Customer Reviews

Wii The Beatles: Rock Band - Software Only

5 star:		(117)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

yes, the game is exactly what you expect.

in case anybody is wondering, you CAN play guitar hero instruments (drums, guitar, mic) with this game. in the GHWT drumset, the orange cymbal doubles as the blue pad on the RB drums. they all work perfectly.

Other people have and will write thorough reviews so I won't.
The basic gameplay is very similar to any other Rock Band so if you like Rock Band and the Beatles you'll like this game.
It's similar except for the three microphones. The harmonies are really cool. This is a great addition to the game.
There are some other differences that I thought were worth talking about. First, the difficulty scale has an easier entry point than the other games. On RB2 I play guitar well on medium and very poorly on hard. For the Beatles, the low end of the scale is much easier. I've been playing very well on hard. By the time you get to the hard end of the scale things have balanced out and I fail on hard which is normal. This is much closer to the scale of RB2.
I think that's good for two reasons. First a lot of people who haven't played Rock Band will want to try this game. They will be able to have fun pretty much from the word go. More importantly, this game can use three microphones. If you're going to sing and play an instrument at the same time you'll be glad some songs are easier. Playing a fake guitar and singing at the same time can be hard.
Have fun playing.

Tech Note for Wii:
Some USB combinations don't work for the extra microphones. I don't know why.
I couldn't find anything in the manual about how to hook up three mics so I used a standard PC USB hub which worked without a hitch.

I fully expected The Beatles Rock Band to be my favorite game of this type based on musical consistency alone. I didn't expect the game to be the mostly beautifully rendered, artistically intricate game I've ever played on any platform, ever. It would have been easy to just replace the regular Rock Band characters with Beatles. However, everything is different. There are literally completely different animations on almost every song. I agree with the previous review that I screwed up riffs being mesmerized by what was happening on the screen. I was skeptical that the game would be able to separate vocal, guitar, and drum tracks on these recordings, some of which are almost 50 years old, but this is done seamlessly. The sound quality is great, bright and crisp without sounding 'enhanced.' I can't believe, with the level of intensity and anticipation I've had in waiting for this game for the last year, that it actually meets and exceeds my expectations.

I purchased this for my daughter's 13th birtday. She has been a Beatles fan for years and this was on the top of her birtday list. The game is excellent she plays it all the time. The music is great and there are many choices which makes the game challenging. She can play by herself or with the family. The only thing that I will say is that I did not know that you had to have the guitar in order to play (or at least one instrument) I thought that you could play with the wii remote until instruments were purchased. (maybe I just misunderstood) However when we went to play the game for the first time we reaslized that it will not work without an instrument so we had to go out and buy that also. If you give as a gift make sure to include an instrument (which can be an expensive gift when combined with the game) or make sure the person already has at least one. The good thing is that you can use guitar hero or generic wii instruments and do not have to purchase rockband instruments. We found a guitar hero guitar on sale and it works perfect! Highly recommend this game to any beatles fan!

...way too short. I was able to breeze through this on medium within 2 hours. I'm glad I thought to rent this first before buying it. If the price was $[...] cheaper, it would've been a must-have. I can't see paying $[...] for a Wii game (and I can't believe others shelling out more for the instrument bundles!) with no extras. (You will be able to download full albums in October...at a price of course!)
I thought the production quality was excellent. I loved the cut scenes and animated performances. I only wish that it incorporated more of GUITAR HERO's playability/game mechanics. Rock Band's "medium" is too easy, yet their "hard" is too hard if that makes sense.
This is a game that I will definitely buy down the road if the price is right or if I found it used cheap enough. I would definitely tell a person to rent it before buying it unless you are a die-hard Beatles' fan.

