During an interview with Gamasutra, The Beatles: Rock Band project lead Josh Randall revealed a great anecdote about a playtesting session. "I'm not that great, but the first time I sat in on a playtest session and saw three people singing in harmony together for "Here Comes the Sun," I swear I saw people tearing up at the end," he said. People crying while playing his game? What is this, Shadow of the Colossus?
He also points to another occasion where he saw people "hold hands -- total strangers holding hands, singing in harmony." Randall thinks the game has a lot of heart, and will evoke a lot of emotion from those who play. While we can't comment on that yet, we will say the game's opening cartoon did give us butterflies in our stomach!
Reader Comments (87)
Posted: Jun 18th 2009 2:03PM StormEagle said
Make that 2. While I appreciate what the Beatles have done for music, I'm just not a fan.
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Posted: Jun 18th 2009 2:04PM I AM IRONHIDE said
The Beatles were emotional with there music, just not this much.
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Posted: Jun 18th 2009 2:11PM (Unverified) said
This sounds like the plot of the next hot bromantic-comedy (brom-com) starring Justin Long and directed by Ken Kwapis.
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Posted: Jun 18th 2009 2:15PM (Unverified) said
Spencer Pratt finds this thread relevant to his interests
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Posted: Jun 18th 2009 2:23PM cbarrentos said
since no one has beat me to it, i'll bite.
I want to hold your hand and cry baby, cry.
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I want to hold your hand and cry baby, cry.
Posted: Jun 18th 2009 2:24PM (Unverified) said
Man, that guy is such a twat. I can't wait until someone kicks his ass.
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Posted: Jun 18th 2009 3:13PM Zoot Suit Jedi Grammar Hammer En said
I will pay money to punch Josh Randall in the face.
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Posted: Jun 18th 2009 9:11PM hey buddy said
Totally. If you come over to my place to play this, don't try to hold my hand if I don't know you very well. And no, stranger, I will not hold your hand at the Best Buy demo station either. I'm a "personal space" respectin' alt-bro and I demand the same.
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Posted: Jun 18th 2009 2:03PM cbarrentos said
first Animal Crossing, now this. won't someone think of the children?
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Posted: Jun 19th 2009 6:04AM BananaBoat said
"They're musicians that mommy and daddy listened too while making you princess, now go back to sleep"
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Posted: Jun 18th 2009 2:04PM The Albatross said
I can only imagine if Nine Inch Nails "F you like an Animal" was in this game.......
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Posted: Jun 18th 2009 2:08PM WiNGSPANTT from TopTierTacticsco said
It's called Closer.
Man, kids these days.
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Man, kids these days.
Posted: Jun 18th 2009 2:10PM (Unverified) said
*Waits for stupid heavy metal fanboys to start talking shit about this game or The Beatles*
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Posted: Jun 18th 2009 2:15PM (Unverified) said
I have played too much rock band. Every time I look at a still pic of a rock band screen the image appears to move as if the bars are moving upward. I'm dead serious.
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Posted: Jun 18th 2009 2:19PM (Unverified) said
well, you are an attorney, cant you just sue Harmonix?
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Posted: Jun 18th 2009 7:30PM (Unverified) said
Now that you mention it... I've had RB2 freeze up on me a few times, and the music kept playing. I noticed the fretboard moving backwards, and thought the whole thing was some weird glitch. But it's all in the eyes...
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Posted: Jun 18th 2009 2:20PM Petebot330 said
What is it about the Beatles that make people break out into hyperbole?
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Posted: Jun 18th 2009 2:24PM The Other Tre said
It's because apparently in a time we clearly don't know, they were described by the now-aged adjective "fab".
If that word isn't aged, then it's worn-out by little girls and their "fab" Bratz dolls.
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If that word isn't aged, then it's worn-out by little girls and their "fab" Bratz dolls.
