Let’s face facts here, there are way too many “rhythm games” on the market: Guitar Hero Aerosmith, AC/DC’s Rock Band track pack, Battle of the Bands, DJ Hero, and even Rhythm Heaven. I think it is safe to say that the market has been saturated for a while now. That being said, it is really hard for me to care at all about any such games being announced or that are currently on store shelves, with the exception of The Beatles: Rock Band.
Now, I am not the biggest Beatles fan. In fact, I think they are one of the more overrated bands ever (*GASP*). There is no denying that they changed the face of pop and rock & roll music back in the day, however I don’t think they, or ANY band for that matter, deserve to be placed on a pedestal and worshiped like gods. I do still enjoy their music, for the most part. I say all this because even with my semi-biased view of the Beatles, I still had a LOT of fun with the game.
I wonder if they did any drugs?
The music is the focus of the game, naturally, but it isn’t what drew me to it in the first place. For one, the game looks amazing. Each member of the Beatles look exactly like their human counterpart, even growing old as their career goes on in the game; growing facial hair and whatnot. All the animations that take place on the screen look so smooth and are all so colorful that they were a distraction from playing more than once. Several times I would be in the middle of a song with a great note streak, only to blow it because something in the background caught my eye and made me miss a note. Live venues are crammed with screaming girls and police holding them back. The cops have fun little animations like holding their ears and turning around to glare at the little girl squealing away in their ear.
That’s another thing that made this game so fun: the little things. Several times I would screw up the beginning of a song so badly that I would restart it. This triggered an audio clip of one of the Beatles apologizing for their mistake and then picking right back up with the song. It was kinda like being in the studio with them as they were actually recording. Also as you go along in the game you open up photographs, audio, and video of the Beatles that most people have probably never seen before. One in particular that I enjoyed was of the Beatles coming to America and them being recorded by a film and audio crew. At one point they put on the sound guys head set and literally giggle because they can hear themselves in it as they talk. It’s just fun to see a group of people caught in a moment that would never happen anymore with current recording artists.
Full Band
Getting on to the guts of the game: the music. I would like to say that it’s all here, but as most die-hard fans can tell you, it’s not. Not to say that there aren’t a pile of great songs here, because there are, but I am sure that someone out there is pissed because their all-time favorite song didn’t make it into the game. To that I say: wait for the DLC because you KNOW it’s coming for this game. They [EA] can milk this thing for years with the size of the Beatles catalog. The music that IS in the game sounds wonderful: digitally remastered, crisp, and sharp. Each of the “Fab Four” can be heard clearly during their songs and each instrument has it’s place and is not drowned out by another.
The real draw here of course is the ability to play actual Beatles songs with a band of four people. You can also as an add-on from previous Rock Band games have more than one vocal track. I haven’t tried this out simply because I usually steer clear of all the vocal parts unless forced to sing. However getting a group of friends/Beatles fans together and rocking the night away wouldn’t be too hard, I can imagine.
*insert crappy Ed Sullivan impersonation*
All said, the game is just a lot of fun. Coming from someone that doesn’t even own a Beatles album (aside from the anthologies) that is saying a lot. I even learned a thing or two about them that I previously didn’t know. So, there you have it. A fun game with great music, amazing animation, and you might even learn a thing or two. Also, I can only guess that if drugs were involved in the playing of this game, like they were in the making of its music, you would probably either really enjoy it, or want to eat your television. Just a thought.
*One more thing. If you own the game, throw down a couple bucks and buy “All You Need is Love” on XBL Market Place. It’s for a good cause, you heartless bastard!*
editor’s note: i must now sacrifice a newborn puppy to atone for having read this many words related to the beatles.
Comments