The Fab Four changed music forever, but will they change the face of music games?
Format: PS3 (version played), Xbox 360, Wii Dev: Harmonix Pub: MTV Games / EA
Out: 09/09/09 Players: 1-6, 2-4 online
When The Beatles: Rock Band was first announced I was excited and hoped that they’d get it right. I had not long purchased Guitar Hero: World Tour, thus my excitement was dampened by the prospect of having to either replace that set of drums, guitars and microphone with Rock Band peripherals – enabling me to play the upcoming Beatles title. Following a bit of research I ascertained that regulators had become insistent that all the different plastic instruments should be cross-compatible. So, I’m happy to say you can use your Guitar Hero peripherals with Rock Band. The guitars and microphone work absolutely fine, there are, however, slight issues with the drums. They work fine, as the game acknowledges the peripheral as a drum kit – the problem is that the two respective drum sets are built completely differently.
Rock Band’s drum kit features four coloured pads and a kick pedal, whereas the Guitar Hero kit consists of three coloured pads, two cymbals and a kick pedal. The problem is the Rock Band drums use specific coloured pads to do different jobs. For example, the yellow pad serves as the hi-hat cymbal or a tom depending on the circumstance. Thus, when playing Beatles: Rock Band on Guitar Hero drums, you are made to incorporate your yellow coloured hi-hat cymbal into drum fills, which quite honestly feels rather strange. This problem did not affect my overall enjoyment of the game, but I thought it worth clarifying, as details online are sketchy. Plus, as students, it is all about saving money wherever possible, so it is definitely worth just buying the game disc if you already have other peripherals.
Anyhow, on to the game. Harmonix have certainly worked hard on nailing it, and succeeded. A new feature exclusive to the Beatles’ edition of Rock Band is to have three people singing during gameplay. To do so you will need three microphones. I managed to find a microphone bundle for the same price as the game disc, so it was a no brainer, as triple vocal harmonies were a major element of the Beatles’ music. It works really well with one person singing the main vocals and two others bringing in the backing harmonies intermittently, when these parts appear on the scrolling vocal track. It has to be said that, I now find myself in need of a couple mic stands to enable me to sing whilst playing guitar or drums like an authentic Beatle. Such a feat would increase the difficulty of any song, due to follow the notes on the highway coupled with the vocals – but hey, it’s the Beatles, right?
A lot of people I have discussed this game with have stated that it is not as difficult as previous music games. In a way this may be true, as the Beatles music could be classed as ‘simpler’ in structure than a lot of the more complex contemporary music featured on previous titles. I agree that playing guitar and drums is easier than other games on most difficulties, but expert is still expert nonetheless. The bass is definitely the most challenging instrument on Beatles: Rock Band. McCartney’s bass lines were always comprehensively technical and are in no way simplified here.
Story mode on Beatles: Rock Band is a real triumph. It follows the Fab Four’s career starting with a set list of their early material played by fresh faced, clean-cut teenagers at the famous Cavern Club, in Liverpool. Next up is their renowned performance on the Ed Sullivan show, faithfully replicated and interwoven with authentic sound bites. You progress through the Shea Stadium and Budokan gigs and eventually find yourself playing through three periods of recording sessions at Abbey Road studios, before playing the final show on the Apple Corps rooftop. The appearance of the Beatles changes to reflect their look and style throughout each period.
The in-game visuals are marvellous – definitely the best looking music game to date. Each song has its own visual theme during the Abbey Road studio sessions; beginning with the studio set and eventually tripping out into a ‘dreamscape’ that fits the theme of the song. These ‘dreamscapes’ are brilliantly executed – ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’ and ‘I am the Walrus’ particularly. Not to mention ‘Yellow Submarine’ and ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’, which have almost as much vivid imagery as the music that inspired them.
If you are already a Beatles fan you will probably already own The Beatles: Rock Band, if not, it’s worth buying. By end of it you might even become one. It’s great fun to play on your own or with friends. Alongside story mode, there are challenges, prizes and trophies to achieve. The game also features basic drum tuition for those who may find this element of the game particularly difficult and alien to them. Future downloadable content includes several Beatles albums in their entirety and, who knows, perhaps eventually all of their albums. Let’s hope so.
Andy King
