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Beatles Rock Band: review
When talking about the Beatles a few words come to mind: amazing, gifted and legendary to state just a few, so it was only a matter of time before they became part of the video game world. In Beatles Rock Band, you along with 3 other friends get to navigate through the career of the Beatles from playing in small venues to belting out some of the most significant tunes of all time. And how does the game add up you ask? It is truly a remarkable video game that follows the career of a remarkable band.
To state the obvious right off the bat: I thought the soundtrack was astounding. I was personally engaged with each of the games songs from start to finish. Usually when I play a music simulation game, like Guitar Hero or the other Rock Band games, I find there are many "filler" songs that I just do not care for. I felt like this game delivered on the best work of the lads from Liverpool and gave us songs from genres as simple as their early pop and blues work, to their psychedelic tunes all the way to their gritty songs. I was a little disappointed that there were only 45 songs however, and felt like this somewhat lowered my enjoyment of the game since my friends and I were finished with the career mode after only a few hours of playing. Sure, there are challenges and achievements, but the fact is that when the chips are down: 45 songs is a short list for a $60 video game based around the career of the most influential band ever. I was also a little shocked when I saw that some amazing songs did not make their way into the game. Most notably songs like "Yer Blues", "Rocky Raccoon" and "Glass Onion" from the infamous White Album. I was also personally sad when I did not see "Old Brown Shoe", as it is one of my favorite Beatles songs, but I guess that I can't complain since they did have "Helter Skelter" and "I Am the Walrus". I also mus point out that I enjoyed the snippets of real archive "chatter" that could be heard during the loading screen or right before the song starts off. These instances are taken from actual album recording sessions as well as performances (which also includes the voice of Ed Sullivan introducing the Beatles as well as talking with the screaming audience.)
Then there is the little matter of the venues and "dreamscapes", which ranged from normal real world venues to other worldly landscapes that capture the essence of beauty. The normal real setting like the Cavern club looked spot on realistic when compared to actual archived pictures of the Fab Four in said club and the same can be said about the rooftop gig on top of Apple Studios. The "dreamscapes" are without a doubt one of the most beautiful creations in video game history in my opinion. I personally thought that "While My Guitar Gentle Weeps" had the saddest and most wonderful setting, complete with a mood setting overcast sky, solemn looking band and falling red leaves. The "dreamscapes" were a warm welcome to the average venue setting that have been a staple of the Guitar Hero and Rock Band series. The "dreamscapes" allowed the developers to create a vivid dream like vision of the popular Beatles tunes, whether the songs were colorful and happy, dark and depressing or downright (that award goes to "I Am the Walrus"). The art for the "dreamscapes" also showed the level of commitment that the developers had to the series, since each setting had a different feel from the last. The developers also did a great job with having each of the Beatles have their own personal instruments, clothing and facial hair- all of which was downright accurate.
I must point out that while Beatles Rock Band is a great video game, it will not sit well with seasoned Rock Band or Guitar Hero players, since it is much easier than the previous installments. Some songs were flat out simple, and gave no real challenge even when played on "expert" mode. If there is one complaint to make about this game: the difficulty is the guilty party. Still, I went into this game with the mindset that the guitar riffs and drum parts weren't going to be as difficult as Metallica, Deep Purple or Led Zeppelin: so I am not disappointed to say the least.
In fact, I am quite happy that playing this game was not at all frustratingly difficult. I didn't want to end up hating my friends after playing this party game with them; I wanted to enjoy it...and I did enjoy this game very much.
While Beatles Rock Band is not perfect, it is a game that is enjoyable on many levels. The artistic style is a wonder to behold and the same can be said about the soundtrack. The game gives Beatles fans the opportunity to feel like the Beatles by playing in front of screaming girls in front of Shea Stadium, recording at Apple Studio or even playing around in a Yellow Submarine.
Rating: 9.1/10
Pros:
Great soundtrack, all 45 songs will keep you humming Beatles tunes from Monday to the rest of the eight days of the week (Beatles Joke)
Dreamscapes are lush and vibrant.
Beatles facts and pictures along with videos are groovy to read and watch respectively.
Cons:
The game is a little short, it can be knocked out within 4 hours if played straight through.