Posted: Jun 18th 2009 2:26PM (Unverified) said
well, they bigger than Jesus
http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/uncyclopedia/images/0/0e/Lennobig_erthan_jezzie_cree.JPG
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http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/uncyclopedia/images/0/0e/Lennobig_erthan_jezzie_cree.JPG
Posted: Jun 18th 2009 2:26PM (Unverified) said
well, they were bigger than Jesus
http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/uncyclopedia/images/0/0e/Lennobig_erthan_jezzie_cree.JPG
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http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/uncyclopedia/images/0/0e/Lennobig_erthan_jezzie_cree.JPG
Posted: Jun 18th 2009 2:27PM (Unverified) said
well shit, sorry for the double (now triple) post
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Posted: Jun 18th 2009 2:24PM (Unverified) said
This doesn't beat this... I told my mother about this game. Told them that Paul and Ringo were at E3. Her response was, The Beatles would never do that. I know Paul would never allow his music to be in a game like this. I then proceeded to show her an E3 clip of Paul and Ringo at E3 and she is 100% sure that was a Paul and Ringo look-a-like... why? Cause Paul would never chew gum like that...
Now that is something worth crying about... how could she be so....
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Now that is something worth crying about... how could she be so....
Posted: Jun 18th 2009 2:40PM (Unverified) said
Seeing her claim was about McCartney "allowing his music" into a game like Rock Band, why not just show her the actual gameplay trailer, and ask her to look you in the eyes and say it's a cover band? :P
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Posted: Jun 18th 2009 2:56PM greengiant912 said
The Beatles don't actually own their music.. Believe it or not Micheal Jackson owned a lot of the share of their music up until he lost all of his money and had to sell his stake. It was obvious that Paul and Ringo did not support the game, from their attitude @ e3 "Oh look they are replacing us with androids", I can't blame them. Apple Corps is the company behind the Beatles and it was likely are corporate decision to make the game along side w/ the remastered collection.
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Posted: Jun 18th 2009 3:44PM Snake Robot Podium said
Of course it was a Paul look-a-like. Haven't you heard? Paul's a deadman, miss him, miss him, miss him.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wI-rIE23D54
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wI-rIE23D54
Posted: Jun 18th 2009 2:46PM (Unverified) said
Crying? Seriously? What the hell, man? We're talking about a band that was okay. And they're JUST A BAND. They're not the cure for cancer, they're not the answer to world hunger. They're just a band. Honestly, what is the big freaking deal about a band that hasn't produced anything new for nearly half a century?
And I like The Beatles, just not the extent where some people raise them up so high on a pedestal that they reach the moon. Just stop it. Be excited about the game, like their music, whatever, but stop with the extreme fandom.
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And I like The Beatles, just not the extent where some people raise them up so high on a pedestal that they reach the moon. Just stop it. Be excited about the game, like their music, whatever, but stop with the extreme fandom.
Posted: Jun 18th 2009 2:55PM bongoes said
I don't think the fact that they're just a band is going to stop people from worshiping them.
*Goes and bows down to my Yellow Submarine action figures*
Oh and I seriously do have Yellow Submarine action figures. They're in my living room on a huge CD cabinet.
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*Goes and bows down to my Yellow Submarine action figures*
Oh and I seriously do have Yellow Submarine action figures. They're in my living room on a huge CD cabinet.
Posted: Jun 18th 2009 4:01PM (Unverified) said
"Honestly, what is the big freaking deal about a band that hasn't produced anything new for nearly half a century?"
Yeah! What gives? Its not like half of them are dead or anythin-
Oh
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Yeah! What gives? Its not like half of them are dead or anythin-
Oh
Posted: Jun 18th 2009 4:37PM (Unverified) said
@Chad
I meant that in the "It's been so long that why are you still this obsessed?" sense
Not the "WHY haven't they produced anything new?" sense
Obviously dead people can't play instruments. Unless they brought them back as well trained zombies. Now if The Beatles were zombies, I'd understand the super cult following behind them... they'd be a zombie band for hells sake!
But before any of the Beatles had passed away, there was a time frame there were they were all still alive and very able to get back together and produce something new, but they didn't.
