It seems like whenever one of those lists of greatest TV moments comes out, The Beatles playing The Ed Sullivan Show is always way up at the top. It definitely is one of the most famous musical performances that has ever been on television.
With The Beatles: Rock Band coming out this week (September 9th at midnight), you get the chance the play out the experience, playing along with The Beatles on your favorite gaming console while hoards of screaming girls (electronic cartoon screaming girls, anyway), pass out in the audience. So how does the experience stack up?
I was lucky enough to get my hands on a copy of the game before it was officially released and I have to admit that it totally lives up to all the hype that the game is receiving. This is coming from someone who considers himself a casual Beatles fan, not a true Beatlemaniac. The game features a story mode that takes the player through the career of The Beatles, from The Cavern Club in Liverpool, to Budokan, Shea Stadium, Abbey Road Studios, and of course, The Ed Sullivan Show.
All the venues have been intricately recreated. The Ed Sullivan stage looks just as it did in 1963. The experience is really authentic, with the voice of Ed Sullivan introducing the band (no cartoon Ed Sullivan though). The visuals in this game are downright stunning, with the camera cutting between the band, shots from behind the camera, and shots of the audience.
The real beauty of the game comes in what is dubbed as the “Abbey Road Dreamscapes.” Each song played in the Abbey Road studio transitions to a gorgeous, artistic interpretation of the song. For example, during “Yellow Submarine” you will find yourself playing at the bottom of the ocean, the titular sub floating along in the background. The opening animated sequence is breathtaking as well. Honestly, the game is so beautiful that I found myself missing notes while playing because I just wanted to watch the art.
The game play will be familiar to anyone who has played Rock Band (or Guitar Hero) before. Notes stream down the screen and you have to press the appropriate buttons on the instrument controller in time with the music. The one new twist that has been added is the three part harmony feature. It’s impressively done, but it actually takes a modicum of musical talent to be able to sing the harmonies. Unfortunately, I can barely sing the melody on easy mode, so I won’t be exploring this feature in depth. The rest of the gameplay seemed a bit easier than previous music games. I’m not sure if this is the nature of the songs, or if it was done on purpose to make the game more accessible.
If you’re a big fan of The Beatles, you definitely have to check this game out.
Clacked by Bob Degon
on Sep 06, 2009 @ 13:21 EST5EDT