The difficulty is pretty easy
Big question? When are they going to release "Cry Baby Cry" as downloadable content? Or for that matter "Help!" or even "Baby You're a Rich Man"? The list literally goes on until they release all songs of the Beatles catalog.
To state the obvious right off the bat: I thought the soundtrack was astounding. I was personally engaged with each of the games songs from start to finish. Usually when I play a music simulation game, like Guitar Hero or the other Rock Band games, I find there are many "filler" songs that I just do not care for. I felt like this game delivered on the best work of the lads from Liverpool and gave us songs from genres as simple as their early pop and blues work, to their psychedelic tunes all the way to their gritty songs. I was a little disappointed that there were only 45 songs however, and felt like this somewhat lowered my enjoyment of the game since my friends and I were finished with the career mode after only a few hours of playing. Sure, there are challenges and achievements, but the fact is that when the chips are down: 45 songs is a short list for a $60 video game based around the career of the most influential band ever. I was also a little shocked when I saw that some amazing songs did not make their way into the game. Most notably songs like "Yer Blues", "Rocky Raccoon" and "Glass Onion" from the infamous White Album. I was also personally sad when I did not see "Old Brown Shoe", as it is one of my favorite Beatles songs, but I guess that I can't complain since they did have "Helter Skelter" and "I Am the Walrus". I also mus point out that I enjoyed the snippets of real archive "chatter" that could be heard during the loading screen or right before the song starts off. These instances are taken from actual album recording sessions as well as performances (which also includes the voice of Ed Sullivan introducing the Beatles as well as talking with the screaming audience.)
Then there is the little matter of the venues and "dreamscapes", which ranged from normal real world venues to other worldly landscapes that capture the essence of beauty. The normal real setting like the Cavern club looked spot on realistic when compared to actual archived pictures of the Fab Four in said club and the same can be said about the rooftop gig on top of Apple Studios. The "dreamscapes" are without a doubt one of the most beautiful creations in video game history in my opinion. I personally thought that "While My Guitar Gentle Weeps" had the saddest and most wonderful setting, complete with a mood setting overcast sky, solemn looking band and falling red leaves. The "dreamscapes" were a warm welcome to the average venue setting that have been a staple of the Guitar Hero and Rock Band series. The "dreamscapes" allowed the developers to create a vivid dream like vision of the popular Beatles tunes, whether the songs were colorful and happy, dark and depressing or downright (that award goes to "I Am the Walrus"). The art for the "dreamscapes" also showed the level of commitment that the developers had to the series, since each setting had a different feel from the last. The developers also did a great job with having each of the Beatles have their own personal instruments, clothing and facial hair- all of which was downright accurate.
I must point out that while Beatles Rock Band is a great video game, it will not sit well with seasoned Rock Band or Guitar Hero players, since it is much easier than the previous installments. Some songs were flat out simple, and gave no real challenge even when played on "expert" mode. If there is one complaint to make about this game: the difficulty is the guilty party. Still, I went into this game with the mindset that the guitar riffs and drum parts weren't going to be as difficult as Metallica, Deep Purple or Led Zeppelin: so I am not disappointed to say the least.
In fact, I am quite happy that playing this game was not at all frustratingly difficult. I didn't want to end up hating my friends after playing this party game with them; I wanted to enjoy it...and I did enjoy this game very much.
While Beatles Rock Band is not perfect, it is a game that is enjoyable on many levels. The artistic style is a wonder to behold and the same can be said about the soundtrack. The game gives Beatles fans the opportunity to feel like the Beatles by playing in front of screaming girls in front of Shea Stadium, recording at Apple Studio or even playing around in a Yellow Submarine.
Rating: 9.1/10
Pros:
Great soundtrack, all 45 songs will keep you humming Beatles tunes from Monday to the rest of the eight days of the week (Beatles Joke)
Dreamscapes are lush and vibrant.
Beatles facts and pictures along with videos are groovy to read and watch respectively.
Cons:
The game is a little short, it can be knocked out within 4 hours if played straight through.
The difficulty is pretty easy
Big question? When are they going to release "Cry Baby Cry" as downloadable content? Or for that matter "Help!" or even "Baby You're a Rich Man"? The list literally goes on until they release all songs of the Beatles catalog.
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