Hands-on: The Beatles: Rock Band

by Ben Gilbert { Jun 3rd 2009 at 10:00PM }

It'd be a lie to say what we played of The Beatles: Rock Band was much more than the game you already know (and maybe love): Rock Band 2. We should also note, for full disclosure and all that good stuff, that we love The Beatles with all our hearts. And so, rather than tell you about the little of the game we could play (10 songs from the game and no campaign mode whatsoever), we're going to talk about the game's instruments -- the one notable change from previous Rock Band titles.

We sat down with the game's rendition of Ringo Starr's Ludwig drums and, erm, stood up with Paul McCartney's Hoffner bass for three different songs ("Taxman," "Here Comes the Sun," and "I Am the Walrus"). Here's the news: the drums are nearly identical to the drums that shipped with Rock Band 2, aside from a nylon screen, faking the outside of a bass drum.

Gallery: The Beatles: Rock Band 'Abbey Road' Booth @ E3

Gallery: The Beatles: Rock Band

Sure, they feel good and solid and look sort of like Starr's set, but looks is unfortunately where the similarities end. The situation is similar for the Hoffner bass, with the strum bar feeling just as spongey and imprecise as ever. The buttons on the fret bar felt kludgey, making distinguishing which one you're pushing all the more difficult.

All complaints with the hardware aside, The Beatles: Rock Band's gameplay remains just as engaging and addictive as ever. The fact that The Beatles' music is tied to the game certainly helps the game's case with us as well. With any luck, MTV Games will decide to give us a closer look into the campaign mode before the September 9 release date. Otherwise, we're feeling a bit ... skeptical.

Tags: ea, hands-on, harmonix, mtv-games, the-beatles, the-beatles-rock-band

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Peter Moore @ Jun 3rd 2009 10:05PM

Am I the only one that prefers the Rock Band guitar to the Guitar Hero ones? I kinda like that the strum bar doesn't make an audible clicking sound and the fret buttons are easier to slide up and down with, as their aren't extruding from the neck.

To each his own, I guess.

MystileArmor @ Jun 3rd 2009 10:06PM

Is it cause you won't accidently press the guide button on 'm while playing?

Koehler83 @ Jun 3rd 2009 10:07PM

I doubt you're the only one, but I hate how the RB guitar's buttons are recessed into the fret board. Not only is that absolutely NOT realistic, it makes changing finger positions that much more difficult. (Not that you need to move your fingers to play Rock Band)

Young_Nastyman @ Jun 3rd 2009 10:07PM

I hate clicking, I HATE CLICKING!!!!

Peter Moore @ Jun 3rd 2009 10:08PM

I press guide buttons all the time. Halo? Guide button. Gears? Guide button. Watching a movie? Guide button.

tcc3 @ Jun 3rd 2009 10:14PM

No you're not the only one. The stiffer strum bar lets you flick with your thumb like you're actually strumming something. It also doesn't bounce and register 2 strums like the GH one will.

The wide flat buttons makes them easier to find/press. It also makes it easier to slide your hand back and forth for chords.

Fane @ Jun 3rd 2009 10:28PM

I concur. The RB guitar is the vastly superior design. I don't OWN any GH guitars, so I can't comment on durability or the like.Also, I mostly play drums and sing.

Don-Don @ Jun 3rd 2009 10:40PM

I also concur. The flat fret buttons are easier for me to slide on, and they take less pressure to press. I don't know if its my large hands or the much thicker neck, but my hands always cramp using GH guitars.

But I'm not saying GH guitars are crap for everyone, just me. And personal preference is really all that should matter.

Robert Maynard @ Jun 3rd 2009 11:14PM

I can't stand playing the old ones anymore, because of how much more comfortable I know it can be. :P
Also I hate the clicking of the GH strummers. The RB frets sort of replace it with clacking, but it's still quieter.

Tyler @ Jun 3rd 2009 11:15PM

A RB strat was my first guitar. I played it for months unti I boughtl GH: WT. I bought the GH guitar/game combo and I only played with the guitar for maybe 2 days (the game not much longer). I think maybe in a lot of cases, people played on GH guitars for so many years anything else feels uncomfortable. Either way you go the strat will always look better!

aggrazel @ Jun 4th 2009 9:41AM

I started playing these games with the GH3 les paul. I still have the les paul but 5 months ago or so I bought the RB2 strat and I love it. My wife uses the les paul for bass, and she prefers it to my strat. The buttons are slightly harder to depress on the strat and the whammy bar is more difficult to use on the strat. It took me a few play sessions to really get the hang of it but once I did I hate going back to the les paul, which I really only do for GH3 (GH:WT lets me use the strat, why can't GH3?).

After playing some GH3 my fret hand starts to hurt now because of the thickness of the neck on the Les Paul, i've gotten used to the thinner strat. I could play all day on the strat and not get tired.

