| The Beatles: Rock Band | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer | Harmonix[a] |
| Publisher | MTV Games |
| Director | Josh Randall |
| Producers |
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| Designers |
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| Programmers |
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| Artist | Dare Matheson |
| Writers |
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| Series | Rock Band |
| Platforms | |
| Release | September 9, 2009 |
| Genre | Rhythm |
| Modes | Single-player,multiplayer |
The Beatles: Rock Band is a 2009rhythm game developed byHarmonix, published byMTV Games, and distributed byElectronic Arts. It is the fourth installment in theRock Band series and the first band-centric game. Centered on the English rock groupthe Beatles, the game featuresvirtual portrayals of the four band members performing the songs throughout the band's history, including depictions of some of their famouslive performances, as well as a number of "dreamscape" sequences for songs from theAbbey Road Studios recording sessions duringthe group's studio years. The game's soundtrack consists of 45Beatles songs; additional songs and albums by the Beatles were made available for the game asdownloadable content.[1]
The game was released internationally forPlayStation 3,Wii, andXbox 360 on September 9, 2009, coinciding with the release of new, remastered compact disc versions ofthe Beatles' albums. It incorporates many of the gameplay features of theRock Band series; however, it is not anexpansion pack for theRock Band series and content for it and otherRock Band titles is not cross-compatible. Gameplay mechanics differ slightly from previousRock Band games, including the addition of a three-partvocalharmony system. Subsequent games in theRock Band series would reuse these new elements, including vocal harmonies.
The game was developed with the blessing and critical input ofApple Corps, including former BeatlesPaul McCartney andRingo Starr, who both made public appearances promoting the game.George Harrison's sonDhani helped to bridge discussion between Harmonix and Apple Corps, whileGiles Martin, son of the Beatles' music producerGeorge Martin, ensured high-fidelity versions of the Beatles' songs would be available.
The Beatles: Rock Band was critically acclaimed, being praised both as a genuine means of experiencing the music and history of the Beatles, and as a standalone music video game. Although the game's sales were considered respectable, with more than half a million units sold during its first month of release in the United States, analysts had projected larger sales volumes and attributed the lower sales to waning interest in the rhythm game genre and the video game industry recovery from thelate-2000s recession.
The Beatles: Rock Band allows players to perform simulatedrock music by providing up to six players with the ability to play three different controllers modeled after music instruments (aguitar controller forlead guitar andbass guitar gameplay, adrum controller and up to threemicrophones for vocals). Players simulate the performance of rock music by using their controllers to play scrolling on-screen notes.[2][3] For lead and bass guitar, this is accomplished by holding down colored buttons mimicking guitarfrets and pushing the controller's strum bar; for drums, this requires striking the matching colored drumhead, or stepping on the pedal to simulate playing bass drum notes. A "Lefty" mode allows left-handed people to play, by switching which colour the beats are given. When singing vocals, the player must sing inrelative pitch to the original vocals. A pitch indicator displays the singer's accuracy relative to the original pitch. For songs with multi-part vocals, players need only to stay in tone with the lead singer to score points and keep their performance meter up, but players earn additional scoring bonuses when they successfully complete phrases in harmony.
As in previousRock Band games, successfully hitting the proper notes in sequence earns points for each player and boosts their "performance meter". Each separate instrument is given a level, defined by their instrument icon, and the average level is also displayed. If a player fails to match the notes, their performance meter drops. If the meter empties, that player is forced to drop out of play, which in turn causes the band's overall performance to drop. Any player to drop out can be "saved" if another player activates "Beatlemania" (referred to as "Overdrive" in otherRock Band titles),[4] which is collected by successfully completing specially marked phrases. These phrases appear in white, and if the phrase is completed, the energy bar, displayed at the bottom of every track, fills by one quarter. Beatlemania can also be used to temporarily increase the number of points the band earns. Activating Beatlemania is specific to each "instrument". For guitar, the controller must be temporarily shifted to an upright position; for drums, a special "cymbal" (Green, or red for "Lefty" mode) is hit; and for vocals, a noise must be registered by the microphone when prompted.
