Earlier this year I had the great privilege of getting to play The Beatles: Rock Band at an early press screening at E3. You can check out Digital Chumps’ interview with Sean Baptiste as we clamored to try and get exclusive information on this game. There are a total of 45 tracks that come on disc in this game, and we only knew 10. Being a son of a huge Beatles fan (hence my name: Paul, after Sir Paul McCartney) and a huge Beatles fan myself, I eagerly awaited the arrival of this game.
I was not disappointed, not in the least. I joked with one of the editors, Nathan Stevens, that my review would be Biblically epic but short, “It is good.” The Beatles: Rock Band is good, but a proper review requires more than fanfare and surface level praise. Let’s dissect why it is good.
A Game for Everyone
I love Rock Band, LOVE it. It’s no wonder that being a Beatles fan and a Rock Band fan that I was selected to do this review. My personal bias aside, this game truly is for everyone. This past labor day weekend I made mention at a barbecue with some friends that I was reviewing this game and I had young kids, teenagers, college students, young adults, and older adults gathered round asking when they could play! The Beatles are a pop culture phenomenon that transcends generations. Their iconic sound and catchy music are tightly interwoven into not just the music scene, but television, movies and now finally… video games.
In November MTV Games, and Harmonix are releasing “Lego Rock Band” to provide the masses with a more child friendly version of the game. Rock Band isn’t highly provocative in it’s imagery, but some of the songs just aren’t for everyone. With the release of The Beatles: Rock Band, I think they beat themselves to the punch. This disc does net a “T” rating, but the reasoning is for “mild lyrics and tobacco references). I would feel perfectly safe sharing this game with all ages, something I got the chance to do with a friend’s four year old son as he played this game for the first time ever on drums in “No Fail Mode”. No Fail mode is easier than ever, because you are automatically entered into this mode when you select “Easy”. That means that when you match a four year old drummer with a 26 year old guitarist who has played every Rock Band and Guitar Hero game that has ever come out, the game experience is fun for everyone!
The only reason you wouldn’t want this game is if you simply aren’t a Beatles fan. While I am quick to sing it’s praises, I also recognize that this is a very specific game. The Beatles: Rock Band does not allow you to export your songs to be played with other Rock Band titles (the same way you could export songs from Rock Band 1 to Rock Band 2 with a downloadable code on the PS Store). Future downloadable content won’t be playable with other Rock Band games. The Beatles: Rock Band is an island, it does not play well with others. This is easy to overcome, and to understand when you understand the gameplay a little better, but it should be noted none the less.
Drumming is Different… But Still The Same
The gameplay of The Beatles: Rock Band feels very much the same as earlier renditions, but with some slight improvements which make this even more user friendly and party playable than ever before. While my namesake is Paul, my kindred spirit is Ringo. When I play Rock Band games, I like the drums. In previous Rock Band games whenever you hit the appropriate series of correct beats, you got a power up. These power ups were good to save a friend who failed or to add a multiplier bonus to your score. To execute this power up, you had a very prominent “solo fill” section where you could add your own drum fills to the song, and as long as you tap the green drum pad at the appropriate time, you got your bonus.
In The Beatles: Rock Band, this is different. The Beatles’ songs are too iconic to be messed up by talentless drummers such as me. I never was good at fills anyway, and they seemed to detract from the beat and the song when playing in a group. Now the improvisational drum fills are gone, replaced just by a green stretch across the screen to prepare you for the same well-timed green beat you need to hit to execute your bonus. It’s a small but noticeable difference which adds a lot to the drumming aspect of the game.
While on the topic of drumming, there is another neat feature which may help bolster Ringo’s reputation a bit. There is a “Beatle Beats” section of the game which is really cool. Like the “drum trainer” in Rock Band 2, this section lets you practice the actual drum beats from a selection of different Beatles songs, so you can live the dream of being just like Ringo Starr.
Vocals are Different… But Better!
The vocals in Rock Band and Guitar Hero games were always fun, but lacking. In longer songs you had to beat up your microphone as though it were a tambourine, making it difficult to play an instrument and sing along at the same time.