Stupid @ Jun 4th 2009 12:39PM

I started with the GH3 Les Paul. When i bought Rock Band (the first one) and picked up the Strat, I was in love. I hate the clicky artificial feel of the Les Paul. Sure it may "feel" more precise, but it has way too much bounce. And if you strum v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y (which you would never do in a real game situation) you'll note that the "click" feature is -different- than the actual strum registration (at least on mine). That's right, it clicks ever-so-slightly BEFORE the strum! In normal play the difference eis negligible and you'll hit the strum every time no matter what, but somehow just knowing that the click is "artificially inserted" lessens the experience to me.

MystileArmor @ Jun 3rd 2009 10:08PM

Is there anybody going to listen to my story,
All about a game I wanna play...

It's the kinda game I want so bad, it makes you sorry
Still I won't regret a single day...

Double J @ Jun 3rd 2009 10:10PM

I don't have any problems with the spongy strum bar on the Rock Band guitar. I actually do better in the games than with a Guitar Hero guitar. Plus, the clicking of a GH guitar drives me and everyone around me nuts.

Link408 @ Jun 3rd 2009 10:20PM

Yes!!!
when my brothers friend was staying at our house for a while
he would always play GH:3 on the Wii at night
and the Strum always drove me crazy
cause he would clack it so damn hard
and so it almost always Double hit
so he would get mad and reset the song
so i would have to listen to TtFaF like a good 10-15 times a night

arrness @ Jun 3rd 2009 10:20PM

in other news,

they look badass

Andy Anonymous @ Jun 8th 2009 2:17PM

Ben obviously learned on the GH guitars. Those who do tend to favor them, while people who learn on the RB guitars tend to favor those. Personally, I don't find the RB2 strum bar "spongy" at all (the RB1 model was a different story).

lanceyami03 @ Jun 3rd 2009 10:36PM

I can't wait to hear the crowd sing along to Hey Jude in 9.1 Surround Sound =D

Tehman @ Jun 3rd 2009 10:45PM

That animation was totally awesome....

3dpenguin @ Jun 3rd 2009 10:46PM

I still haven't seen one iota of a statement about what is included in the interment/game collector's set exactly... Does anybody actually know beyond the Base, Drums, and Mic?

milan @ Jun 3rd 2009 10:57PM

HYPE HYPE HYPE catch the fever!

WRYYYYYY @ Jun 4th 2009 1:11AM

I think it comes with a mic stand.

Flip @ Jun 3rd 2009 10:48PM

Does anyone honestly think this game will have any really challenging songs on it? I mean, yeah, The Beatles are a great band, there's no question to me on that, but unless there are other, more recent bands, I can't imagine having to actually worry about failing anything...

lanceyami03 @ Jun 3rd 2009 10:53PM

The point to playing Rock Band wasn't FCing everything and getting 100%, its about having fun thinking that you're at a concert playing for a live audience. I'd rather have fun playing a simple yet beautiful song than failing at a finger-bleeder and not even know what the hell is going on.

Voshempa @ Jun 3rd 2009 10:59PM

Taxman comes to mind. I wish I could play it in real life like Paul did. I love that solo. Greatness.

3dpenguin @ Jun 3rd 2009 11:04PM

Have you ever actually listened to The Beatles? The cord progressions conceived by Paul, George, and John from Rubber Soul on, and some signs of these harmony styles were showing up from the start of the band, are actually considered quite ground breaking for their time. Tell you what... you try to play through Helter Skelter on a normal guitar and tell me there's no challenge to it, not to mention there is a lot to be said about tempo and timing which can make a song which seems easy at first become challenging...

Tyler @ Jun 3rd 2009 11:18PM

@ Voshempa:

Didn't Paul play bass?

Flip @ Jun 3rd 2009 11:22PM

@3dpenguin - Most of the songs for me on an actual guitar are difficult mainly because I'm just starting to teach myself (and with a broken nut, that's gotten much more difficult). For the most part, the plastic interpretation is MUCH simpler, save a few songs (like ones with a considerable amount of open notes that GHWT pulled off, but RB has yet to). Helter Skelter, for the most part, would be FUN, but not really challenging.

VaultICEE @ Jun 3rd 2009 11:36PM

Fun > challenge, says I.

Also, just because the bass and guitar aren't the most difficult doesn't mean the drums and vocals aren't. Expect to see a couple doozys in this game...

Jonah @ Jun 3rd 2009 11:06PM

Ok, I have had it. Since you don't have a forum, I have nowhere else to go and COMPLAIN! You've written a dozen articles on dance dance dj rock a billy bull honky! Where t F is the OP flashpoint? Where's battlefield? I saw one, thats right, one article on Splinter Cell. Wtf Joystiq? No word on any demos coming out? Relase dates for these games? Maybe some hands on? Neigh they say. I am so disappointed in you guys, and that sucks too cuz I think your writers are great. I give up, I thought this place was going to be THE place to get my E3 news, but it aint.