Some alterations to theRock Band formula were made to preserve the sound of the Beatles' music.[5] Audio cues that provide feedback on how well the band is doing, typically through the crowd cheering, singing along with the lyrics, or booing if the band is failing, are not included. The virtual band members are not booed off the stage if a player fails a song. Rather, the game simply cuts to a "song failed" menu with the option to try again. The song is restarted from the beginning. Variations on Overdrive/Beatlemania activation include the removal of player-controlled audio effects. While guitar players can use the controller's whammy bar on sustained marked note to collect more Beatlemania, this does not alter the sound of the note.[6] There are also no freestyle drumfills in the songs for activating Beatlemania; instead the player continues to perform the correct note sequence before being presented with a note to activate Beatlemania.[4]
Throughout the song, players receive points for every note hit, and this is totalled up and displayed at the end of the song, along with a percentage of how many notes they hit, and a rating: 1 to 5 stars. If the score is close to perfect, normally requiring at least 98% of the notes, the rating is five 'gold' stars, instead of the normal bronze. The score is saved and shown alongside the song in the select screen; over time, as the song is replayed, it shows only the highest score.
AllRock Band peripherals that were available at the time of the game's release are compatible with their respective console version ofThe Beatles: Rock Band. Similarly, peripherals designed forThe Beatles: Rock Band are backward compatible with otherRock Band titles.[7] Some controllers designed forGuitar Hero games will also work withThe Beatles: Rock Band.[8]
Four new instrument peripherals modeled after those used by the Beatles members were introduced alongside the game: aRickenbacker 325 guitar, aGretsch Duo Jet guitar, aHöfner bass and aLudwig drum set.[1][9][10] These instrument controllers function similarly tothe controllers designed forRock Band 2, with most alterations being purely aesthetic.[11] A "Limited Edition" bundle of the game includes one Höfner bass guitar controller, one Ludwig-branded drum controller, a microphone, a microphone stand and Beatles-themed postcards.[9] A second, less expensive bundle configuration contains peripherals first introduced with the originalRock Band game; this bundle does not contain a mic stand or postcards. The game was also released as a SingStar bundle with two microphones,[12] and finally as a standalone release.[13] The Rickenbacker and Gretsch guitar peripherals are sold separately.[10] The Höfner Bass's neck is a little longer for accuracy to the real thing.
The Beatles: Rock Band features gameplay modes similar to otherRock Band games, playable both locally and online. "Story" mode is similar to the "Career" mode of the firstRock Band game and follows a linear progression through the Beatles history. Optional challenges are available in each story "chapter", tasking players to complete every song in a specific chapter as a single performance. By earning high score ratings for songs or challenges, players will unlock photographs and video clips of the Beatles taken from theApple Corps' archive to provide "splashes of history".[6] One such unlockable "prize" is an edited version ofthe 1963 Beatles Christmas Record.[14]
Up to six players can play any song in the game cooperatively via "Solo/Band Quickplay" mode. Two players can also play against one another inRock Band's two competitive modes: "Tug of War", where two players perform alternating sections of songs to outdo the other's performance, and "Score Duel", where each player simultaneously plays the entirety of a song while trying to accumulate the highest score.[15] Tug of War allows players to choose individual difficulty levels, while Score Duel requires that both players play at the same difficulty level. Both competitive modes require that players use the same type of instrument.
