As a fan of both the Rock Band series and The Beatles, I’ve been excited for The Beatles: Rock Band since it’s announcement. In fact, I think The Beatles are about the only band that I would be happy with an exclusive Rock Band title. I own their entire catalogue and you can count the number of worthless songs on one hand.
I’m mainly going to point out the differences and additions of this Rock Band title compared to the previous Rock Band and Rock Band 2 releases. If you aren’t familiar with either game, than I congratulate you on crawling out from under a rock.
In regards to Single Player, The Beatles: Rock Band is a much more in-depth and better presented experience. You play thru 45 Beatles’ tracks chronologically. The game is divided to a handful of stages that each consist of 4 – 6 songs from that era. Each stage is meant to represent a pivotal moment in the Beatles history. This means you make the journey from Cavern Club to Abbey Road Studios. It also means the first half of the game is played in Live venues, whereas the second half is played inside a studio. The presentation of the game really kicks it up a notch because each song has it’s own individual and specific presentation. There is definitely a big difference between “I Feel Fine” in Shea Stadium and “I am the Walrus” inside a studio. The drawback to all of this is there is zero customization inside the game. You won’t get to create a 5th Beatle or dress up John Lennon. I can understand some complaints to this, but it really amps up the authenticity.
As for the gameplay, Harmonix made a few minor tweaks that really improve the overall game. First off, the addition of harmonies. With The Beatles: Rock Band, you have the option of hooking up 3 microphones and each person can take a different portion of the song. For a track like “Paperback Writer” can this result in massive lols and giggles. You can score a lot of points if everyone hits their notes, but the fun factor alone for this addition is huge. The gameplay is also easier than it was in either Rock Band game. The downside is some of the expert players might not feel as challenged, but the upside is it’s a good way to transition from one difficulty level to another.
Additionally, there were two minor tweaks that were made that really make a difference. First, resuming a paused game in the middle of the song starts a 3 second timer until the song resumes. This means an emergency pause or an accidental slip of the finger doesn’t ruin the entire song. The other tweak is that playing on Easy is automatically no-fail mode. I play Rock Band to have fun with friends, so allowing someone new to jump in and not worry about failing out the rest of the band is a nice feature. I know this was an option in Rock Band, but this feature is much more accessible in The Beatles: Rock Band.
Finally, the track listing is varied and chosen well. It’s pretty split between early Beatles and late Beatles, so you get the fun pop songs like “I Saw Her Standing There” to the trippy art-rock songs like “Lucy in the Sky of Diamonds.” Personally, I was really happy with the addition of some of the deeper Beatles cuts that are some of my favorites; such as “Hey Bulldog”, “And Your Bird Can Sing”, “Boys” and “I Me Mine”. To top it off, the next three months will include releases of Abbey Road, Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band and Revolver. I really hope the entire discography is eventually released.
Overall, The Beatles: Rock Band is the most accessible and finely tuned Rock Band release yet. The addition of harmonies alone might be the best feature Rock Band has come out with yet. I’ll still be switching between this game and Rock Band 2, but The Beatles: Rock Band is a very worth title on it’s own.
The 2009 preseason just ended and Aaron Rodgers had a 147.9 QB Rating. He threw for 465 yards with 6 TDs and 0 interceptions. Incredible numbers, but how much stock should we put in it? It’s just preseason, right? Should Packer fans be excited?
