The Beatles Rock Band is how band based rhythm game should be treated
As a big Beatles fan I was always sceptical of how good this would turn out. How many bands inspired by The Beatles would this include? How many generic situations would this game put the band in? The answer is none. This game has treated the legacy of The Beatles with great respect. Only Beatles tracks are included which is the way they should be done…After all I brought this game because I like the Beatles, not because I like Franz Ferdinand or a hundred other bands that may or may not have been inspired by the Fab Four.
The game follows the band through their careers from the early days of the Cavern Club, and various famous concerts until they became studio bound in the second half of the 60's where they move on to the band being surrounded by 'dreamscapes' which are basically psychedelic interpretations of the songs, and they are visually stunning, it actually a shame that you are so focused on the note board rather than the scenes themselves. It would have been great to have an option to view them with out the distraction of the chat, yes they are that good. When you are left in awe by the opening cutscene you know that you are looking at a game that is stunning artistically.
The game play is pretty standard if you have played Rock Band or Guitar Hero World Tour you pretty much know what you are getting, no surprises here. As the game chose to run chronologically, the difficulty is a little all over the place, but somehow it fits. I wouldn't have wanted to play a song form the White Album Followed by a song from Revolver, then jumping back to Abbey Road, so this system works extremely well.
While I did say that the difficulty I inconsistent, the game on the whole is probably easier than most Guitar Hero games. It's not a bad thing I wouldn't want them to chuck in a whole heap of extra notes to artificially ramp up the difficulty, I mean the Beatles, compared to some of the stuff you see in other games weren't a heavily technical band.
There isn't a real lot else to say. Chances are if you love or even mildly like the Beatles you will get this game in any case. If you aren't then chances are this game won't change your mind. It is a lovingly created game, which has not only the band's legacy, but the memories of their fans in mind.
It isn't the hardest rhythm game but it is one of the best.