Several "Training" modes are available forThe Beatles: Rock Band, including tutorials for both guitar/bass and drums. Practice modes are instrument-specific and allow players to practice entire songs or individual sections of songs. Guitar, bass, and drum practice modes allow players to slow the tempos of songs; vocal practice mode helps to emphasize the selected harmony portion of the vocals by adding a generatedwaveform sound to the selected harmony line in tune with the lyrics.[16] There are also two drum training modes called "Drum Lessons" and "Beatle Beats".[17]
Before playing, a difficulty has to be selected: easy, medium, hard or expert. Expert is a match of the original notes; hard has some note-heavy drum rolls and other difficult or fast notes removed; medium takes away the orange notes (for guitar and bass) and anything else considered tricky. Easy is designed for new players, and gives an easy rhythm for those to settle into the game. A "No Fail" mode has been carried over fromRock Band 2 and is accessible from the band members selection screen rather than from the game's main menu. This mode lets players continue playing even if their performance meter hits rock bottom. In addition, No Fail mode is automatically enabled for any player who chooses the "Easy" difficulty.[11]
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Prior toThe Beatles: Rock Band, no song by the Beatles, nor a cover of a Beatles song, had been featured in anyGuitar Hero orRock Band title, whether as disc-based or downloadable content. The idea ofThe Beatles: Rock Band came about during a chance encounter betweenMTV presidentVan Toffler andDhani Harrison, son ofGeorge Harrison, at a luncheon sponsored byRobert Earl during the 2006 Christmas holiday, shortly after MTV's acquisition ofHarmonix.[18][19] Dhani, having been familiar with theGuitar Hero franchise and learning of the recent acquisition and plans forRock Band (in which music from his band,thenewno2, had been featured by way ofdownloadable content) from Toffler, suggested a game based on the Beatles.[18] Though both Dhani and Toffler considered the concept an unlikely possibility, their meeting nonetheless spurred Dhani into further discussions with Harmonix's president,Alex Rigopulos. At the same time, Dhani helped to introduce theRock Band concept to the Beatles' companyApple Corps, and the shareholdersOlivia Harrison (his mother),Paul McCartney,Ringo Starr andYoko Ono.[19][20][21] Initial meetings were arranged with the shareholders using an early prototype of the game to garner their interest in the title. One stipulation that the Apple Corps shareholders required of Harmonix was that the game feature songs spanning the band's entire career.[1][19] Harmonix subsequently created a more complete demonstration that used examples of music and artwork that they envisioned for the game. The five-song demo, which included an early build for "Here Comes the Sun", was finished in February 2008. It was used to gain approval from McCartney, Starr, Ono and Olivia Harrison, effectively bringing them aboard the project as creative partners.[5][19]
The Apple Corps shareholders consideredThe Beatles: Rock Band a new way to introduce the band's music to the public.[22] They approved of the songs and venues that would appear in the game, and provided feedback on the artwork, character representations, and storyboards for animation sequences.[22][23] McCartney and Starr fact-checked certain anecdotes relating to the Beatles while Ono and Harrison provided insight on their late husbands' performances and lyrics.[22][24] At the developer's request, Ono visited the Harmonix offices late in development to provide critical feedback on several visual elements,[5][19][25] an event MTV's senior vice president Paul DeGooyer and Harmonix head Alex Rigopulos called "a high point of the two-year development process".[25]
ThoughThe Beatles: Rock Band aims to present a visual and musical history of the Beatles, the game does not attempt to replicate periods of turmoil between the band members. Rather, it presents a "fantasy version" of the Beatles to better serve the entertainment purposes of the video game.[5] For example, Starr was estranged from the rest of the band during periods of recording forThe Beatles (commonly referred to as the White Album). Thus, he did not perform on certain songs, such as "Back in the U.S.S.R." or "Dear Prudence".[26] In the game, however, Starr plays drums during the animated performances of both songs.
