Comments on: Review: The Beatles: Rock Band

By: Steven Jones

Steven Jones — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 07:31:14 +0000

Being away from Liverpool whilst at University in Leicester I started to cling to things from home such as Brookside !! So I thought I would get a hold of all the Beatles tracks and find some gems I previously hadn’t heard. What I soon realised was that I was already familiar with every single track I came across, now whether that was just from growing up in the ‘pool or a common thing for those of our generation I’m not sure. One thing is clear though, when I get to buying this game I’ll be having a lot of fun :)

By: GamerDork! » Blog Archive » The Beatles: Rock Band instruments

GamerDork! » Blog Archive » The Beatles: Rock Band instruments — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 09:06:02 +0000

[...] colleague Ratso Albion’s review of the game itself can be found here, were now going to give the instruments the same thorough examination. Are they worth taking the [...]

By: ratsoalbion

ratsoalbion — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 21:15:10 +0000

I’d give Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan 8/10 btw.
:)

By: Kayin Amoh

Kayin Amoh — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 20:51:38 +0000

That’s also another way of looking at it, of course. The average between two viewpoints in that particular case would then make Elite Beat Agents an eight and show two vastly differing viewpoints making for a more balanced viewpoint.
One man’s pearls is another man’s… something or other.
But no. No matter how you look at EBA, it’s a ten. And should have the ten enforced with riot police burning down dissenter’s homes and beating them as they crawl from the flames.
The other side of course, is that it’s your review of the Beatles and you gave it a nine and felt it deserved that mark.
And that’s that.

By: ratsoalbion

ratsoalbion — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 19:41:17 +0000

But then you gave Elite Beat Agents a 10, which gets a 6 from me.
In our scoring system, a 9 corresponds to “outstanding”, which I think this game is. I had a strong emotional response to it and it’s also arguably the best refinement of the multi-instrument genre. I would give Rock Band 2 a 10/10. This loses some marks for having less content and for being so ‘specific’, then regains some for being such an astonishing audio-visual feast.
To mark it down for non Beatles lovers would be plain foolish, as anyone who really doesn’t like the band’s music should realise it’s not for them unless they’re spectacularly stupid. Looking at the reviews on MetaCritic (and I looked at none before I wrote my review), I seem to have unwittingly aligned with most other people. I think it’s an incredible piece of work.

By: Kayin Amoh

Kayin Amoh — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 13:10:26 +0000

Ayep, it’s a slightly tricky one. It might be an idea to have someone available as a counterpoint if the game really is just specifically fan-orientated, or if someone really has a vastly different opinion.

Both give scores, and have the final score reflect the average, or if the average is impossible to work out without using fractions, have them agree if the higher or lower whole number is appropriate.

Me? I’d probably hand out a seven or eight. Ain’t that far into the career, some songs I like, others less so. Same as any music game. Closer to an eight, I’d think.

By: capone_adam

capone_adam — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:11:25 +0000

Part of me thinks ‘why is a rehashed game with a shiny new cover getting so acclaimed?’ and then another part thinks ‘Does this matter?’. It’s this weird rule I have had, perhaps schooled by Edge Magazine, where games awarded with 9′s and 10′s need to have strong innovative new gaming mechanics. However, really it should be about simply how much fun was had from the product.

I can imagine these titles being tricky to review in that they are quite dependent on DLC of which mostly is unknown at the time of writing. Then there is the question of do you account those who absolutely detest the Beatles in the review? I guess it’s similar to all genres. Do we account those who detest football and refuse to give Fifa 10 a 10/10? Of course not, you simply get someone who knows and loves that type of game who is the intended audience of the title to review it. This seems to be what has happened here so job well done but this whole subject reminds me of my ‘Good review, bad review’ feature on joypod where I do 2 reviews. One for those that like the subject and one for those that hate it. To keep both camps happy. I might do this with Beatles Rockband.

By: ratsoalbion

ratsoalbion — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:50:05 +0000

I must admit that I’ve rather failed to cover the high quality of Harmonix’ note/chord charting in this review, but then I suppose that it’s implicit in my appraisal of the overall quality.

I also omit to mention that Lennon and Harrison’s guitar parts are amalgamated due to considerations regarding the existing engine and screen clarity.

By: qazimod

qazimod — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 21:05:26 +0000

Excellent coverage of a fine game; this could so easily have ended up being a straight song pack with a few token skins thrown in if it was any other developer, but you can just sense how much care, attention to detail and goddamned love has been put into making this more than just a quick cash-in. In my opinion it’s not just a great rhythm-action game, but also a great example of how our medium can pay tribute to such an unforgettable part of music history. Being a young ‘un I missed out on Beatlemania, but playing the game has made me appreciate the intricacy of the music – even though they sound like simple pop songs, many tracks are surprisingly technical to play for their time. The note-charting feels as perfect as one would expect, and coupled with the astonishing presentation and typically excellent atmosphere brought on by a lively evening of multiplayer, this has been one of the surprise hits of the year for me.