by TWODOGSz
©2009 Aaron Bertinetti (News Editor)
There was a split second at the start of Microsoft’s keynote yesterday when I questioned not only the keynote but what the hell was so special about The Beatles: Rock Band?
All We Needed Was Love
But just five minutes later, even before Ringo and Paul trotted out (noticeably from the opposite side of the stage to Yoko Ono) I was sold. And it wasn’t just myself, there seemed to be a general consensus amongst press and the guys at Infinity Ward who I happened to sit with.
In an effortless, nostalgic trailer, Harmonix conveyed exactly why their music games are so loved, and how much they themselves love The Beatles. It’s that love of music that really shines through with Harmonix titles and in my mind at least sets them apart from Activision and Neversoft’s more blatantly commercially motivated licensed efforts, with GH: Metallica being a striking exception rather than the rule.
It was this jaded view of licensed games that had tempered my interests in The Beatles: Rock Band, until it’s unveiling at the Microsoft keynote had turned it into a tangible and exciting prospect for me, as opposed to the curiosity of just minutes earlier. And just in case anyone had any doubts, there was Harmonix, live on stage clearly, having a ball playing the game, making sweet harmonies and generally hamming it up for the cameras.
With musical endorphins putting a whimsical smile on my face, the final pitch came with a sneak peak of ten of the 45 songs just to remind me how good the Beatles were and still very much are. In fact they’ve never sounded better, given all the tracks have been remastered for the game and the rerelease of the Beatles entire catalogue.
What tracks exactly?
How about I Saw Her Standing There, I Wanna Hold Your Hand, I Feel Fine, Day Tripper, Tax Man, I am the Walrus, Back in the USSR, Octopus’s Garden, Here Comes the Sun, Get Back, and an Xbox 360 exclusive eleventh track “All You Need Is Love”, with all proceeds from the exclusive DLC going to Doctors Without Borders.
And just for good measure expect full remastered album releases, with Abbey Road available in its entirety soon after the games launch. My fingers are crossed that given the enduring appeal of The Beatles, we can expect a day and date release in Australia in line with the US and Europe.
The end result?
Five minutes into the Microsoft keynote, I was ready to play The Beatles: Rock Band and not in a “I might buy it” kind of way, but with a “I’m getting this on launch!” certainty.
The dial was turned to 11 when Microsoft telegraphed the presence of The Beatles, before they appeared both in spirit (widows Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison) and person (Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr).
It was one hell of a way to start a kick arse keynote, and one hell of a way to sell a game.
OXCGN will be hands on with The Beatles: Rock Band later today so stay tuned for our hands on impressions, and the answer to whether we can sing beautiful harmonies together or at odds?!
©2009 Aaron Bertinetti
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Filed under: Console gaming, E3 2009, Game Impressions, New Game Information, New Xbox 360 Games, Xbox 360, Xbox 360 Game Previews, Xbox 3rd party exclusives, XboxLive Marketplace Tagged: | "Microsoft’s E3 2009 keynote", "Rock Band", "the Beatles Rock Band", 360, Activison, EA, GH: Metallica, Harmonix, Neversoft, Olivia Harrison, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, The Beattles, Xbox 360, Xbox 360 Exclusive, Yoko Ono