This time around, that’s gone. In it’s place is something MUCH cooler! Instead of one microphone you can now use three at a time, and there is nothing require of your hands… which means you can sing and play at the same time! I think this feature is one of the biggest and most important additions to the Rock Band series, it expands the game from 4 players to 6 in house (you can have more online), making your parties more interesting for more people at a time. Or, if you prefer, you can pick up a Rock Band microphone stand and do it the way the fab four did… sing and play at the same time.
There is a catch, you have to sing harmony (did you expect anything less from a company called “Harmonix”?) The Beatles sang a three part harmony on most of their songs, a sound which helped make them famous. If you want to truly sound like the Beatles, you have to go hard or go home. This was very difficult for me at first, but it ended up being one of my favorite features on this game.
I did have help, and you will too. There is a vocal practice mode, similar to the drum training mode, where you can train your ear and voice to get that three part harmony just right. The pitch guide (which grades you in game with praises like “Fab!” and “Great!”) helps you decipher each of the three parts at just the proper pitch. While my voice is often flat and hard to work with, this helped me find that extra half step that I needed to actually sing… instead of just singing along in the car like I have done for years before. I’m sure everyone at my favorite Karaoke pub will love the fact that I have practiced with this feature!
Unlocked when Unboxed
A hard core gamer LOVES unlockable content, it rewards them beyond the typical sense of accomplishment a game can provide.
A casual gamer HATES unlockable content, it requires hours of undesired gameplay to access all the game’s features.
As you read a few paragraphs ago, this game is for everyone. As such, all 45 songs on this disc are immediately available in Quickplay mode. All gamers can jump right in and play all their favorite songs either as a group in cooperative play, or they can go head to head in “Tug of War” and “Score Dual” modes. Hardcore gamers (myself included), get over it, there are other rewards built into this game for those who play hard and want to be rewarded for it.
Story Mode is very, very cool. The opening cinematic is well worth the watch, do yourself a favor and don’t skip past it on first play. In story mode, you get to play through the Beatles legendary career! You start in the now famous Cavern Club and work your way to the infamous Abbey Road Studios.
Each new venue is displayed behind the animated fab-four in great detail. Playing the Ed Sullivan show felt almost like being on television, and when you get to the 20 or so songs that are played in a studio… there awaits a special visual treat! Sound booths and recording rooms can be boring, so The Beatles: Rock Band takes you to some visually stunning “dreamscapes” along the way. These dreamscapes are like acid-trip music videos which eject you from reality and thrust you into a Beatle-mania dream world. They beautifully capture the Beatles look and feel, and give you a visual world that is reminiscent of games like Taiko Drum Master or Katamari Damacy.
All along this journey you get to unlock photos, special challenges, and learn some very interesting facts about the Beatles, from the venues they played to their clothing and instruments… even about their iconic hair cuts! See The Cavern Club, the Ed Sullivan Show, Budokan, Shea Stadium, and the infamous performance on the rooftop of Apple Records.
Typically in video games the cut scenes and load screens are a transition between content. In The Beatles: Rock Band, the cut scenes and load screens are additional content. You are treated to a history of the Beatles, photos, audio, trivia, and more. Each moment of this game has been carefully crafted to keep you entertained and engaged.
There is also historic audio including the voice of Ed Sullivan announcing the Beatles to America, and some never before released in-studio audio, where you can hear audio clips of the Beatles conversations during some of their recording sessions. Hard core Beatles fans might want this game for that if nothing else, but there is still SO much more!
In addition to the full Story Mode, there are also chapter challenges where you can master all the songs in an individual 5 song chapter, and once you’ve played through Story Mode, the stars you get in your performances will help to unlock special Chapter Challenges.