Preparing the Beatles' songs forRock Band was a significant technical challenge for Harmonix. The band's earlier songs, recorded ontwo-track and four-track equipment, needed to be reworked into a multitrack format that is essential in providing feedback to players.[1][27] Each of the game's four instrument parts need to have their own "stems"—for example, when a player misplays a note from the guitar track, the guitar audio for the song will be temporarily quieted, leaving the other instruments' audio unaffected.[5][20] Such isolated tracks were not available through the new 2009 remasters, so the team started with the originalmaster recordings.[22]
The development team was able to bringGiles Martin aboard as the game's music producer. Martin had recently completed co-production on the 2006Love project with his fatherGeorge Martin and was already familiar with the Beatles catalogue.[19] Through that project, Martin created digital back-up copies of all the original tapes, which aided his work onThe Beatles: Rock Band. Using audio forensics software, Martin and his team were able to extract the audio of individual instruments by isolating sounds at certain frequencies with digital filters, thus assuring multitrack capabilities for the Beatles' master recordings.[1][19][24] This process, conducted atAbbey Road Studio 52 with the help of Paul Hicks and other Abbey Road recording engineers, reportedly took months to complete.[5][22]
During the game's development, Harmonix only used low-fidelity versions of the remasters, which were sufficient for programming and note charting; Apple Corps feared that the leak of any high-fidelity remastered track from Abbey Road studios would lead to the unauthorized use of samples of the Beatles' music in remixes. High-fidelity versions of the songs were not implemented until the final publishing of the game.[5] Harmonix performed very little additional remixing upon receipt of these remasters; in some cases, three different guitar parts—lead, solo, and rhythm—were brought into a single cohesive guitar part, slightly raising the volume of the specific guitar track that was used in note tracking to make it easier for the player to follow in the game.[5] The ability for up to three players to sing vocal harmonies, a feature not present in previousRock Band games, was designed and implemented as an optional feature so as not to be overwhelming to players.[20]
While live recordings of songs, such as "Paperback Writer" atthe Budokan, were available, Martin believed some of these renditions were sloppy and would not be enjoyable to play. Instead, he took the studio versions and added audio effects from the live performances to create a "live concert" ambiance.[5] In several instances, the team also opted to slightly restructure the endings to certain songs, particularly those thatfade out.[28] Differences in editing between the album versions and in-game versions of songs continued with the release ofdownloadable content, notably the inclusion of a once-missing final chord at the end of theAbbey Road closer "Her Majesty".[29]
Dhani Harrison has stated the game will include "stuff that has never been heard, never been released".[30] Some of the new material includes band chatter and instrument tunes taken from recorded performances.[30] This audio plays during the loading screens or bookends certain songs.[15] Within the Abbey Road studio, Martin recreated some of the incidental sound, played through speakers but capturing the acoustics of the studio room.[5] In one instance, for example, this process involved recording four people miming the act of drinking tea.[5] The entirety of the game's credits are also made up of this band chatter and studio takes.
In coordination with the art team, sound programmers attempted to realistically map the game's note tracks relative to the real performances by the Beatles.[5] For guitar parts, colored notes were selected not necessarily to match tonally with the music, but to replicate the movement and finger positioning used by the original performers. These were then matched against ten different strumming animations to be used for the virtual depictions of the guitarists.[5] The "Expert" difficulty drum tracks attempt to match every single drum beat that is performed in a song, including some peculiar rhythms brought about by Starr'sambidextrous drumming habits.[5] Vocals were slowed down and broken into phonetic segments, allowing the art team to determine the appropriate facial movement for the virtual characters to go along with the lyrics.[5]
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Art assets were created with help of Apple Corps, with Harmonix developers gaining access to their unique archive as well as personal photos from the shareholders.[31] Apple Corps had strict desires for how the Beatles were to appear; art directorRyan Lesser noted that the art team's earliest character designs were met with "brutal" responses from Apple, but that this feedback was essential in developing the visual styles of the band.[6] In addition to Apple Corps' material, Harmonix designers watched the eight-partThe Beatles Anthology on a weekly basis for further reference on the band. These materials were meticulously reviewed to replicate the outfits that the Beatles wore for each of their concerts, as well as the instruments they used for recordings and live performances.[31]