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I meant that in the "It's been so long that why are you still this obsessed?" sense
Not the "WHY haven't they produced anything new?" sense
Obviously dead people can't play instruments. Unless they brought them back as well trained zombies. Now if The Beatles were zombies, I'd understand the super cult following behind them... they'd be a zombie band for hells sake!
But before any of the Beatles had passed away, there was a time frame there were they were all still alive and very able to get back together and produce something new, but they didn't.
Posted: Jun 18th 2009 5:43PM Shmil said
Jack let me tell you a little thing about the classics. Casablanca, its a black and white film, poor audio, dynamite story. No fancy special effects or green screens. But people still like it because its a fucking classic movie.
The Beatles is classic rock music at its best. They were more than just their music at the time. They were a boy band, a rock band, an anti war band. The messages that eventually came into their songs were about peace and harmony. They're a bit deeper than you care to understand.
Now imagine a mozart rock band of some sort. That mutherfucker hasn't composed anything in centuries. Fuck his music.
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The Beatles is classic rock music at its best. They were more than just their music at the time. They were a boy band, a rock band, an anti war band. The messages that eventually came into their songs were about peace and harmony. They're a bit deeper than you care to understand.
Now imagine a mozart rock band of some sort. That mutherfucker hasn't composed anything in centuries. Fuck his music.
Posted: Jun 18th 2009 6:22PM (Unverified) said
@Shmil
Boy band? Agreed
Rock band? Agreed
Anti-War band? Most definitely agreed.
In fact I agree with most of your statement.
However, what is considered a "classic" artist or movie or anything that may receive the moniker is a simple matter of opinion. Relative only to the person who's making it. As I stated, I do in fact like The Beatles, I do enjoy some of their music. Not all of it, but for the most part if a Beatles song comes up on the radio (if radio actually played any decent music anymore) I wouldn't reach for the scan button or shut it off. What I fail to understand is the level of fandom that some people have for the band. They were just for young men from Liver Pool who knew how to write and play music. Nothing more, nothing less. Anyone who believes them to be gods just confuse the hell out of me.
Also, I do not appreciate your assumption that I do not care to bother to understand what they were about. It's not that I don't care to understand, it's that I just plain ol' understand it. Every Beatles fan I've met has yet to present to me an explanation that makes their status clear. They're just a band to me.
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Boy band? Agreed
Rock band? Agreed
Anti-War band? Most definitely agreed.
In fact I agree with most of your statement.
However, what is considered a "classic" artist or movie or anything that may receive the moniker is a simple matter of opinion. Relative only to the person who's making it. As I stated, I do in fact like The Beatles, I do enjoy some of their music. Not all of it, but for the most part if a Beatles song comes up on the radio (if radio actually played any decent music anymore) I wouldn't reach for the scan button or shut it off. What I fail to understand is the level of fandom that some people have for the band. They were just for young men from Liver Pool who knew how to write and play music. Nothing more, nothing less. Anyone who believes them to be gods just confuse the hell out of me.
Also, I do not appreciate your assumption that I do not care to bother to understand what they were about. It's not that I don't care to understand, it's that I just plain ol' understand it. Every Beatles fan I've met has yet to present to me an explanation that makes their status clear. They're just a band to me.
Posted: Jun 18th 2009 6:27PM (Unverified) said
because its good music. Not only that, it was a fucking cultural phenomenon back in the 60's. Like Elvis, that asshole died taking a shit but people have made serious cash just by dressing up like him. Their songs were simple and catchy and fun to sing along with. Their mop tops rallied against the establishment and showed that they were free men living their own lives. The reason they broke up and never got back together is because Paul and John were too different. Paul had Wings and wanted to do other things. John had Yoko and was tired of Paul's "silly love songs". They went from friends to hating each others guts in a matter of months. Then the others started going off their own ways as well. George had his solo career, Ringo had the All-Starr band.
BTW: Zombie John FTW
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BTW: Zombie John FTW
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