Electronic Arts and Harmonix are ready to prove to the analysts that the music genre is still popular as ever in The Beatles: Rock Band. As one of the most mind-manifesting games of its genre, The Beatles: Rock Band does all the little things right and doesn’t do much wrong. The ability to play with up to five of your friends (a total of 6 players) is going to be an enticing new way to play Rock Band as the addition of two extra microphones should liven up any party. Digging in even further, fanatics of legendary Fab Four should be ready to indulge in one of the best representations of the band within the video game medium. The biggest draw for The Beatles: Rock Band is the production and presentation values. The look and feel of title is off the charts when compared to similar titles in the genre. The mesmerizing introduction video is only the start of the dazzling videos provided.
From the crazy visuals found in “I Am the Walrus” to the less than subtle “Yellow Submarine”, Harmonix has done an excellent job at creating videos that do justice to The Beatles renowned status. By the end of every session, everyone should notice that the evolution for the music genre can be much more than adding new accessories every year as the visuals and presentation is off the charts praiseworthy. Keeping gamers coming back for more, the longevity of The Beatles: Rock Band is outstanding. Gamers are eligible to unlock audio clips, story movies, pictures and challenges to upload scores online. These unlockables correlate to the career of The Beatles themselves so gamers will get the full story about how they rose to stardom and what was happening during the events of recording each and every song. Take for example: players are able to unlock a video of The Beatles during an interview session that partook on a train ride – a rare look into the charm of the band during their heyday.
These are the little things that Harmonix did right – the replay value is an essential part to why The Beatles: Rock Band is one the best games of the year. Outside of the 10 movies, 104 photos and handful of audio clips, gamers can play through challenges and upload high scores to a leaderboard. These challenges are setlists of several songs that gamers can play through to show their prowess with any/all of the instruments. Having over 40+ songs to play through, the Lads from Liverpool are excellently represented when it comes to their tracks. Even those who are barely informed of The Beatles lustrous career should be able to recognize tunes such as “Twist and Shout” and “I Want to Hold Your Hand.” The harder difficulty songs are along the lines “Revolution” and “Back in the U.S.S.R.” The game modes themselves aren’t overwhelming. Tug of War, Score Duel, Story Mode and Tutorials are provided to keep the attention of gamers.
The Story Mode is much better than expected that covers the whole touring career of the band. The Tutorials are helpful for novices with a Drum Trainer, Practice Mode and regular tutorials. Each instrument has three different practice modes, so there should be no worries when it comes to learning how to sing correctly in The Beatles Rock Band. Six-player support, 40+ songs, three full albums already announced for download content (Abbey Road, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, and Rubber Soul albums), and superb production values should be enough to attract new and old Rock Band gamers to The Beatles: Rock Band. For Xbox 360 gamers, “All You Need Is Love” is exclusive for a limited time and all proceeds will be donated to Doctors Without Borders. When push comes to shove, The Beatles: Rock Band is a fantastic addition to the genre and, it goes without saying, the music itself it out of this world.
