Guitar Hero: The Beatles sends us into a terrifying alternate universe
by JC Fletcher 
{ Sep 7th 2009 at 11:00AM } 
The Guitar Hero: Whoever series reached its ridiculous extreme with the recent announcement that the Van Halen game would be given away as a freebie with Guitar Hero 5. While we appreciate it as a deal, it shows just how much even Activision thinks of it.
[Thanks, Jeff]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Special Agent Steve @ Sep 7th 2009 11:04AM
Hasn't this been up for a while? I mean, we've been making jokes about Guitar Hero Beatles the entire week.
Archon (PSN: Archonik, XBL: DarkARHN) @ Sep 7th 2009 11:22AM
Yeah, I also Tipped it to Joystiq a few days ago. I think they were in a come or something.
KFelon @ Sep 7th 2009 12:53PM
Everybody knows the Beatles are bigger than Jesus.
The Artist formally known as Jesus @ Sep 7th 2009 1:08PM
=(
SpikeDelight @ Sep 7th 2009 2:58PM
Wow. Comedy nirvana.
the_pop @ Sep 7th 2009 3:18PM
I also believe Joystiq are in a comb.
Gloqwi @ Sep 7th 2009 3:49PM
Someone posted this in the comments on some other Beatles story.
KiKiN @ Sep 7th 2009 6:31PM
KFelon:
Everybody knows the Beatles are bigger than Jesus.
who are you? a 70 year old atheist?
Special Agent Steve @ Sep 7th 2009 7:31PM
The Artist:
I'm so glad your account exists.
KFelon @ Sep 7th 2009 7:54PM
@KiKiN
Hate to tell you, but John Lennon actually said that, not me. Perhaps you need a history lesson.
The Beatles aren't my type of music, but I do know they are one of the most influential bands of all time. If you were going to chose a band to focus an entire music game around, you couldn't pick a bigger band from any Rock genre. The closest one would be The Rolling Stones maybe?
Matisyahu Serious @ Sep 8th 2009 12:25PM
joystiq has a combover?
Enosoma @ Sep 7th 2009 11:06AM
Not funny.
Flit @ Sep 7th 2009 11:16AM
I think someones feelings are hurt.
Mr. Manly ESC Mcbeefington Ferguson The Second @ Sep 7th 2009 11:21AM
Why so serious Kotick?
Jinsenken @ Sep 7th 2009 11:07AM
Guitar Hero updates on this site are the equivalent of Twitter updates. Just not interesting :(
Jinsenken @ Sep 7th 2009 11:54AM
I'm not saying Twitter is interesting btw. Just so damn many guitar hero updates that always say the same stuff.
Spike @ Sep 7th 2009 3:22PM
its because a new one comes out every 12 minutes, and it is a game, and this is a game blog
mynk @ Sep 7th 2009 4:59PM
the reason that the same complaints aren't being made rb:b is because it actually is different than other rock band games, as joystiq best put it, its a video game documentary of the beatles, where harmonix has actually worked to make this band come to life in the game. though it may be for the beatles fans more than for the normal audience, rock band has actually made the game based around beatles, rather than make another rb and throw a few beatles songs in there for good measure.
tmacairjordan87 @ Sep 7th 2009 11:11AM
I laughed at some of it cause it had some factual ties to it, but some of it was just wrong. Like in GH Metallica, there weren't any covers to any of the Metallica songs, and each of the different bands in there were actually inspirations to them or good friends with them.
Like I said before, if there really was a GH Beatles it would be met with the same backlash as all the others even if it was made well like Metallica's was. Harmonix really can do no wrong at this point.
WINterfang @ Sep 7th 2009 11:15AM
All Harmonix love is gonna backfire someday at the minor mistake of them, Fanboys are terrible human beings.
Enosoma @ Sep 7th 2009 11:16AM
I'll bet $50 Monopoly bucks that they come out with Guitar Hero: The 80's sometime in the next year. Why else give out Van Halen for free? TO PREPARE US... :(
tmacairjordan87 @ Sep 7th 2009 11:18AM
They already did
http://www.gamestop.com/Catalog/ProductDetails.aspx?product_id=65809
I believe it was Harmonix's last Guitar Hero game with Activision.
Matt @ Sep 7th 2009 11:19AM
They already made Guitar Hero: The 80's (might be not be the exact title) smart guy. It was released between GH2 and GH3. I'd look into what has already happened before you attempt to make a joke.
Slyphon Filter @ Sep 7th 2009 11:19AM
i just like RB better because of the better note charts and the cleaner interface. that, and my library of songs is a lot bigger because of RB1 import and some DLC. harmonix does deserve the love because they actually do work to be perfect. have you seen the smells like teen spirit note charts in GH5? nuff said.
