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Beatles Rockband: A new way to play the Fab Four
The Advocate
As a hardcore Beatles fan, I both anticipated and feared the release of Beatles Rockband. On one hand, the ability to sing “Day Tripper” outside the confines of my car was exciting. However, how could the Rockband franchise take on such an iconic band in a way that would please fans and newcomers alike?
So I paid the $59.99 and proceeded to find out. The first thing one should note is the new and much improved Easy mode. While in the previous two Rockband installments, failure was possible at all levels, the Beatles Rockband turns Easy into a playable practice mode, making it impossible to fail. This will be the key saving point of many future “Rockband parties.”
Before Beatles Rockband came out, the most hyped feature of the game was the Story Mode. This takes players through the career of the Beatles, starting out in the Cavern Club and ending on the roof of Apple Corp., with a variety of key performances in between. While an obvious way to go, it comes off as a very nice touch without coming off like a program from The History Channel.
As I journeyed with The Beatles over their seven-year career (I played as my favorite Beatle Paul McCartney), a few things caught my attention. First, and most obvious, are the graphics. The graphics are such an improvement compared to the previous two installments of Rockband. The graphics are so . . . pretty. In bright vibrant colors, we see Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr as we’ve never seen them before. One minute the band is in the studio, the next they’re in a field decked out in their Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band garb. The entire time I was playing I found myself distracted, watching the video instead of what I should have been playing.
Another fantastic addition is the harmonies. A key part of the Beatles’ music is the harmonies from Harrison, McCartney and Lennon. Now up to three singers can put their voices together on various songs for an even more realistic game play. I tested out this feature with the more vocally talented members of my family and found it to be really easy with little to no confusion. However, a warning must be issued: The Beatles can sing really high. Luckily, tenors can adjust the harmonies to something more in their range by changing the settings.
There is also a wide selection of Beatles’ songs that do a great job of summarizing the band’s catalogue, despite the fact that there are only 43 of them. From the obscure cover of the song “Boys” to the infamous “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” there’s simply something for everyone.
Another enjoyable thing is that I was able to unlock photos and videos as I went. This could have been an easily flubbed idea. Most Beatles videos have either been mainstreamed on DVD or available by YouTube, while photos have been released for years. However, the cool thing about this that will please everyone is that a nugget of Beatle Trivia accompanies each photograph.
However, like everything, the game was not without its low points. The one painfully obvious one is that the storyline is just too short. When played straight through, the story can be beat within five hours. However, it’s hard to unlock all the videos and photos in this time, so this may be a factor in the games re-playability.
Rockband drummers also will notice the complete lack of drum fills in this installment. Instead, drummers are treated to a glowing green beat that appears on the screen. While it makes sense, as the Beatles Rockband should follow the Beatles’ drumbeats, it still holds back the hard rockers in all of us. It should also be noted that the drums are much easier in this installment. However, these are really the only negatives I found in the game.
Overall, I was impressed by the way The Beatles fit into the Rockband franchise. It has certainly paved the way for more artists to become immortalized in their own Rockband (Led Zeppelin anyone?). And for a college student with limited funds, I don’t regret the $59.99 I spent on the game either, and that’s saying something.
Rating: 4/5
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