When it has came down to classic rock music, nobody has ranked as higher than The Beatles. yet, even with the fact that it has been nearly 40 years since the Fab Four broke up, and went their seperate ways, their music has still been one of the deepest cornerstones of pop culture you could even imagine. While it is so sad that John Lennon and George Harrison aren't here to celebrate the groups' catalog re-releases, the feeling of John, Paul, George, and Ringo have reached a whole new era of fans that still remains as timeless as ever. Now, that has also reached the field of video games as well, with the help of Rock Band. It has been a big gamble to bring the music and iconic influence of The Beatles to turn them into modern day video game icons, to a generation that chooses to get their music through MP3's, rather than the full-length records from start to finish. Well, can The Beatles rock out loud again? Well, they are still the eggman, they honestly the walrus.

The Beatles: Rock Band brings in a new generation of video game lovers to the influence of what has made the iconic influence of what The Beatles brought into the spotlight, is a huge treat for video game lovers and hard core fans of what made The Beatles stand out, even 45 years after they made their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. The graphics are really amazing, and range from the simplicity of the rooftops of their Apple Records label, to the spotlight of the old Mets' Shea Stadium heart and soul. The gameplay is addictive for hard core Beatles fans, as they play their way through The Beatles' biggest songs including She Loves You, Get Back, I Wanna Hold Your Hand, as well as I Am The Walrus, as well as other surprises like Dig A Pony, and Tax Man. There also are great unlockables for the hard core Beatles fan, including very rare footage from The Fab Four's biggest moments, to moments in the recording studio with the group, you can not get anywhere else. The gameplay is absolutely addictive for anyone young or old whom hasn't even yet known what The Beatles experience was like in the 60's, and at the beginning of the 70's. The control is also easy to master for anyone whom has enjoyed Rock Band before, but challenging from top to bottom.

All in all, The Beatles: Rock Band is absolutely a treat for hard core Beatles fans', and one of the most delightful games you could honestly imagine. While I honestly did wish that there could've been a few tracks from their Beatles' solo works as well, which could've brought in a bit more fun. But nevertheless, this is a great way to enjoy The Beatles experience if you are a video game lover heart and soul. If you had to choose between Guitar Hero 5, and The Beatles: Rock Band, I really suggest you say Hey Jude and Hello Goodbye to The Fab Four.

Graphics: A-

Sound: A-

Control: B+

Fun & Enjoyment: B 1/2+ for solo players; A- for multiplayer

Overall: B+

If you haven't heard of The Beatles, you might not have heard of any other band in the history of mankind. They were that popular and that influential, and so it's only fit that a music game ought to be made based on their music and career. Fortunately for everyone who likes The Beatles, Harmonix was able to secure the rights to make the game with the same style as Rock Band; put the two together and we get The Beatles: Rock Band: the most fun and authentic music game I have ever played despite its lack of length.

Rather than going through a 'Career' or 'Tour' mode, The Beatles game runs through a Story mode, highlighting a number high points in the band's career including the memorable performance on the Ed Sullivan Show, their rather drowned out appearance at Shea Stadium, and the Abbey Road recording sessions. Between each song set is a montage of authentic Beatles photography, providing many fun in-between clips. The game's Story mode is solid and great fun to play through, made even greater by the developers' close attention to authenticity. Each song is given a unique on screen performance by the well-animated Beatles, and there are plenty of extras to unlock with over 100 photos and several videos that include plenty of fun facts about the band. Unfortunately the whole story only lasts a few short hours.

And this is where we run into the game's one problem. There are only about 45 songs on disc; about half of what can be found in other music games such as Rock Band 2. There are a few Beatles favorites missing from the mix too, making this shortcoming all the more disappointing. However, making up for the small number of songs is the quality of the included tracks and diversity of the list as a whole. The Beatles did have plenty of different sounding songs, after all, from the catchy flair of 'Can't Buy Me Love' to the light rock sound of 'Come Together' to the softness of 'Here Comes the Sun.' There are plenty of various sounds present, and considering all the songs are from The Beatles, the diversity is really quite impressive. For the most part the songs present little challenge, but they remain far from boring because the parts are almost always interesting. Even playing the bass, which was rarely all that fun in previous music games, is made an enjoyable experience by Paul McCartney's skill, and in fact the bass parts present most of the game's light challenges.