Look At This Suit @ Sep 7th 2009 11:20AM
about that...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guitar_Hero_Encore:_Rocks_the_80s
tmacairjordan87 @ Sep 7th 2009 11:22AM
I like Rock Band more too, hell I have over 300 songs at least and haven't bought a core Guitar Hero game since 3. But GH Metallica was really good and made really well, thanks to the mo cap they did it really looked like a Metallica concert. But thanks to the gaming media, they made it look like a cheap cash in that was throw together in 2 months.
knor @ Sep 7th 2009 11:22AM
@enosoma. Go back in time to July 2007. Guitar Hero rocks the 80s came out.
So they are giving out van halen in preperation for a game that came out 2 years ago?
Enosoma @ Sep 7th 2009 11:22AM
Oh crap, didn't realize. Shows how much I care about this sort of thing.
Matt @ Sep 7th 2009 11:24AM
@ Slyphon Filter
You're kidding me right? You're gonna knock off a game because the note chart is bad? The games are supposed to be fun and people can play the songs they like. If you're gonna complain the note chart isn't close enough to the real song or something stupid like that, why aren't you complaining about how you're using a plastic guitar instead of a real one?
tmacairjordan87 @ Sep 7th 2009 11:29AM
Here's a perfect example.
http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/xbox360/guitarherometallica?q=guitar%20hero%20metallica
Look at the summaries of the lower scores. What's their complaints: That it's a game strictly for fans of Metallica and that it isn't very different than the other guitar hero games.
Sound familiar? It should, cause that's exactly what RB Beatles is but those same complaints are either not being said at all or they're knocked down to extremely minor complaints that don't affect the score at all. I rest my case.
Mr. Manly ESC Mcbeefington Ferguson The Second @ Sep 7th 2009 11:29AM
I hated Guitar Hero Aerosmith,only like twenty something songs and they only managed to included less than 8 of the good ones,what the hell?
Hey Activision can you see those albums that are labeled greatest hits,see those? Those are the songs we wanted for Aerosmith GH.
In genereal that is also the problem I have with GH,I only like 8 of the total songs more or less and I'm not a fan of smashing my fingers against a plastic ukulele on expert just to get to the ones I like.
Yeah everyone seems to love rock band but you know is one of those strange cases were everyone is right,I played RB at a blockbuster for a while and I found at least 14 songs I liked just like that and the interface is indeed cleaner.
So far I have only bought GH2 and the Ds version (which isn't bad) and I'm looking foward to buy the Beatles Rock Band as my first Rock Band game.
Matt @ Sep 7th 2009 11:32AM
Well Mr. Manly ESC Mcbeefington Ferguson The Second... Why the hell would you buy the game in the first place? And then proceed to bitch about it? Most people would take a look at the setlist first and then decide if there are enough songs they like to buy the game.
Mr. Manly ESC Mcbeefington Ferguson The Second @ Sep 7th 2009 11:38AM
Matt:
I never did retard,last paragraph.
I bought GH2 and the DS version on 40$ each,I bought GH2 around 3/World Tour and played the rest while I waited in the Gamerush infront of my local starbucks.
Learn2read.
Dowse @ Sep 7th 2009 1:25PM
The older versions of guitar hero had a lot of cover versions of the songs.
ill trooper @ Sep 7th 2009 2:15PM
"Harmonix really can do no wrong at this point."
...Because they've earned that reputation by making this genre as we know it today, taking it to new levels by adding the drums and vocals, and living up to their promise of quality weekly DLC like they said they would.
While Guitar Hero, who has spammed their franchise, has not lived up to the DLC potential they should have, and has arrived late with the multi-instruments, I have no trouble assuming that whatever Harmonix is putting out is going to be good at this point.
Crayfish @ Sep 7th 2009 2:58PM
@Matt
Yes, a note chart can be important. As for me, it either makes or breaks my immersion and/or fun (haven't decided which exactly it is, or if it's both) in "playing the song". And I don't necessarily mean because it's just like playing a real guitar, because of course it's never going to be the same. But so far a very small percentage of GH games post-Neversoft have *clicked* for me when playing. At one point I actually thought I had just gone off rhythm games, until I finally decided to pick up RB a year late after its release, and everything felt right again.
Case in point (and this addresses your other post, too), GH:WT had some awesome songs on it, which in turn should have been awesome for me to play; but they were underwhelming. RB has some songs that I find audibly awful, but I actually enjoy playing. I thought Matthew Sweet's "Girlfriend" in GH2 was a horrible song, but it turned out to be pretty fun, game-wise.
For the record, I'm not a power-gamer, and in turn don't believe that more difficulty always = more fun.