Although McCartney had hoped technology would allow the virtual band members to appear in hyper-realistic detail, Harmonix opted to start with more exaggerated, cartoon-like designs, gradually scaling them back to appear more realistic.[31] Animation for the Beatles characters was aided bymotion capture provided by Beatlestribute bandThe Fab Four.[31] Dhani Harrison also assisted with modeling for character animation in the game.[30]
The team designed venues that represented parts of the Beatles' history in order to create an atmosphere of authenticity.[20] For example, the set ofThe Ed Sullivan Show was recreated from photographs and videos, including a rare color photograph in Apple's collection that showed the yellow tint used to enhance the video as shown on black-and-white television sets.[6]The Cavern Club,Shea Stadium,Budokan,Abbey Road Studios and the rooftop of theApple Corps Headquarters also appear as venues in the game.[32] Fashions of the 1960s were researched to properly apply them to the various virtual crowds at these locations.[31]
Twenty of the game's on-disc songs are associated with "dreamscape" sequences in conjunction with the Abbey Road venue, representing theexclusively studio-based nature of the band in their later years.[19] Animation sequences for songs linked with dreamscapes feature abstract or representative scenery.[33] For example, the sequence for "Octopus's Garden" takes place in an underwater reef,[17] while the sequence for "I Am the Walrus" is reminiscent of the band's psychedelic performance of the song in the 1967 filmMagical Mystery Tour.[34] The concept of dreamscapes evolved from brainstorming sessions between Harmonix and Apple Corps.; asRock Band was a game that celebrated the performance of music, simply portraying the Beatles performing in the Abbey Road studio was not enough, and the dreamscape sequences provided a way to surpass that.[24] While the art team used existing materials as reference, the Apple Corps. shareholders encouraged the team to interpret the songs in new ways. For inspiration, Harmonix looked toCirque du Soleil's approach in interpreting the Beatles catalogue for theLove stage show.[20][35]Storyboards for these animated sequences were created using both hand-drawn and 2D computer-generated art.[31] In some cases, the computer-generated elements used in storyboarding were kept as elements in the final venue, such as computer-generated blades of grass in the "Here Comes the Sun" sequence.[31]
The game includes heavily stylized opening and ending cinematics produced in part by Pete Candeland ofPassion Pictures, with help from animatorRobert Valley and background visuals from Alberto Mielgo.[36][37][38] Candeland, who is known for his work animatingGorillaz videos, also produced the opening cinematics for both the originalRock Band andRock Band 2. Within two and a half minutes, the opening cinematic provides a brief representative history of the band interspersed with numerous references to songs by the Beatles, followed by more metaphorical scenes reflecting their studio albums.[39][40] Prior to each of the chapters in the game's Story mode, the game presents short introductory animations; these animations were prepared by graphic design studioMK12, who had previously worked on the opening cinematics for movies such asStranger than Fiction andQuantum of Solace.[41]
The Beatles: Rock Band was first revealed on October 30, 2008, when Harmonix,MTV Games, andViacom announced an exclusive agreement withApple Corps, Ltd. to produce the standalone title.[42] Prior to this announcement, industry rumours reported that both Harmonix/MTV Games andActivision were vying for the Beatles songs, the latter for theGuitar Hero franchise. The agreement was the result of 17 months of discussions.[43] John Drake, PR spokesperson for Harmonix, stated that Apple Corps "respected and appreciated what Harmonix does creatively for rhythm games" as part of the success of the deal.[44]Eversheds, the legal firm working for Apple Corps. for bothThe Beatles: Rock Band and theabandoned remake ofYellow Submarine byDisney, stated that it took six months to complete the complex agreements and paperwork over the copyrights, trademarks, and publishing issues.[45] Viacom's deal with the Beatles' property owners includesroyalties with a guaranteed minimum of$10 million and upwards of $40 million based on initial sales projections, an amount that chairmanMartin Bandier ofSony/ATV Music Publishing has stated to be "not even comparable to anything that has been done before".[46] The licensing of the Beatles' work for the game was considered a critical step in the later negotiations and availability of the band's songs on iTunes about a year after the game's release.[47] A further complication arose about a year after the game's release;Chrysalis Group legally challenged EMI over a previous 1965 agreement whereby EMI would pay Chrysalis up to 1.5% of royalties on sales of the Beatles' records, and claimed that they were owed£500,000 for the two million units sold ofThe Beatles: Rock Band. EMI asserted that the video game format would not be covered under the concept of a "record" from the 1965 agreement.[citation needed]