Harmonix's signature gameplay is as solid and entertaining as ever and helps make these classic songs fun to play. It's the same as it has always been: songs are played by strumming in time with the notes on screen while holding down the correct fret buttons, or just hitting the correct pad on the drums. One new addition to the Beatles game is two and three part vocal harmonies, which I never attempted or witnessed but they seem to be a fun and interesting option for exceptionally skilled singers. The Beatles: Rock Band also makes playing an instrument and singing simultaneously more enjoyable and doable that it has ever been, perhaps because The Beatles themselves all were such talented multitaskers.

Online play is also seamlessly integrated into every part of the game in quick and lag-free fashion. Every game mode available, including the Story, can be played with a full band comprised of members from all over the world. Playing online is not even the slightest pain either, seeing as there is absolutely no lag and finding players is so quick that the whole process hardly gives one time to get up off the couch and stretch. Online play is a strong element in The Beatles: Rock Band, allowing players from all around the world to enjoy the great music together seamlessly and painlessly.

I think it's safe to say that The Beatles: Rock Band is by far the best-looking music game on Wii to date. None of the Guitar Hero games can even come close to competing with it visually, and even the other Rock Band games didn't have performance animations this sharp and entertaining. The character models are sharp, the animations are smooth, The Beatles always actually look like they're playing their instruments, the crowds aren't entirely generic, and the Abbey Road sessions are vividly and colorfully presented. Harmonix did a great job of making the game look good even on Wii, which is usually the overlooked console visually speaking.

The Beatles: Rock Band is the strongest band-centered music game to date, when it all comes down to it. The game may be pretty short and easy, but every element is worked out to excellent entertainment value and authenticity. The song list is more fun than any other music game out there because, well, it's The Beatles we're talking about here, it would be hard to beat! And I doubt any band-centered music game will ever beat it because The Beatles deserve such an authentic and fantastic tribute as this game certainly is. The asking price may be steep for the amount of songs available, but it's worth every dollar for even the least enthusiastic Beatles fans.

Positive:
+ Excellent Story mode with plenty of great unlockables
+ Astounding attention to authenticity
+ Excellent and diverse song selection
+ Playing bass is very fun even for guitar lovers
+ Online play is quick, lag-free, and seamlessly integrated
+ Sharp presentation and performance animations

Negative:
- Short and mostly easy

9.0/10

A huge hit at Hannukah, my wife, eight-year-old daughter and I have practically done nothing but play Wii Beatles for the last three days and counting. I managed to buy the last Rock Band 2 special edition bundle at local stores at a decent price. Then I bought the Beatles software from Amazon. The Rock Band 2 set includes a wireless guitar that can be used for lead or bass, and wireless drum set and a wired logitech microphone. To hook up two or three microphones I plugged a standard portable 4-port USB hub into the Wii, plugged the microphone and another logitech microphone (originally from High School Musical game) and the Beatles game immediately recognized both mics. On the mic there are two options - solo or harmony (for 2-3 microphones). All the equipment works great - probably better, and definitely cheaper, than the Beatles Special Edition bundle, according to many review I have read. We are very very satisfied, and the whole family is enjoying playing this game together.

I was reading some of the negative reviews about this game and I have to say- are you kidding me?. Never have I seen a game with such brilliant video imagery such as this, and the music I really don't have to explain- incredible. This game just might blow away any Rock Band or Guitar Hero game ever put out, even if you're not a true Beatles you'll like this game. Prediction- one of the top 5 games of 2009.

This is the first video game that our entire family can enjoy playing, together or separately. The game play on easier levels is easy enough that Mom and Dad can make it through a song, and on harder levels is difficult enough to challenge our fairly hardcore teenager. Plus, what could be more fun than playing and singing along with the Beatles? We haven't even played the game in Story Mode yet -- we've only used Quick Play and Online modes -- so we still have all the amazing animations to look forward to.

Possibly not the best choice for super-hardcore players looking for viciously challenging gameplay, and clearly not for anyone who dislikes the Beatles (do such folks exist?). Pretty much awesome for everyone else.