1. Background:

Since the release of the game Rock Band, it has seemed like the Holy Grail of music games were the Beatles.  When Rock Band came out it allowed for four players to play at the same time and there were four people in The Beatles.  Also, the same year Rock Band came out Guitar Hero released its first band specific game in Guitar Hero: Aerosmith.  But getting the Beatles to even allow their songs to be played in a game seemed like a pipe dream, let alone allow a full game to be made.

The aforementioned Aerosmith game was not exactly a quality product, and the Beatles, who have always been shy to release their music online, did not seem receptive to the idea.  At the time it seemed far more likely that they would join the growing chorus of detractors of the music game genre.  Apparently, though, it was Metallica that convinced the Apple Group, the name of the group of holders to Beatles music rights, that a quality representation of the Beatles’ work could be produced.  Specifically it was the guys at Harmonix playing a Metallica song on an early version of Guitar Hero that did it.

So after so long the game was finally released.  And its easy to see the care that was put into it.

2. The Substance:

The game plays like the other games in the music game genre.  There is a list of songs and to win the game you have to play them all.  There is very little revolutionary about the gameplay.  It’s the wrapping on the gameplay that is impressive.  To the gameplay though they did add the ability to sing three part harmonies as long as one of them is correctly singing the lead singer’s pitch.  This allows for more people to join in the fun or for people playing instruments to also sing without worrying too much about staying on key.

The best part about the game is the care that was put into telling the story of The Beatles.  The visuals that play while you’re playing reflect the Beatles’ sensibilities.  The opening cinematic is a work of art. And the background visuals are great too. You will want to play the game and then you will want to watch someone else play the game.  That is how beautiful the game’s visuals are.

There was also a lot of Beatles history packed into the game.  All of the Beatles’ songs are unlocked from the start.  This is great for being able to play the game at parties from the start, but that doesn’t leave much to reward those who play well.  Or at least it wouldn’t if it weren’t for all the extras you can unlock through playing well.  Pictures of the Beatles’ early days, documentary footage, and old recordings are all available to be unlocked.  If you’re a Beatles fan this is a treasure trove of extras that will make you want to keep playing the game.

If you’re not a Beatles fan there is little reason to own this game, though.  Unlike the Guitar Hero band games, the songs available are all Beatles songs.  They are mostly great songs but since they are presented in chronological order, there is little variety in each chapter of the game.

3. The Decision:

4/5 All in all, though, this is a quality product that any fan of The Beatles or music history in general should check out.