- A variety of gameplay environments pulled from the Beatles career, including Cavern Club, Abbey Road and Shea Stadium.
- “The Beatles: Rock Band” software for PS3.
- A song list of more than 40 Beatles hits, as well as additional DLC to follow via PlayStation Network.
- The first music game to offer harmonies as part of gameplay, challenging players to recreate The Beatles’ vocal blend.
- Works with all Rock Band and most Guitar Hero controllers and microphones.
Product Description
Experience The Beatles music and legacy like never before, utilizing the core Rock Band game play. “The Beatles: Rock Band” in an unprecedented, experiential progression through and celebration of the music and artistry of The Beatles. The game will allow fans to pick up the guitar, bass, mic or drums and experience The Beatles extraordinary catalogue of music through game play that takes players on a journey through the legacy and evolution of the band’s legendar… More >>
Playstation 3 The Beatles: Rock Band – Software Only
Video games, like any other industry out there, is about the money. There’s no two ways about it. I say that before anything else because despite that, there are rare moments when the desire for profit crosses paths with the oportunity for a true labor of love. The Beatles: Rock Band is one of those moments and I want to make that clear before I shower the game with praise so no one misunderstands this review as naive because, this game is truly, a touching homage to the what has been called the world’s greatest band.
Just when game rival Guitar Hero seemed to be pulling away in the race by featuring games with some of the world’s most famous bands (Van Halen, Aerosmith, Metallica etc…), developer Harmonix drops the rock equivalent of an atomic bomb by making a game of what is arguably the most famous band of all. The fact that the game has been released at all is a miracle in and onto itself given the people involved, but the fact that such a beautiful game has come out of it is really remarkable. The Beatles: Rock Band features the same basic gameplay of the Rock Band franchise but with some adjustments to ensure a fluid gaming experience.
The object of this game is to follow the band’s legendary career from its humble, catchy-pop-rock begginings in Liverpool to their innovative and creative peak of their final years. You play as The Beatles – no character creation here- and begin playing in The Cavern, the little dingy club where they began playing. From there you play the Ed Sullivan Show, followed by their historic concert in Shea Stadium. From there its on to Japan for their controversial performance in Budokan. All these venues are meticously recreated. The Ed Sullivan show set is particularlly impressive. For those of us who have watched this moment in history through the grainy black and white recording that now stands the test of time, it is quite a revelation to see this in full color, even if it is a virtual recreation. After Budokan, the game takes quite a turn. Because the band stopped playing live (and therefore it would not be accurate to show them in a live arena on the game), the game then starts showing the band recording in the studio. (namely, Abbey Road)Every song begins with them playing in the main room then, like in some 60′s acid trip, the scene turns into a dreamscape representation of whatever song you are playing. Sgt. Peppers and Iam the Walruss really pop out in my mind while I recall the game for this review. These dreamscapes are not only a homage to the band but to the era they helped define. Quite beautiful. The games final chapter is the band playing on the roof of Apple Records. Throughout the game, the band members are represented according to the particular point in time. From their clean cut, thin tie-wearing days in the early 60′s to the colorful Sgt. Pepper’s faux-military garb to their long hair and beard period. Each band memeber is represented beautifuly.
Playing the game unlocks rare recordings, pictures and other nuggets of Beatle history. This is awsome in itself for anyone who would like to dive deeper into Beatles lore. But the one feature that sets this game apart from Rock Band is the harmonies. Up to six people can now play the game: Three playing instruments and three singing the harmonies which are an integral part of the band’s music. The best way to describe the harmonies feature is: fun. Trying to nail the vocal parts is fun and depending on how well you sing, very funny. I find it extremely fitting that this feature is being released on a Beatles game.