Slyphon Filter @ Sep 7th 2009 11:58PM
i do agree tmac, GH:metallica was ripped on way too much. the beatles may have a bigger audience, but it's the same principal. and matt, the note charts help you feel like you're actually playing, at least a bit. if the note charts aren't anywhere close to what the song plays like, can you feel like a rock star? and isn't that what these games are about? to play these songs just like a rock star? to do that on a real guitar would take years of practice. these games take minutes. see what i'm getting at, or should i carefully explain each and every bit?
guttertalk @ Sep 8th 2009 11:53AM
'Sound familiar? It should, cause that's exactly what RB Beatles is but those same complaints are either not being said at all or they're knocked down to extremely minor complaints that don't affect the score at all.'
First, there's a HUGE difference in the appeal of the Beatles versus Metallica (whom I respect but don't care for that much).
Second, RB:Beatles introduces new Beatles material.
Third, the art for some of the Beatles tracks (notably the dreamscapes) are different from what we've seen before.
I'm also pretty sure that the ability to have 3 vocalists is different.
Is there still hypocrisy in how GH and RB games are treated? Probably, but RB:Beatles isn't an example.
Matthew Perry @ Sep 7th 2009 11:14AM
That video could have been hilarious, but alas.
"Have you ever wondered why single-band Guitar Hero games meet with a chorus of groans, but when Rock Band does it, it's assumed to be the best thing ever?"
Because Joystiq has the highest concentration of RB fanboys on the entire internet.
Sure, Van Halen was a bad idea, but Guitar Hero Metallica is still the all-around most solid rhythm game on the market.
tmacairjordan87 @ Sep 7th 2009 11:16AM
"Because Joystiq has the highest concentration of RB fanboys on the entire internet"
That may be true, but the whole gaming media has done a good job twisting everything Harmonix does into a great thing. The sad thing is, I come off supporting Guitar Hero when really I don't approve of multiple games per year or band games (except Metallica, it was really good).
I just want the hypocrisy to stop. If you're gonna call one out, call the other out when it does the same thing.
Sheppy (of the Fidlious Clan of Wong) @ Sep 7th 2009 11:19AM
Nope, that honor belongs to Amplitude...
Slyphon Filter @ Sep 7th 2009 11:21AM
"but Guitar Hero Metallica is still the all-around most solid rhythm game on the market."
if you don't mind me asking, what's your reasoning?
Gemini Ace @ Sep 7th 2009 11:27AM
VH will probably be really good. I mean, it's Eddie VanHalen. Isn't he still one of the greatest guitarists ever? Seems like a perfect fit to me.
And I voted you up.
clif @ Sep 7th 2009 11:49AM
"Because Joystiq has the highest concentration of RB fanboys on the entire internet"
you're all wrong
http://www.rockband.com/forums/
Matthew Perry @ Sep 7th 2009 12:21PM
Thanks for proving my point for downvoting me.
@Slyphon Filter: I think it's the best rhythm game because it has the best ratio of fun to play songs to good songs. Plus, Neversoft really stepped up their game in terms of presentation.
WINterfang @ Sep 7th 2009 12:37PM
Matthew for you to get half a heart more than one person has to downvoted you, I don't know the exact amount but at the very least 5 people.
Veko @ Sep 7th 2009 12:44PM
@Matthew Perry
"Thanks for proving my point for downvoting me."
Thank you for saying the stupid thing every idiot says.
We down voted you because you're stupid, not because we're fans of RB. We down voted you because only an ignorant Activision fanboy would refuse to admit that all Activision games, including GH, are whored out as often and as long as they can.
Stop trying to make yourself sound like a martyr, it only makes you sound stupid.
NatKingKerce @ Sep 7th 2009 2:28PM
Maybe people treat it in higher regard because The Beatles are a much bigger deal than Metallica? Maybe?
Blind Io @ Sep 7th 2009 7:10PM
@Veko
You're mad at Activision because they have a business model that works? I'll admit that they're putting out a bit too many GH games per year, but it works better than Harmonix's business model. You want to know why it works? Because game releases get advertising and weekly DLC doesn't. That's probably why they're releasing Rock Band Unplugged, The Beatles: Rock Band, and Lego Rock Band all within a 6 month time frame. I'm just hoping that they're going to release a RB3 sometime next year that has more time put into it than RB2 did (ask European and Australian gamers what they think of RB2....i think they still don't have it). And for fuck sake steal some stuff from GH....open strums bass notes, broken chords, a jukebox mode, something of a story mode and some better character customization.
Slyphon Filter @ Sep 7th 2009 11:59PM
fair enough, can't call anyone out on their music taste unless it includes disturbed, the jonas brothers AND nickelback.