Staff Blog
The Beatles: Rock Band, Nintendo Wii
posted by dominic mercier
Look out, folks. More so than bowling, your dad has an even bigger reason to go and buy a Nintendo Wii.
Due out Wednesday, The Beatles: Rock Band places the mop top firmly on your head and the plastic guitar/bass/drum kit in your hand as you wail away on 45 of the Fab Four’s songs (finally). For Rock Band and Guitar Hero aficionados, you’re not likely to find anything too groundbreaking here, since this game is much more about the Beatles experience than changing the basic blueprint its predecessors laid down. The one innovation is the vocal harmonies, and in this version three people can each grab their own microphone and try and match The Beatles vocal chops.
Keep your eyes peeled for downloadable content Rock Band is famous for. Harmonix has announced that full Beatles albums, beginning with Abbey Road, will be downloadable and playable, with more to follow.
I didn’t get a chance to play with one of the more fun options the game offers: new instruments that are replicas of the four’s classic instruments. They’re offered in a bundled package for about $250. Also, worried that we might crash their servers, Harmonix asked that we not try to access the online play functions, which should be mostly standard fare.
Changes from 2008’s successful Rock Band 2 formula are minimal. In fact, the game is even more stripped down. Gone are the custom avatars – you’ve got no say over what John, Paul, George, and Ringo wear – and the finger-blistering guitar solos and impossible drum beats are minimal. Developer Harmonix deserves some credit for not forcing anything here just to appease their hard-core, YouTube-bragging main audience. It’s the simple fact that you’re playing I Am the Walrus while your friend shrieks “I am the eggman!†or your cartoony avatars send the young ladies of the 1960s into a complete frenzy is what makes the game so much fun to play. The emotional impact matters more than how many buttons you can mash.
Most players will spend the bulk of their time in the game’s story mode, which traces The Beatles’ history from The Cavern Club to their retreat into Abbey Road Studios. You begin as the lads from Liverpool, churning out classics like I Want to Hold Your Hand, eventually landing an appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show and concerts at Shea Stadium and Japan’s Budokan. Accentuated with archival material – like Sullivan’s famous introduction – the art direction shines, and the set replicas, overworked bobbies, and screaming fan base fit the bill. True to their story, The Beatles retreat to the studio after swearing off touring. Figuring watching the four sit around in chairs in a studio for 20 songs would get a tad boring, Harmonix created some incredible dreamscapes that you don’t need to be on acid to appreciate. At points, the game is as much fun to watch as it is play.
The biggest fans of The Beatles: Rock Band, obviously, will be existing Beatles fans. I’m not convinced this iteration of Rock Band will win over those born and bred on System of a Down and Mastodon. But for those who still have their (or their parents) 45s with the green apple on them tucked away in the attic, this game is a lovingly-crafted gift with a big red bow on it. Just don’t play it with your parents unless you’re willing to deal with their wedding reception-esque rendition of Twist and Shout.
I got it today and is well worth it.. I had to turn it off, need to charge up… and i was getting a little crazy in the living room
Scooter
41 male
ROFL
Just bought The Beatles RB. I have setup with my home name (Mammy) and played many of the songs – great fun. But I cannot figure out how to name other members of the family so they can play as themselves. Now I am not sure if it supports such feature? Help please.
“and the finger-blistering guitar solos and impossible drum beats are minimal.”
You can say the same thing for every RB game.