If anything, the game is too short. Compared to Rock Band and RB 2, the number of songs is certainly lacking but that is par for the course on games that feature only one artist. Also, those already used to the sadistic difficulty of the harder songs in Rock Band games, will find this game quite easy. The Beatles music is deceptively simple, especially the earlier cuts, so the translation to the RB format is simple as well. Those looking for a challenge have two options: Trying to nail the harmony parts to perfection (not as easy as it sounds) or in true Beatles fashion, taking the challenge of playing an instrument and singing a vocal part simultaniously. I should also add, that more often than not, the bass parts are more difficult than the guitar ones (go Paul go!) There are some classic songs missing as well, which will be released online later. Hey Jude and Yesterday probably have the biggest following of those not included but I remind you guys,that those are piano pieces for the most part. Rather than making a weird attempt at translating the piano parts into guitar I’d much rather not see them in the game. Fancy me a purist.
All in all, this game is clearly a labor of love. The Harmonix staff(most of them, like me, frustrated musicians and band members themselves) have created a loving virtual image of this band. Yes, this game is part of a larger effort (that includes the re-release of all their albums)to put the band in the spotlight yet again, but this game could have easily fallen into the trappings that this type of release entails. Instead, this game honors tha bands legacy and history without resorting to cheap tricks or anything else that might tarnish the Beatles name. It would be easy for me to say that is for fans only but I would be lying. There is something here for everyone because The Beatle’s music is that good. The hard core fan will anjoy the game no doubt but its the people not familiar with the band’s music who have much to gain from this title. Just like RB and RB 2 have turned people to music and bands they would not have heard otherwise, The Beatles: Rock Band will give this generation a true glimpse of why The Beatles are called the greatest band ever. For all those reasons, I play this game and smile. Highly recommended.
Rating: 4 / 5
I was a little worried to buy this. My concern was that it was just another Rock Band game that had the Beatles name slapped on it. It’s obvious that for the creators this was a labor of love. The game is great if you’re a Beatles fan. If you’re not a Beatles fan, than you should probably look elsewhere. The Beatles are all characters in this game, so you can be John, George, Paul, or Ringo. The songs spann The Beatles entire career. You start off in the Cavern Club and work your way to the famous roof top concert. The guitars and drums look cool but I am still using Rock Band generation one equipment which works fine. Whether you’re in the studio or playing a concert the graphics are cool with lots of psychedlic effects added in. Many of the songs have their own little shows (non-concert related) that go with them. The truth is that the game really is a Rock Band game. If your a Beatles fan than this will probably really appeal to you.
Rating: 5 / 5
If you have any love for the Beatles I cannot recommend this game enough! Singing along with George, John, Paul, and yes even Ringo has never been this fun! The game has moments that will absolutely resonate with any music lover: strumming along to Dear Prudence, playing the bass groove on I Want To Hold Your Hand, singing along with Lennon on Ticket To Ride.It just doesn’t get any better. Please consider this is my first game of this type. The Beatles experience transforms an amusing video game concept into a entirely riveting experience!
Also don’t forget that Rock Band/Harmonix currently has additional tracks for download from the Sgt Pepper and Abbey Road albums ( with additional albums on the way I.E. the sublime Rubber Soul in December). This game really transcends the whole music/rythm game genre. What can I say, I consider it “Fab”!
Rating: 5 / 5
I’m quite familiar with the Rockband series, however, I’m no Beatles fan. Other than the name of the band, its members, and perhaps a couple of songs, I had no real knowledge of their music. That being said, I really had no interest in purchasing this game. I felt I wouldn’t enjoy any of the songs since I didn’t know most of them. Then my brother appeared at my home with his copy of this game. Playing it completely changed my mind. I certainly had to listen to the songs before trying to sing harmonies, but after using the other instruments and listening to them a couple of times it was incredibly fun to sing.
Graphics: Excellent graphics. Loved the intro, and how much detail was given to every screen. The dreamscapes are incredible, but I must say that sometimes they made it a little difficult to see what was going on screen. I guess the ones who are going to enjoy these dreamscapes the most are spectators, and not actual players. You also can’t change your character, but that didn’t bother me since the game is called The Beatles. I also had to get used to the colors of the notes (it took, like what, 5 seconds?).
