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 The
Beatles: Rock Band (Playstation 3)
There's been much anticipation
regarding this melding of the legendary Beatles catalog with the rhythm
action genre. Beatles fans need not worry, as the band's history and
legacy is treated with respect and class. The game's first-rate production
values, solid mechanics and excellent visuals allow the timeless music to
occupy center stage. It doesn't change too much about the Rock Band
formula, the addition of harmonizing vocals adds a new dimension to
co-operative play. The biggest issue The Beatles might face is time. While
there might be somewhat of a generation gap between the 60's and today's
gamers, The Beatles: Rock Band proves the fab four's timeless music
remains as vibrant, refreshing and, appealing as ever. |
With all the music games that have come out
over the past few years, none seems to have held the significance of The
Beatles: Rock Band. Obviously, the stature of the band, its immeasurable
impact on music and legendary status makes this one players and music fans
alike have shone a bright spotlight on. For those who've played previous
Rock Band titles, and developer Harmonix' first few Guitar Hero games, the
basic parameters of the gameplay will be familiar. You begin by selecting
a song, difficulty level and begin playing. For most players, this means
using the guitar to strum along. The basic approach is to match notes as
they flow downward on the note bars and time your guitar, drum or bass
lines to match them as they reach the hit point. During the earlier
stages, where you only have to worry about a few notes, this is really
easy to accomplish. Harder difficulty levels add more notes, chords and
more complicated tablature which adds to the challenge and makes you work
those frets. The approach is similar with the drums and vocals, though the
vocals aren't as demanding. Failing to hit a note makes your part of the
song fall out until the next section comes along, and lowers your score
and meter. Fail to match enough notes and the song ends prematurely,
making you start off from scratch. Hitting each note increases your score
and hitting a series of notes in sequence unlocks a score
multiplier.
In order to gain an even higher score,
completing a series of notes allows you to trigger a special "Beatlemania"
mode where each note you hit on the nose gives you an even higher score.
The easy to use interface allows you to see the notes, score and other
stats without getting in the way of the visuals, and its clean menus are
easy to navigate. As in the previous Rock Band games, players can choose
to play solo or with friends for a complete band experience that also
includes vocals. Players who own previous Rock Band titles will be happy
to know that their original instruments are compatible with the game, and
for those looking for an even more authentic experience, special edition
bundles are available that feature accurate reproductions of the band's
instruments. This gives you plenty of ways to play the game, and makes the
experience accessible to a wide audience, from casual fans who might want
to strum along to a few songs alone, to groups of friends who really want
to get into it and master each song co-operatively.
Making your way through the various
stages allows you to go in-depth and explore each stage of the band's
evolution. With a catalog as vast and varied as the Beatles created, it's
no surprise that the game's track list includes many of their most
memorable songs. Their early pop hits like "She Loves You",
"Twist and Shout" and, "A Hard Day's Night" show the
band at their simplest and most straight-forward, while harder rocking
tracks like "Revolution" and "Helter Skelter" offer a
faster paced challenges. Their later songs like "Sgt. Pepper",
"Lucy In the Sky with Diamonds" and "Octopus's Garden"
bring more complicated arrangements with less predictable note structures
that give the game's soundtrack plenty of variety while also striking a
good balance for experienced music game players and those who might be new
to the genre. The basic disc includes 40 complete songs, which is just
scratching the surface of the Beatles catalog, but more (including full
albums) will be available for download.
 One
of the most impressive parts of the game is that each song has its own
mini-music videos which have been constructed individually. Earlier songs
are represented by stage performances which are straightforward and fun
while the latter stages of the band's career when they spent the majority
of their time in the studio are illiustrated with vibrant, hallucinatory
stages filled with psychedelic colors and visuals. You can tell that a lot
of effort has been made to create a consistently classic look, with a few
modern touches in terms of camera angles to keep things somewhat
contemporary. Obviously, the one area where things need to be right are in
the Beatles themselves. The way they move on stage, and how they look and
dress, is essential to the experience. John, Paul, George and Ringo look
very much as they did in their time, and you can see their stage
personalities recreated authentically in each of their character's facial
expressions, motions and style. They don't look photo-realistic, but they
look very much as they did in life, which helps to bring them to life in
vivid legendary style.
The Beatles: Rock Band is set up in such
a way that players can choose to play songs individually, and master them
one at a time, or can go deeper into Beatles history in the story mode
that allows players to see how their career unfolded. The Beatles' career
has been well-documented and the game allows you to relive most of their
major chapters from their humble beginnings in Liverpool's underground
clubs, to their appearance on the Ed Sullivan show, and the legendary
concerts in Shea Stadium and Tokyo. Finally, the story comes to Abbey
Road, where their experimental, psychedelic stage is chronicled.
Completing each of these stages allows you to unlock additional stage
challenges that let you unlock additional items. In story mode, you can
only play the levels you've beaten which adds to the challenge. Each of
these stages has been rendered beautifully, and gives the game an
authentic feel, from the style of dress of early 60's fans screaming to
the hallucinatory visuals that accompany their latter days. As you play
the story mode, your progression through each song will be ranked in
stars. Winning the stars allows you to unlock additional bonus materials
such as photos and bonus tracks that allow you to further explore the
band's history.
From a production values standpoint, The
Beatles: Rock Band features superb visuals throughout that allow you to
vividly relive their legend, but the sound quality is also incredible
thanks to the completely remastered tracks. As you might have heard, their
catalog has been renovated recently so that each song now sounds sharp,
vibrant and crisp which makes these songs jump right out of your speakers.
These remastered tracks are another element that makes the game a great
introduction to the band for younger players as well as a great new
experience for their older fans. In addition, there are snippets of
dialogue and chatter from their original studio sessions scattered between
songs, which only adds to the game's sense of authenticity. The Beatles:
Rock Band doesn't feel like just a game, instead it acts a journey through
the band's history and music. This is one of those rare titles that
succeeds on both fronts, combining amazing music with solid gameplay. It's
focus on the Beatles' music makes for a more coherent and engaging title
that's entertaining as a game and interesting from a musical perspective.
It's basic gameplay mechanics should be familiar to most players, and the
modes, style of play and structure don't stray from conventions. There's a
new feature that allows up to three players to harmonize simultaneously,
which is a leap forward for the genre. A fantastic selection of tracks
allows players to experience both the earlier, more straightforward
Beatles songs to their later psychedelic era. The Beatles: Rock Band
transcends it genre to create game that showcases the Beatles
innovatively. It walks a find like, but it should please their legions of
older fans while exciting a new generation who haven't discovered their
genius yet.
- Michael Palisano
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