The Beatles: Rock Band

The Beatles is the greatest band of all time. It doesn't matter if you don't like them, The Beatles is straight-up the most prolific, succesful and famous band of all time. With the new rise of plastic instrument popularity, Harmonix decided to capitalize on The Beatles past--and arguably still current--fame. Even though the set list is the smallest in the Rock Band series, and the fact that even The Beatles can get stale after 5 hours of hearing Paul McCartney and John Lennon trade off, The Beatles: Rock Band is a whimsical experience that will stay with you long after you've finished the game's 45-song story mode.
 

As soon as you turn on The Beatles: Rock Band, you will be greeted with possibly the best intro cinematic ever. It's brimming with style, and has this wonderous sense of majesty and splendor that sets a great tone for the rest of the game. This same feeling of whimsy that excitement spreads itself to the furthest corners of the game. From starting out at the Cavern Club to the Beatles' days to their performance atop Apple Studios, the simple--and later psychedelic--artistic beauty of The Beatles: Rock Band never gets old. 
  
Your journey through the Fab Four's career on the other hand, can get a little bland. You simply play the 45 song setlist in the game, and then you're done. You do unlock photos and prizes for doing better on the songs, and after every chapter you're treated to another fantastic cinematic and a new venue. While finally climbing your way up to play your favorite Beatles song (be it 'Day Tripper' or 'I Am the Walrus'), is genuinely exciting, some of The Beatles' songs don't translate especially well to a music game environment, especially those found near the end of the game. Some of George's Harrison's guitar parts and Ringo Starr's drums just aren't as fun to play as they are to listen to, despite some exceptions. However, Paul McCartney's groovy bass does transfer very well, and actually makes it genuinely fun to play bass.
 
Another thing that doesn't translate well to The Beatles' music are some of the standard Rock Band traditions. It's painful to hear the old electric guitar screw-up sound while playing 'Dear Prudence'. However, some other things like adding your own drum fills (before, after or during a song), were cut out that could've had a place. While this is probably due to some copyright issues, that doesn't mean it's okay to not let me piss off my guitarist by wailing on the drums while he's trying to play an intro.  
 

Despite game's relatively small set list of 45 songs, the soundtrack of The Beatles: Rock Band is pretty dang good, and has some definite stand-outs, especially when coupled with the Dreamscapes of the game, which, for those not in the know, are trippy music videos for the songs and albums that The Beatles weren't on tour for. Songs like 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps', 'Here Comes the Sun' and the aforementioned 'I Am the Walrus' being obvious stand-outs. Although there are some odd omissions, and the songs played atop Apple Studios are not very fun to play on guitar or sing, the core set list of The Beatles: Rock Band is great, and will be routinely added to with more DLC. 
 
The Beatles: Rock Band is a great game. The pure love and care put into it are commendable, and have made a fantastic single-band rhythm game. The game's majestic and trippy Dreamscapes make it a sight worth seeing, and the core Rock Band formula meshes well with The Beatles. Although being a single-band rhythm game does eventually bring up reptition, and the game's short setlist and relatively dry options give the game a shorter run than most rhythm games, The Beatles: Rock Band is a whimsical experience that can be recommended to anyone who hasn't given up on the rhythm genre and likes The Beatles.