Gameplay: Not so different from previous releases. But, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. It didn’t bother me not getting booed if I was loosing. Nor the fact that there’s no free session to activate the drum’s overdrive. However, this one is easier than RB2. If you’re looking for a challenge, you better go for the singing part of the game. The other instruments don’t represent a big challenge. I definitely enjoyed a lot being able to sing harmonies, but if you’re not able to even sing the main voice, forget it, you’ll get frustrated.
The only downside is the amount of songs that were included. The game only comes with 45 songs. They definitely want to squeeze from you as much money as possible in downloadable content.
The game has left me a great lasting appeal. Although the amount of songs is relatively small when compared to previous releases, I haven’t gotten bored at all. For those who like singing, this is a great game. For those looking for higher difficulty level in other instruments, better look into other releases. And finally, for those who don’t know about the Beatles but like to play Rockband, I definitely recommend this game. I suppose those familiar with their work would criticize the song selection. But to me it’s a great step as an introduction. And you have the extra value of being able to play them.
Rating: 5 / 5
Whether you own previous titles in the Rock Band and/or Guitar Hero series, or this is your first rhythm game, this will undoubtedly keep you entertained for many hours! This game has such a cross-generational appeal since the songs are so well-known, that it really fails to disappoint. I own a handful of the previous games, including Rock Band 2, GH3, GH4, GH5, GH Metallica, and GH Aerosmith, but this is my new favorite.
OVERVIEW
After so many rhythm games have been released, you begin to wonder whether it’s really worth spending so much for similar games that basically have different set lists. The answer to the question of whether this game is worth it is a resounding yes.
An improvement in this game is that multiple people can sing, and you get extra points for vocal harmonies in this game. The vocals in this game might make the microphone a more exciting instrument than in the previous Rock Band titles…
There has been some criticism that you have to unlock songs, whereas in say GH5 you can play any song from the beginning before unlocking them. While it may be frustrating that you can’t start off with your favorite song, I think this way is fun too since it (1) gives you a goal to work towards and (2) helps you learn about The Beatles along the way.
I personally found the game play to be challenging, but some of my friends who are better at GH/Rock Band said the game is “too easy” … while I don’t think it’s ‘easy’, I do think it’s easier than say, Guitar Hero: Metallica was.
Speaking of difficulty, I like that in this game, even if you’re bad, you can’t get booed off! (It simply says that you’ve failed the song) Yes, there is a ‘No Fail’ option as there was in Rock Band 2, but playing without ‘No Fail’ but also having booing off is a good option if you want to get good without feeling like a loser whenever the crowd gets mad at you…
VISUALS
Very cool! From the set of The Ed Sullivan Show to a psychedelic-inspired theme for their trippier hits, you can perform as John, Paul, George, and Ringo in a host of aesthetically entertaining environments. Clearly, a lot of effort went into incorporating details such as costumes, backgrounds, and tying them in with the appropriate songs.
SET LIST
The set list is awesome…incredibly comprehensive! You get to hear the sound evolve over the years as you go from 1963′s “Twist and Shout” to 1970′s “Get Back.” A lot of what didn’t make it to the game is available as DLC (downloadable content you pay for). It costs $1.99 per additional song ($2.16 after tax), but the 45 songs included in the game should keep you busy for a while…
What I personally found to be great about this (when compared to other band-centric rhythm games such as GH Aerosmith and GH Metallica) was that this game’s set list was entirely about The Beatles. The aforementioned GH band games feature songs from artists other than the one you’re buying the game for. For example, on Guitar Hero: Metallica, 49 songs are featured, 28 songs from Metallica, and 21 from other bands that either are favorites of Metallica, or inspired them. While I can understand the merits to this, I found it a little frustrating that buying a 49-song Metallica game, less than 30 were Metallica! I like that in Rock Band: Beatles, you’re getting all Beatles songs.
PERIPHERALS
I bought the software only, but have had the fortune to play with the new instruments at friends’. They were really cool, but I personally don’t think they are worth buying unless you are really a die-hard Beatles fan or a Rock Band superstar. With this video game you can sound like the Beatles even using the cheap NYKO Frontman guitar (although I’ve had some issues with accuracy as a result). The standard Rock Band and Guitar Hero instruments are just fine.
Rating: 5 / 5