The Music
There are 45 songs on this disc, with additional songs available through The Beatles: Rock Band Music Store. Here is a complete list of the songs (per venue), and a list of songs that have been announced as of the date this review was written:
Cavern Club:
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I Saw Her Standing There
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Twist and Shout
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Do You Want to Know a Secret
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Boys
Ed Sullivan Theater:
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I Want To Hold Your Hand
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Can’t Buy Me Love
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A Hard Day’s Night
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I Wanna Be Your Man
Shea Stadium:
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I Feel Fine
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I’m Looking Through You
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Eight Days a Week
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If I Needed Someone
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Ticket to Ride
Budokan:
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Drive My Car
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Day Tripper
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Paperback Writer
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Taxman
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And Your Bird Can Sing
Abbey Road Dreamscapes:
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Yellow Submarine
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Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band/With a Little Help from My Friends
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Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds
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Getting Better
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Within You Without You/Tomorrow Never Knows
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Good Morning
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I Am The Walrus
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Hello, Goodbye
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Hey Bulldog
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Back in the USSR
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Dear Prudence
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While My Guitar Gently Weeps
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Helter Skelter
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Revolution
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Birthday
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Octopus’s Garden
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Something
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Come Together
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Here Comes the Sun
Rooftop Concert
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Dig a Pony
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Get Back
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Don’t Let Me Down
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I’ve Got a Feeling
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I Want You (She’s So Heavy)
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I Me Mine
Downloadable Content:
Additional music from The Beatles’ catalogue will be made available for download through The Beatles: Rock Band Music Store.
Downloadable content announced to date:
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Abbey Road (1969) album
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Release Date: October 20, 2009
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Pricing:
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$16.98 (or 1360 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) for album
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$1.99 (or 160 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) for individual tracks
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Tracks:
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“Come Together”
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“Something”
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“Maxwell’s Silver Hammer”
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“Oh! Darling”
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“Octopus’s Garden”
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“I Want You (She’s So Heavy)”
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“Here Comes The Sun”
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“Because”
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“You Never Give Me Your Money”
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“Sun King”
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“Mean Mr. Mustard”
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“Polythene Pam”
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“She Came In Through The Bathroom Window”
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“Golden Slumbers”
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“Carry That Weight”
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“The End”
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Purchasers of the full album download of Abbey Road will have the option to play the famous 16 minute B-side medley as a single continuous track
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Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967) album
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Release Date: November 2009
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Pricing: To be announced
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Tracks:
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“Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”
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“With A Little Help From My Friends”
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“Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds”
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“Getting Better”
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“Fixing A Hole”
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“She’s Leaving Home”
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“Being For The Benefit of Mr Kite”
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“Within You Without You
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“When I’m Sixty Four”
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“Lovely Rita”
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“Good Morning Good Morning”
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“Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)”
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“A Day In The Life”
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Rubber Soul (1965) album
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Release Date: December 2009
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Pricing: To be announced
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Tracks:
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“Drive My Car”
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“Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)”
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“You Won’t See Me”
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“Nowhere Man”
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“Think For Yourself”
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“The Word”
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“Michelle”
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“What Goes On”
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“Girl”
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“I’m Looking Through You”
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“In My Life”
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“Wait”
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“If I Needed Someone”
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“Run For Your Life”
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“All You Need Is Love”
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Release Date: September 9, 2009
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Pricing: $1.99 (or 160 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360)
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Track will be available exclusively on Xbox LIVE for a limited time
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All proceeds from Apple Corps., MTV Games, Harmonix and Microsoft will benefit Doctors Without Borders
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Many, Many Options!
There are going to be several options to purchase this game. We reviewed the standalone disc, MSRP: $59.99. You do have the option to purchase several bundles, including a Limited Edition Premium Bundle which includes some very cool looking replica instruments. Look for a review on those in the future.
The Beatles: Rock Band is going to be available on PS3, Xbox 360, and Nintendo Wii 9/9/09. I can not sing this game’s praises enough. The beautiful animation, the timeless music, the attention to detail on every detail from the interface down to the load screens… I have never been more impressed with a franchised game, and this game has instantly skyrocketed to my top 5 all time favorites.
If you love the Beatles, if you love Rock Band or Guitar Hero… get in line early tomorrow morning and rush out for your copy of The Beatles: Rock Band. This game is a fine tribute to a group of boys who forever changed the landscape of music and pop culture.