Tuesday 27 Oct 2009

By now we’re all getting a bit fatigued with the constant release of new games in the plastic-instrument genre, and Harmonix once promised to make Rock Band a platform updated by downloadable content instead of an annual release with almost no changes. But then they somehow snagged The Beatles license and had the opportunity to release a Beatles Rock Band game at the same time as all the Beatles’ back catalog was being released in remastered CD format around the world (to very good sales), and it seems they couldn’t pass it up, not only because of the commercial opportunity but because the people at Harmonix really love the Beatles – you can tell when you play the game.

I am a child of the very late 70s with parents that survived Beatlemania (such as it was in South Africa) without a scratch, so my knowledge of The Beatles was poor. If I believe Harmonix’s version of it, the band started up in a wave of excitement and hype, toured for a few years around the world to swooning girls, stopped touring because they got rained on a few times, spent a few years at Abbey Road in harmonious bliss recording some of the greatest records of all time and then retired and lived happily ever after. This story is belied by the music, which starts off happy and boy-band-like and progresses to epic rock tunes that are much darker and rawer in tone. The Beatles: Rock Band is a journey through the career and music of the most influential rock band ever, and is a great experience for old Beatles fans and those new to the band alike.

The story mode follows The Beatles through a number of venues, from The Cavern in Liverpool ‘63 to the classic Ed Sullivan show in ‘64, then later to stadiums in the US and Japan, and then finally to Abbey Road recording studios in ’67 to ‘69. Each venue is authentic and recognisable, and the four Beatles are meticulously created for each era – starting out clean-cut in suits and mop-tops and ending the 60’s with long, shaggy hair and a generally less gentlemanly image. In between each venue is an excellent animated montage of events that give you a sense of what was going on in those years. As you clear each song you also unlock photos which contain some history about the band or about the song, and once you collect enough stars you begin unlocking videos containing outtakes and rehearsals. This is not too hard to do because compared to other rhythm games The Beatles: Rock Band is really easy.

If you’re a serious plastic-guitar-hero then The Beatles: Rock Band will bore you to tears. The most challenging songs are still a breeze compared to anything in Guitar Hero: Metallica and most of World Tour. If, however, like me you see these games as a way to enjoy good music through a different, richer, medium then this is perhaps the best example of that medium’s potential so far. I would have liked there to be even more history content to explain things that went unanswered like why the band broke up, or more detail on why they stopped touring and what led to the fundamental shift in music style from the days of ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’ to the days of ‘Within You Without You.’ I would also have really liked to play and sing ‘Hey Jude’ and ‘Help!’

Singing is a big focus in The Beatles: Rock Band. With four able singers in the band, and two brilliant vocalists in Paul McCartney and John Lennon, The Beatles were as famous for their harmonies as their music, and the game allows you to sing up to three different parts, depending on the song. Some of the parts only come in at certain times, so you probably don’t want to only sing harmony parts, but if you do that along with playing guitar or drums it only increases the fun. It’s a great addition to the gameplay formula, and an indication of just how much attention was paid by the developers to what made The Beatles special. There’s a tutorial on how to read the new lyrics track with its multi-part harmonies, but it’s really very intuitive.

I’m always impressed by polish in a game, whether it is the slickness of the menus or overall attention to the finer details that improve the experience so much. The Beatles: Rock Band has this quality to a point which few games reach. Before every song, during the loading screen, a small sound clip will play that is either the band warming up or talking, but it’s a sound clip that matches to that song. It will be Paul practicing a bass run or George playing the riff, or someone talking about a lyric for the song you’re about to play, and there’s not only one clip like this but lots for each song. Once the loading is done you can press a button to start the song, but I would always wait until the clips were finished just to hear them – they offer some fascinating insights into the recording and performing process of The Beatles, albeit in tiny chunks that left me wanting more.

The visuals of the game are also wonderful, particularly in the later songs. While the venues are excellent, especially the Ed Sullivan show, Harmonix could have just set the Abbey Road songs in the studio where they were recorded and left it at that. Instead they created wonderfully psychedelic visuals to go with what many consider the first psychedelic rock. For songs like ‘Yellow Submarine’ and ‘I am the Walrus’ they start in the studio but soon they’re playing in a submarine landscape with all kinds of things going on around them.

Another notable area of Harmonix doing more than required is in the trophies. Many trophies involve getting a certain total of points or getting a certain number of 5-star performances or gold star performances, and they’ve provided a progress indicator for each one that shows you how far you are to getting that trophy and what songs you still have to reach the required level on. It’s a brilliant system and offers you something to aim towards once you’ve completed the Story mode (which only takes about 4 hours). Also, instead of a normal basic drum tutorial Harmonix have set up a series of exercises to teach you the Beatles Beats that Ringo used, which is a nice touch for fans and beginner drummers.

The Beatles: Rock Band has a limited set of music – 45 songs, compared with Guitar Hero 5’s 90. If you want more then Harmonix and Apple Corp (not to be confused with Apple Computer) are putting up three albums for download which will raise the song count to around 70 for a whole bunch more money. If you’re a Beatles fan this will be worth every cent – it’s a way to enjoy their music by involving yourself in the experience.

If you’re only a marginal fan then considering the value you get is very important, especially when one’s enjoyment of a music game of this type is directly related to one’s enjoyment of its music. If you don’t know The Beatles this is a good way to learn about their music and get a taste of their era. Even if you don’t like them (as I would have said before), it’s a way to learn to appreciate their music more (I learned that ‘Helter Skelter’ is phenomenal, for example, and I catch myself singing ‘I Want to Hold Your Hand’ quite regularly). The Beatles’ songs are certainly suited to the format, especially if you have people that like to sing – although be warned, Paul and John are true tenors and you’ll be hoarse in a very short time.

Rating:
Contributor:	Peter

Purchase: