Wow. This was going to be “The Beatles: Rock Band first impressions” but after a couple weeks, that ship has probably sailed. I know it’s bad form to apologise for real life intruding on your blog, but it’s true: working weekends and going to class on one of your days off interferes with the amount of free time you have to write.
Instead, I’ve been trying to get in as much Beatles as possible. It’s a visually gorgeous game with a good mix of well-known and slightly more obscure (at least to my experience) tracks. I love both in-play and out-of-play elements.
Everything hangs together to tell a highly idealised story of the band’s rise to fame, their musical maturation and retreat from live performance, all the way to that final gig on the rooftop. I love the videos and photos and bits of memorabilia. I’ve never been a Beatlemaniac, but the snippets of studio outtakes really help with the immersion. The character models are gorgeous, and the environments both realistic (for the live gigs and studio) and psychedelic (for the dreamscapes).
The song choice looks a bit odd on paper, but the tracks really work when you play them out. They showcase the Beatles’ musical ability, both in composition and performance. I love the vocal harmony mechanic (I’m getting better playing guitar and singing simultaneously), and the instrument parts are transcribed in such a way as to give the player a new appreciation for that Beatle’s particular style.
If you haven’t got it yet, I’m totally in love with the game. My only complaint is that there isn’t enough content. I need more tracks to play, and soon. This game is going to keep me poor for a long time to come.
As a closing note, I was originally going to write a post before release date that reflected on a NY Times article about the game. I highly recommend giving it a read. It talks to the less geeky influences on the game, and how it has a wider appeal than just the regular 15-35 gaming crowd.