This may be a little biased for I am a huge Beatles fan but oh well...
On 09/09/09, after three years of courtship, technical challenges and many, many legal issues, they released The Beatles: Rock Band. The game includes 45 tracks to kick things off, followed by additional releases for purchase via the Xbox LIVE Marketplace.
This game spans the group's entire career. It tells an accurate, if simplified, account of several major events in the band's history. Players first join the Beatles at the Cavern Club, the small Liverpool venue where they played nearly hundreds of times in the early 60s. The Ed Sullivan Show serves as the next major game location. Others include Shea Stadium, the Budokan arena in Japan and the Abbey Road Studios. The game's story mode ends with their last live performance, on the rooftop of the Apple Corps building in London.
This game will be familiar to anyone who has played Rock Band and/or Guitar Hero but this is not just a rehashed version of Rock Band 2. The game progression has been retooled and several other major changes help make it worth the purchase price. The biggest new feature is vocal harmonization. The Beatles' lush harmonies are something Rock Band worked hard to capture. The feature allows up to three singers at one time.
The real star of the show (besides the actual music) is the visual presentation. The venues are highly detailed and well thought out, and the Beatles are presented in a nice balance between actual likeness and cartoon representation. Many song recordings in the later years are illustrated with unusual dreamscapes depicting the band on trippy journeys beneath the sea and through psychedelic fields of flowers, paisley prints and bright, saturated colors. The effect is dazzling. The audio is state of the art. The game not only used the recordings from live performances but also pulled the ambient sound. If you're a Beatles fan, you'll really appreciate the authenticity.
Bonus extras include unlockable photos from the Beatles' history. From top to bottom, the attention to detail shines. The Beatles: Rock Band bubbles with positive energy that honors the Beatles and their fans. Even for those who are not Beatles fans, it's a very solid music game that offers new challenges with many unlockable bonuses. It's a fantastic game for all ages and all levels and a real big win for Rock Band.
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Thanks for reading.
- Y2Kevin