The game was released internationally on September 9, 2009.[7] The game's release was planned to coincide with the release ofthe new, remastered CD versions of the Beatles albums.[48] Footage fromThe Beatles: Rock Band was revealed for the first time on April 18, 2009, during Paul McCartney's performance at theCoachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.[49] McCartney continued to utilize gameplay footage during his concert performances while touring during the months prior to the game's release.[18] The game was formally showcased on June 1, 2009, atE3 2009. Presented by Harmonix at the beginning of theMicrosoft press conference, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr briefly took the stage to discuss the games.[50] Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison also made a brief appearance. The game's E3 demo booth was modeled as a recreation of Abbey Road Studios.[51]
The game's official website was revealed early in 2009, showing only images of the Abbey Road studios and the game's release date. Over time, images of the Beatles' favored instruments appeared in the studio as their game peripheral replicas were announced.[52] On May 5, 2009, the website was updated to include general information and promotional media. Customers who pre-ordered the game from selected vendors received an access code to view exclusive images and media on the site before it was eventually made public.[53]
In August 2009, VH1 Classic aired music videos from the TV specialAround the Beatles (1964), the filmHelp! (1965), and a music video of the "Birthday" gameplay footage, promoting the launch ofThe Beatles Rock Band online store.[54] This store was also launched by several segments held on thehome shopping channel,QVC, for the game, the Beatles' remastered albums, and other related products; several Harmonix employees were present to demonstrate the game.[55]
A video advertisement for the game featuring the song "Come Together" premiered on August 28, 2009.[56] The spot features a live action recreation of the iconicAbbey Road album cover; as the Beatles cross the road, a crowd of people follow, some of whom are carrying the game's controllers.[18] The advertisement was directed by Marcel Langenegger, who worked with Apple Corps and Giles Martin to build an Abbey Road set at a Hollywood studio, and to blend archival footage of the Beatles into the video.Body doubles, vetted by the Apple Corps shareholders, appear in some shots.[57] On September 8, 2009,Dhani Harrison appeared as a guest onThe Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien to promote the game. Harrison and O'Brien (along withTonight Show web managerAaron Bleyaert andThe Tonight Show Band member Mark Pender) performed the song "Birthday" at the close of the show.[58]
The game includes 45 songs from 12 ofthe Beatles albums recorded during their 1963–1970 tenure withEMI Records.[6][59] With the exception ofMagical Mystery Tour, track information is based on the British-released versions of the albums. Six non-album singles and themashup track "Within You Without You/Tomorrow Never Knows" from the 2006remix albumLove have also been included.[60] Selections of the soundtrack are under license fromSony/ATV Music Publishing Company.[61] AlthoughMichael Jackson, who owned 50% of the publishing rights to the Beatles songs through Sony/ATV,died in June 2009, the sale of his estate did not affect the songs or the release schedule ofThe Beatles: Rock Band, according to Harmonix.[62]
Additional songs are available for the game asdownloadable content. The song "All You Need Is Love" was first to appear as downloadable content, proceeds from which ($1.40 of the $2 song cost) were donated toDoctors Without Borders.[61] The song was initially made available as an exclusive for Xbox 360 on the same day the game was released.[11] Within two weeks of the game's release, "All You Need Is Love" was announced by Microsoft and MTV to be the fastest-selling downloadable song across any of theRock Band platforms, with tens of thousands of downloads;[63] The song had been downloaded more than 100,000 times by the end of September,[64] and by February 2010, had generated over $200,000 for the charity.[65] The song is now available for download on the Wii and PlayStation 3.[65]
Full albums were also made available as downloadable content; the remaining songs fromAbbey Road,Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, andRubber Soul have since been released on the consoles' respective store services.[66][67][68] While there was potential for more of the Beatles catalogue to be made available, this never happened after the first batch of downloadable content.[69] Drake identified the costly development process as a prohibitive factor: "Every time we do one song, it's not likeRock Band where we wait for the masters to come in and just author them... its like, send people to Abbey Road, use the original tape, separate them out... it costs thousands of dollars."[70] Drake asserted that Harmonix would take sales of the currently announced albums into consideration before continuing development of downloadable content. Harmonix's Foster stated that solo acts from the Beatles' members would not be included as downloadable content forThe Beatles: Rock Band; however, he did not rule out the possibility of these acts appearing in otherRock Band games.[23] A three pack of songs from Paul McCartney's 2009 live album,Good Evening New York City, was made available for the mainRock Band series on 5 January 2010.[71] John Lennon's "Imagine" is a part of theRock Band 3 soundtrack,[72] with the fullImagine album arriving later as downloadable content in celebration of Lennon's 70th birthday.[73] A pack featuring Paul McCartney's bandWings was also released as DLC forRock Band 3 on December 28, 2010.
