Reviews

By now, anyone interested in The Beatles: Rock Band will probably know the story of the game's development like the back of their hand. If not, read our preview, as it'll give you more of a detailed insight into the process. No doubt that the reason you've come to this review is that you want an answer to that one important question. Where did I leave my keys? Sorry - is the game any good?

Of course, there's the nice and easy cliché that if you love The Beatles and love Rock Band, then you're surely going to love this, and to an extent that is true, but there has to be a reason why. Similarly, if you don't fall into one or both or those camps, is there a possibility that this particular title could sway you? Probably not, though if you don't like the Beatles then quite frankly you have bigger problems to worry about other than not liking a game - the lack of a soul for one.

Get yourself on guitar, then put two of your mates on the bass and drums. And your bird can sing.

One thing is for sure, if you have at least played a Rock Band game in the past, you'll have a very good idea of what to expect here. Using your instrument-shaped peripherals, you play notes in time with the chart that runs down the screen, or sing in pitch (though not necessarily in-tune) with the song lyrics that run from side to side. The more accurate your playing/singing, the higher your score and final star rating will be. Naturally, if you're utterly awful, you'll likely be forced to start all over again. There are four different levels of difficulty - Easy, Normal, Hard and Expert - which means that newcomers to the series and those whose fingers aren't quite as nimble as those of the more skilled players can still slot in without too much worry.

What many veterans of the series will notice is that it's not the most difficult of games, even on the higher difficulty settings. As you progress through Story Mode the songs get younger (from early to late 1960s), not necessarily harder. Some later songs will be marked with a difficulty level of 1, maybe 2 out of 10 for guitar, with the bass and drums often ranked higher. That being said, if you're one of those people whose fingers get in a muddle the instant an orange note appears, it'll still take a fair bit of practice before you can master the higher settings. Still, it's as good a place to start as any.