3dpenguin @ Jun 3rd 2009 11:12PM

Cool down dude... they can only tell you what they know...

lanceyami03 @ Jun 3rd 2009 11:12PM

;O -1

VaultICEE @ Jun 3rd 2009 11:35PM

Whine whine whine.

I for one think Joystiq is bringing an INCREDIBLE amount of coverage.

MystileArmor @ Jun 3rd 2009 11:56PM

If you don't like it, fuck off to IGN, Gamespot or wherever the fuck you want to be. I love Joystiq just the way it is, and wouldn't want it any other way.

Also, all the journalists here at Joystiq do an excellent job, articles are well written, smart and clever and they bring a sense of humor to blogs very uncommon nowadays. Taking the fact into consideration they are under a heavy time constraint to bring you as much articles as they do, they do a PHENOMENAL job. Also, you don't pay any fee to be reading Joystiq, so don't bitch. If you're really that needy to find info on that one game you love, fucking google it yourself you douche.

MystileArmor @ Jun 3rd 2009 11:58PM

Also, you could've emailed your complaint, instead of bitching about it.

aristokrat @ Jun 4th 2009 2:25AM

I think E3 is THE place to get your E3 news. Everything else is just secondhand.

Flip @ Jun 3rd 2009 11:18PM

@lanceyami03 - I agree that a large part of playing RB or even GH is the fun factor. I mean, there are songs that are just stupid hard and I don't like playing, but some songs that are fairly challenging like The Grateful Dead, Boston, or Muse are just simply more fun to me. I mean, yes, YMMV, but when I'm moving my hand up and down the neck (even ever so slightly), and have to actually get involved, I get more of that "live audience" feel rather than just being bored, laying on my couch on the slower songs, which I occasionally do, even on expert. (Not bragging about my skills, just saying it can get pretty blah).

lanceyami03 @ Jun 3rd 2009 11:24PM

Oh no I agree with you completely. There are those songs that are both challenging and beautiful to listen to. I just dislike songs like TTFAF. As for GH, activision fixed the whole difficulty problem with world tour, but they still don't get it yet. HMX all the way baby.

coil @ Jun 4th 2009 12:31AM

WHAT ABOUT THE SINGING?!

Not a single blog has mentioned the singing, which IMO sounds like the most interesting part of the game!

ill trooper @ Jun 4th 2009 1:40AM

I agree! Certain screen grabs look like they have two- and three-part harmonies, and yet no one writes about it. WHAT'S UP, JOYSTIQ? You played it, let us know.

xbones0013 @ Jun 4th 2009 12:37AM

I love the flat buttons, much like real guitar, i love no click. I think both are good guitars and just preference.. After playing guitar hero 1 and 2, then going to RB, it was quite a change and at first didn't like the RB guitar, but then found it so much easier to play than the GH one.

Anyways I love that Peter Moore actually posted in this forum and EA rocks, so does E3 and XBOX!

Mr. Bungo @ Jun 4th 2009 12:44AM

I'm not expecting the Beatles tunes to be extremely challenging, but I am expecting them to be just plain fun. The songs themselves are so good and catchy, that just strumming/banging/crooning along should be a blast. Some of my favorite songs on Rock band aren't extremely difficult, but the music itself connects so well that "playing" them adds an extra jolt of goodness over just listening to them.

The Beatles also covered so many different styles that there should be a really nice variety of tempo, vibe, etc. Unlike games based on some fun but more stylistically limited bands, I doubt I'll miss any "opening acts" in Beatles Rock Band.

And I've already been suckered into pre-ordering a plastic George Harrison Gretsch guitar. Those things look too sweet. Plus I'm of the camp that prefers the RB guitars to the GH models, especially after the improvements in the RB2 Strats. After getting used to that feel, My GH Les Paul just feels a little clunky, and loud.

RatMasterD21 @ Jun 4th 2009 2:11AM

this game looks awesome. I really love the beatles music and i prefer rockband to GH. lets face it GH is more Metal i mean GH Matalica?...they suck...HARD not as hard as Arosmith does though.

That Animation was perfect BTW (this is coming from an animator) i mean it was some of the most beautiful animation i've seen for a video game maybe the best.

Raymond @ Jun 4th 2009 9:22PM

I really don't care whether the songs are hard or not. The simple fact of the matter is that you get to play the cool music that was the Beatles. The Beatles pretty much set the stage for every one that came after them.

In my opinion they are the Genesis of Rock and Roll in this country and for that matter around the world. I think that the new version will be what you want it to be. I have some of my other thoughts on the upcoming title if you like to read them at http://www.squidoo.com/beatlesrockband