The respective downloadable content forThe Beatles: Rock Band and other currently availableRock Band titles are not cross-compatible. Furthermore, the songs contained onThe Beatles are notexportable to other games in theRock Band series.[74][75] Harmonix's Chris Foster cited the game's new vocal harmony feature as well as the unique song-specific dreamscape animations as reasons for the lack of exportability to otherRock Band games.[23] John Drake stated that the developer had a responsibility to treat the Beatles' songs as "iconic", and keep its music separated from other songs.[76]
On May 5, 2016, Harmonix ceased downloadable content distribution forThe Beatles: Rock Band due to the license expiration, though those that had already purchased the tracks would be able to redownload them in the future.[77]
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| GameRankings | 90%(Wii)[78] 89.83%(PS3)[79] 89.66%(X360)[80] |
| Metacritic | 89/100(X360)[81] 88/100(PS3)[82] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| 1Up.com | B[74] |
| Eurogamer | 9/10[83] |
| G4 |   [84] |
| Game Informer | 8.75/10[85] |
| GameSpot | 9/10[86] |
| GameSpy |  [87] |
| IGN | 9.0/10[15] |
| PALGN | 8/10[88] |
The Beatles: Rock Band received widespread critical acclaim from several media outlets upon release. Regarding the game's cross-generational appeal, Chad Sapieha ofThe Globe and Mail suggested that the game would spark a new wave ofBeatlemania,[89] while Seth Schiesel ofThe New York Times called it "nothing less than a cultural watershed".[90] Some critics hailed the title as landmark of the music game genre;[88][91] Randy Lewis of theLos Angeles Times described the game as a "quantum leap forward for the music video game",[92] while Johnny Minkley ofEurogamer called it "the new standard by which all band-specific game experiences will be judged".[83]
Described as an "interactive Beatles experience",[93] the game was considered to bring players closer to the band through both technical and emotional means. By playing each song's respective note chart, players were said to have a better appreciation for the structure and complexity of the compositions and performances by the Beatles.[90] Emotionally, critics commented on the sentimental values of the game's career mode, recalling the history of the band.[15][83][84][90] Critics were mostly positive concerning the visual and aural elements of the game;[89][94]G4's Abbie Heppe considered it a preferable package to the newly remastered albums, citing song-specific animations as a strong feature.[84] The dreamscape sequences in particular were likened to live performances,[93] praised as "dazzling"[94] and "evocative".[90] However, Schiesel remarked that due to the players' concentration on the note tracks, the animations "serve mostly to entertain onlookers rather than the players themselves".[90] Heppe observed that the color saturation of the background elements as well as the "Beatlemania" visual effects can sometimes contrast poorly with the scrolling notes, making it difficult to play.[84] After the game's release, Harmonix lead designer Chris Foster acknowledged that the visuals can be "too overwhelming for [some players] at moments".[35] The implementation of three-part harmonies, expressed by some to be the most significant addition to the series,[85][94] was well received.[85][92]
Critics primarily found fault with the game's length, as the bulk of the game's content can be completed in only a few hours.[89][95] Will Tuttle ofGameSpy questioned whether Harmonix limited the number of songs on release knowing that there would be a market for the game's downloadable content in the near future.[87] The low number of songs, along with the new themed instrument controllers, were found to make the game an expensive proposition for those new to rhythm games.[74] Due to the limited selection of songs on the disc, some critics questioned the specific inclusion of certain songs or the exclusion of more popular songs.[83][96] Furthermore, critics claimed that the game's complete dedication to the Beatles, without the option for cross-compatibility withRock Band or vice versa, can potentially lead to tedious play sessions with minimal variety, hampering the social nature of the game.[85][87] Justin Haywald of1UP.com considered that in attaching theRock Band name to the game's title, there was a certain expectation on an expandable library of songs and interoperability with previousRock Band titles, whichThe Beatles: Rock Band failed to meet.[74] Some players coming from previous versions ofRock Band would consider the songs inThe Beatles: Rock Band to lack technical challenge.[85][89] However, the less difficult note tracks were seen to be a welcoming benefit for newcomers to the series as well as those attempting to sing along with the harmony portions of the game.[89][95] For purist fans, some critics noted that the game purposely avoids certain aspects of the Beatles' history; former band members such asPete Best or collaborators such asBilly Preston orEric Clapton are never seen during gameplay.[93] Concerning supplemental content, Hilary Goldstein ofIGN felt the extra features could have been more substantial, especially in comparison to the additional material that accompanies the remastered CDs.[15]
