Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Video-game review: The Beatles' make a great transition to 3D game characters
On paper, "The Beatles: Rock Band's" mission could scarcely be simpler.
Fortunately, as it did with the original "Rock Band" — and, once upon a time, the original "Guitar Hero" — Harmonix makes it look every bit as simple in practice.
The upshot is that "Beatles" is explicitly what Beatles fans would wish it to be — the original master recordings of 45 songs, neatly organized over important periods in the band's lifespan and stuffed out the gills with the imagery that similarly defined each era's importance and influence. Beyond the new support for three simultaneous singers (which in turn allows for the formation of six-player bands), the game leaves the "Rock Band" formula alone.
Where "Beatles" goes for broke, and scores, is in its inspired dedication to fan service first and everything else second.
Unlike recent "Guitar Hero" games dedicated to one band, the playlist isn't half Beatles and half other stuff, nor is it presented out of order. The career mode rides the same chronological track as the band's journey, kicking off in The Cavern Club and culminating with the 1969 Apple Corp rooftops show.
The Fab Four makes an inspired transformation into 3D videogame characters, the venues are exquisitely recreated, and the animated imagery that pops up between venues and particularly during the Abbey Road Studios sessions makes the game as sublime to watch as it is to play, particularly since so much of that imagery is out of view when your focus is on actually playing the game and hitting the notes. In terms of presentation and devotion to the subject matter, "Beatles" puts Neversoft's single-band tributes to shame.
For those who don't care for the Beatles any more than they do the Monkees, though, Neversoft's latest may actually be the better of the two games.
For starters, "Guitar Hero 5" isn't hobbled by its subject matter. Stuff that has no place in a dedicated Beatles tribute — custom character/band creation, support for any combination of four instruments, eight-player online competitive multiplayer, the ability to play as your avatars in the Xbox and Wii versions — fits in just fine here.
Similarly, while the quality of the game's 85 out-of-box tracks will vary from ear to ear, it's hard to argue against the value of 40 additional songs for the same price (and less if you're buying the instruments bundle). The GHStudio mode from last year's "World Tour" also returns with a significant user-friendliness boost, making it easier for players to record their own instrumentals, download other players' creations, or just jam for the fun of it in a makeshift recording studio.
In terms of gameplay, "GH5" plays by the same rules as "Guitar Hero" and "Rock Band" games gone by ("Beatles" included), with the capacity for drop-in/drop-out co-op and the aforementioned support for multiple instrument configurations being the only real noteworthy changes. But "GH5" gets a slight nod over "Beatles" in the note chart department, if only because it supports more difficulty levels and presents a friendlier graduation between each.
Fortunately, as it did with the original "Rock Band" — and, once upon a time, the original "Guitar Hero" — Harmonix makes it look every bit as simple in practice.
The upshot is that "Beatles" is explicitly what Beatles fans would wish it to be — the original master recordings of 45 songs, neatly organized over important periods in the band's lifespan and stuffed out the gills with the imagery that similarly defined each era's importance and influence. Beyond the new support for three simultaneous singers (which in turn allows for the formation of six-player bands), the game leaves the "Rock Band" formula alone.
Where "Beatles" goes for broke, and scores, is in its inspired dedication to fan service first and everything else second.
Unlike recent "Guitar Hero" games dedicated to one band, the playlist isn't half Beatles and half other stuff, nor is it presented out of order. The career mode rides the same chronological track as the band's journey, kicking off in The Cavern Club and culminating with the 1969 Apple Corp rooftops show.
The Fab Four makes an inspired transformation into 3D videogame characters, the venues are exquisitely recreated, and the animated imagery that pops up between venues and particularly during the Abbey Road Studios sessions makes the game as sublime to watch as it is to play, particularly since so much of that imagery is out of view when your focus is on actually playing the game and hitting the notes. In terms of presentation and devotion to the subject matter, "Beatles" puts Neversoft's single-band tributes to shame.
For those who don't care for the Beatles any more than they do the Monkees, though, Neversoft's latest may actually be the better of the two games.
For starters, "Guitar Hero 5" isn't hobbled by its subject matter. Stuff that has no place in a dedicated Beatles tribute — custom character/band creation, support for any combination of four instruments, eight-player online competitive multiplayer, the ability to play as your avatars in the Xbox and Wii versions — fits in just fine here.
Similarly, while the quality of the game's 85 out-of-box tracks will vary from ear to ear, it's hard to argue against the value of 40 additional songs for the same price (and less if you're buying the instruments bundle). The GHStudio mode from last year's "World Tour" also returns with a significant user-friendliness boost, making it easier for players to record their own instrumentals, download other players' creations, or just jam for the fun of it in a makeshift recording studio.
In terms of gameplay, "GH5" plays by the same rules as "Guitar Hero" and "Rock Band" games gone by ("Beatles" included), with the capacity for drop-in/drop-out co-op and the aforementioned support for multiple instrument configurations being the only real noteworthy changes. But "GH5" gets a slight nod over "Beatles" in the note chart department, if only because it supports more difficulty levels and presents a friendlier graduation between each.
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