‘The Beatles: Rock Band' a great game

• By JOSHUA WASCOM
• Special to 2theadvcate.com
• Published: Sep 21, 2009

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It took a long time and a lot of work to get here, but the wait was worth it. “The Beatles: Rock Band” doesn’t change much about the established “Rock Band” gameplay, but it does add the sound and charm of a certain English rock group, as well as raising the bar in terms of style and presentation.

First-and most importantly, the game has 45 songs from throughout the Beatles’ career. You’re likely to find most of your favorite songs, as well as a few that are better than you remember and a few that haven’t gotten any better with time. Downloadable songs are on the way, as well, if 45 seems too few.

With the focus on a single band -- and one with such an iconic history --, there’s a much stronger narrative drive here than in previous rhythm games. The main game mode is quite appropriately called story mode, and as you progress, you are presented with little pieces of the Beatles’ story. Good performances are rewarded with oddly compelling photographs and videos of the band, and there are some absolutely amazing cinematics both between songs and during them. The intro movie alone was enough to make me long for a mad, rambling Beatles adventure game.

The one major gameplay change is the expansion of the vocals. If you’ve got multiple microphones, up to three singers can try their hand at matching the Beatles’ three-part harmony. It’s really a small thing, but it can have a huge impact. Singing with other people seems to bolster everyone’s confidence, and on certain songs --Yellow Submarine” was our favorite -- the results are almost invariably hilarious. You can all sing even on songs that don’t require harmonies, and this is definitely a feature that needs to find its way back into “Rock Band” proper.

There are a few minor problems, but nothing terribly surprising or disappointing. The main game is over fairly quickly, with almost all of the 45 songs relatively short and easy. The strict licensing deals in place also prevent any of these songs from being imported into other versions of “Rock Band,” meaning that you will always have a split collection in the future.

“The Beatles: Rock Band” does a lot right and very little wrong. The “Rock Band” series has always had an amazing ability to draw in people from any age group or background, and with the addition of so many beloved songs, the cross-generational “pick up and play” approachability of the rhythm game has gotten much harder to resist.