for the premium bundle, and much more if you buy the components piece by piece). If you just have to have the full experience, you've been warned.

Overall The Beatles: Rock Band sets itself apart from previous artist collections. The surviving Beatles and their spouses and children were deeply involved in the development, with the end result that there's an atmosphere that permeates the game that just feels different and unique. From the mostly spot-on avatars of the Fab Four to the immersive graphics and wonderful animation, it's a well-polished game. For music game players who are also music aficionados, the preservation of the complex note and vocal arrangements is a pleasant surprise; I dare anyone who hasn't listened to the Beatles much to not understand their musical genius after playing.

That said, there are some caveats before I recommend running out and purchasing the product. One complaint I have is the length: the 45 songs get burned through pretty fast going through the Story mode. That can be rectified with the coming downloadable content, but that means you'll be throwing down even more money (the prices for DLC have yet to be determined.) In fact, the reason that my favorite but less-popular songs were included on the initial offering might have been to compel people to purchase the DLC to get the more-popular songs, but that just could be the cynic in me. Likewise, the game seemed a tad easier than previous installments, and coupled with the lack of improvisation could be a turnoff to hardcore Rock Band players, in the same way as the price might turn away interested newcomers. Ultimately, it comes down to whether the price is worth it to you, but if you're interested in the Beatles or music games, there's no better way to satisfy your interest in both than this.