PC World listedThe Beatles: Rock Band as their ninth Best Product of 2009.[97] The game won for Best Music Game on theSpike Video Game Awards 2009.[98] During the13th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards,The Beatles: Rock Band was awarded "Family Game of the Year" by theAcademy of Interactive Arts & Sciences; it also received a nomination for "Outstanding Achievement in Soundtrack".[99][100] The game was also nominated for the Best AudioGame Developers Choice Award.[101] The game's official website, published by Harmonix, won the Games-Related category for the 14th AnnualWebby Awards.[102] In 2010, the game was included as one of the titles in the book1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die.[103]
The Beatles: Rock Band was used as a finale for each performance of the 125th anniversary season of theBoston Pops Orchestra; the orchestra led the audience in a sing-along to several songs by the Beatles played by the orchestra but synchronized to the visuals from the game.[104][105]
The Beatles: Rock Band was well received at the 2009 E3 Convention, and was named the Best Music/Rhythm Game byGameSpot,[106]GameSpy,[107]1UP.com,[108] andX-Play;[109] the game was also nominated for Best Music or Rhythm game by theGame Critics Awards[110] andIGN.[111] The opening animation video, released at the same time as E3, was praised by the press.[88] It has been described as "surreal" by both theLos Angeles Times andBoing Boing's Offworld blog.[36][39]Frames Per Second called it "simply stunning",[112] and theEntertainment Weekly blog PopWatch described it as "damned spiffy".[113] The second half of the video, wheretraditional animation gives way to a combination of computer-aided2D and3D scenery has been described as "a mashup ofPeter Max and theUnreal Engine... chaperoned by the ghost ofSalvador Dalí" by theECA's GameCulture blog.[40] The opening video was awarded the 2009 British Animation Award for "Best Commissioned Animation"[114] and won a SilverClio Award in the field of "Television/Cinema/Digital Technique".[115]
According to Viacom CEOPhilippe Dauman, one quarter ofThe Beatles: Rock Band inventory was sold during its first week of release, exceeding their expectations.[116][117] Dauman attributed some success of the game's sales to the price reduction of the PlayStation 3, which occurred a few weeks before the release ofThe Beatles: Rock Band.[118]
The Beatles: Rock Band was the fourth high-selling game across all platforms in its first week of release in the United Kingdom.[119] According to theNPD Group,The Beatles: Rock Band sold 595,000 units across all offerings for the Xbox 360, Wii, and PlayStation 3 versions during September 2009, respectively in the United States, making the game the 5th, 10th, and 20th top sellers for the month, respectively; onlyGuitar Hero 5 for the Xbox 360 placed in the top 10 titles selling 210,800 units.[120][121] Total sales across all platforms in the United States was 595,000 units with revenue between$59 and60 million,[64][122] and was the second highest revenue-generating game behindHalo 3: ODST driven by sales of the bundled units.[123] Though MTV Games was pleased with the sales performance of the game,[123] the sales numbers fell short of the projected values by industry analysts, attributing it to the slow recovery of the video game market from thelate-2000s recession.[124] As of December 2009, Harmonix has stated that the game has sold more than3 million copies worldwide.[125] NPD Group data through the end of 2009 reported North American sales of the game at 1.18 and1.7 million.[126] In considering the comparison ofThe Beatles: Rock Band sales in North America to the nearly1 million units sold byGuitar Hero 5, the magazineAdvertising Age identified the ability of MTV Games and Harmonix to leverage the music of the Beatles and their other partners in novel and experimental methods among more traditional means.[127] In an October 2010 interview Alex Rigopulos claimed thatThe Beatles: Rock Band sales were "respectable", having sold "well over three million units", though had not exceeded sales of otherRock Band games.[128]
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| Band-centric games | |
| Spin-offs | |
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| Additional songs | |
| Related articles | |
