Published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts

Rated “T” for Teen. Contains mild lyrics and tobacco reference.

One of the masterstrokes of The Beatles Rock Band is the use of all the extra audio from the original studio recording sessions, the extraneous chatter that goes on both before and after a take. The boys noodling on their guitars and goofing around with each other, producer George Martin calling out prompts from the control room, and the discussions after each take as to whether to keep it or play the song all over again.

This is all material no one’s ever heard, partly because it was never imagined that there would be a use for it, but here it’s given the perfect home as the loading screens for each song and the results after.

When you choose a song and the disc begins to spin, you’ll hear the in-studio chatter from earlier in the master recording play. “I’ll just have cheese,” Paul says to the control room as they warm up. “and lettuce on all my sandwiches, and coffee.” John coughs into the microphone before another track and producer George Martin calls out for their attention “ Right, now, concentrate… and swing it”. After you’ve played the song, if you’ve scored particularly high you might hear the boys exclaim that it’s the keeper. “Yes sir, that’s my baby!” John let’s out after one song. “That was the take, it was the master” he says after another.

It is astounding the amount of energy and talent that went into the game’s visual tribute, delivering sequences that span multiple mediums and styles including illustration, photography, comic books, graphic novels, motion graphics, animation, computer generated imagery, and 3D video game renders. Not only does the game manage to capture the Beatles with good, recognizable likenesses and body language, but does so across the many changes the boys underwent in their careers, often morphing their looks from one visual medium to the next.

The opening and ending sequences are astonishing and I wish could be played in Cineplex theatres. A loving view of Liverpool quickly gives way to a gallivanting ride through the band’s rise to international phenomenon before transitioning into an unexpected CG-realistic world of a mystic sun, surreal hopping penguins and a hyper-real Tibetan blue elephant that will make owners of HDTVs gasp aloud. The rush as this all builds and crescendos into a critical mass on the edge of a cliff is jaw-dropping.

As with past Rock Band games, this one has a story mode spanning the career of the band, with chapter introductions that swirl, spin, and creatively glide through photos and album covers. The songs themselves play alongside reconstructions of the stadiums, film sets, and studios with the boys playing along until their lyrics and music cue up visual sequences that deliver the imagery of their themes. The boys encircle a sun on a gorgeous hilltop in “Here Comes The Sun” then adopt animals costumes for “I Am The Walrus” and duck falling atomic bombs and flowers in “Revolution”.

As you near the last songs of the story mode there’s a subtle, building of sadness that works powerfully. At first it’s just a slight darkening of the skies, a bit of wind, and then an introduction of rain. At first it merely seems to echo the real-life conditions of that famous rooftop performance, but then it quickly becomes apparent that it’s the storm behind their break-up and when the end arrives it really feels as if everything the group has been is resolutely spent. The more sensitive of fans playing the game will no doubt want to pause in order to go off and have a cry.

At the core we have the same music game from Rock Band 2, but with The Beatles Harmonix has been given the excuse to introduce the concept of three-part harmonies. The vocal chart at the top of the screen now supports three microphones; a lead singer and two back-ups. The lead sings the main blue notes while the others chime in for choruses along the brown and orange lines. This allows you to form a full band with three guitar players, each with their own microphone, and a drummer. The harmonies work well if you and your friends can invest the time for it (and there’s a tutorial for that) or, if everyone would rather just sing the lead, the game simply takes all three voices and chooses the best one for the score.

Some elements from Rock Band have merely been repurposed with a Beatles theme. Overdrive, a system where players can play glowing notes to build up energy that is then released to trigger screaming fans and score bonuses, is now referred to as “Beatlemania”, the drum tutorial includes a second catalog of Ringo Starr's own practice beats, and Chapter Challenges test you to play all the songs from one Beatles venue back-to-back.

A small collection of photos and archival clips, apparently never before released, are included as unlockable rewards, each presented with a touch of trivia and facts including stories behind the song names and details on their lives.

The real treasure, of course, is the music. There are forty-five tracks included, all crisp, clear, and full. Amongst them are many popular hits including “Twist And Shout”, “Can’t Buy Me Love”, “Paperback Writer”, “Yellow Submarine”, “Dear Prudence”, “Come Together” and “Get Back”, but just as many popular hits are missing and only some will be included for purchase when Harmonix launches their online Beatles Music Store in October. This will include both full albums (Abbey Road, Sgt. Pepper’s, Rubber Soul, and All You Need Is Love) along with singles and will be the only way to get “Golden Slumbers”, “When I’m Sixty-Four”, “Michelle”, or “All You Need Is Love”. Even after all this, there’s still a substantial part of the Beatles catalog missing, including most of the White Album.

There are two tracks from the 2006 Love album, which mashed songs together for a Cirque De Soleil show, included amongst the forty-five tracks. This means that “With A Little Help From My Friends”, a perfect choice for first-time and shy singers, is now mixed into the back of “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” making it very difficult to access, an odd lapse on the part of Harmonix.

Replica of Ringo Starr's Ludwig Drums 

Although you can use the standard Rock Band instruments, there are four wireless replica controllers that have been released for use in The Beatles Rock Band, available through different bundle and unit combinations. I’ve had a chance to play with three of them; Starr’s Ludwig drums, Harrison’s Gretsch Guitar, and McCartney’s Höfner bass. A replica of Lennon’s Rickenbacker 325 Guitar is also available.

Replica of George Harrison's Gretsch Guitar 

Replica of John Lennon's Rickenbacker 325 Guitar 

The first two are barely different from the standard game instruments. The drums have been printed with a different design, given a drum head, and a kick-pedal with the logo stamped into it. The Gretsch has some nice plastic chrome ornamentation and styling, but in use and size feels the same as previous Rock Band guitars.

Replica of Paul McCartney's Hofner Violin Bass 

It’s Paul McCartney’s Höfner violin bass that is the real prize, with its extended neck, smaller, violin-shaped body, two-tone faux wood finish, and faux pearl ornamentation. It stands far apart from the other music game controllers I’ve used in the way it feels in your hands, its use and performance. Sadly, it’s also the only guitar not sold separately, available only within the expensive, Limited Edition bundle.

While there have been several music-based games to offer tribute to specific bands, Guitar Hero’s editions for Aerosmith and Metallica and Singstar’s editions for ABBA and Queen, Harmonix’s The Beatles Rock Band is, as the name suggests, the only one to put the band and its relationship to music first. They have delivered an experience that feels as if it’s another offering from the Beatles universe, one that reflects not only their music, but their vision, their humour, and the simple sense of joy from living that permeates everything they do. Swing it.