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The Beatles: Rock Band will make you cry, hold a stranger's hand
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!
Rumor: The Beatles: Rock Band track list leaked [update: Harmonix says nope]
It reads like so many rhythm/music game releases in the past -- the ubiquitous track list leak. The Beatles: Rock Band is still a few months off from its September 9 release date but Ripten has gotten its hands on a leaked list of the possible tracks from the game (found after the break).The list does include the three tracks we checked out in our hands-on with the game at E3, though it also looks an awful lot like a list of Beatles singles across their career. Ripten notes that the ten tracks found in the glorious opening to the game are all included in its leaked list -- and it is approximately the same amount of tracks we know the game will be shipping with -- though we've yet to receive any official confirmation or denial from MTV Games, Harmonix, or EA.Update: A Harmonix spokesperson has confirmed to us that this leaked list of songs is definitely not the track list for The Beatles: Rock Band, saying, "The rumored 'leaked' list is not the disc track listing for The Beatles: Rock Band. We'll be announcing more tracks throughout the summer. Stay tuned to thebeatlesrockband.com for the most up to date information about disc songs and downloadable content!" %Gallery-50259%
E3 2009 highlights: The Nintendo roundup
Nintendo E3 2009 checklist: Mario? *check* Zelda? *check* Metroid? *check* Are we missing something? Head past the break to find out!
E3 2009 highlights: The Xbox roundup
E3 was brütal! If you blinked, for a split/second, you missed something. Even if you were trine to keep up, it was a blur -- staying a.wake like that, you only pushed yourself to the brink of your own dark void. That's where Joystiq comes in; to crackdown on the madness; to reach out ... with conviction -- phew! Crysis averted. We've scoured the dark corners and survived the inferno to piece together this roundup of all things Xbox at E3. Why? Just 'cause we love you. So, draw nier and shift your eyes past the break.
GameStop offers exclusive tracks, other goodies for The Beatles: Rock Band pre-orders
Should you mosey on down to your local GameStop and drop a sawbuck on any version of The Beatles: Rock Band, you're going to get more than just the usual slip of paper. GameStop is giving everyone that pre-orders the game three exclusive tracks, as well as a code for an in-game photo album.We already know that the Xbox 360 version of the game is getting the exclusive 'All You Need is Love,' and that Abbey Road will be DLC down the line, so these tracks likely won't come from that album. Also, it should be mentioned that Wii fans won't be left out in the cold, as they'll also get these three free tracks, as well as one additional item: a 2gb SD card. [Via VG247]
E3 2009, as told by Jason Sudeikis
While Joystiq sends bloggers to E3 for teh newz, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon sends Jason Sudeikis for teh lawls, as the latest episode of the late-night program shows. Available to watch right now on Hulu, highlights include Jason's brief stop by the Bayonetta area at Sega's booth, and a rather hilarious exchange with Infinity Ward about Modern Warfare 2. It's quality entertainment, and Sudeikis does a good job of making lighthearted fun of a show that we worked so hard to cover super seriously this week. Enjoy.[Thanks, Wesley!]
See The Beatles: Rock Band cartoon intro in high quality
One of the best things we've seen at E3, hands-down, has been the cartoon introduction to The Beatles: Rock Band. It was directed by Pete Candeland, of Gorillaz and Guitar Hero II animation fame. Seriously, this thing just makes our jaws collectively drop every time we see it, and we wish this was what the game actually looked like.The animation magazine Frames Per Second has the most accurate description of the trailer: "They manage to tell the career-spanning, mind-bending story of the Beatles in a couple of minutes, seamlessly blending well designed 2-D and 3-D styles of animation." We agree.
Hands-on: The Beatles: Rock Band
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-64897%%Gallery-50259%
The Beatles: Rock Band to get NO mustache DLC
Harmonix is extremely pleased that it nailed the different looks of the Beatles in The Beatles: Rock Band, straight down to the facial hair from different eras. Yes, that includes Big Beard Paul McCartney above. Harmonix community manager John Drake told us, "We're really proud of all the mustache content we have in our game. However, there will be no mustache DLC in the game. Confirmed. You heard it right here."So, if you're hoping for some kooky Salvador Dali-esque facial hair creations to come to the game at a later date, we're sorry. However, the game freaking rocks. We wouldn't even care if they featured in-game ads for the Gillette Gamer Razor in it at this point.
The Beatles: Rock Band hands-on!
We don't know if you're like us, but we've basically been waiting our whole lives to play The Beatles: Rock Band. Well, we got one step closer at E3 2009, as we were able to actually snuggle up close and personal with the full kit and see what was what (and show off our totally sick harmonies on "Here Comes the Sun"). We have to say, Harmonix has absolutely outdone themselves with this bundle -- from the Ringo-style Ludwig drum set to Paul's unmistakable Höfner Violin bass... it's all here, and it all looks brilliant. We took the boys out for a little spin (you can see our own Ross Miller on drums there), and captured just a few photos for your enjoyment. Hit the gallery below for all the goods!
The Beatles: Rock Band 'Abbey Road' E3 booth in pictures
(click to '64 arrival size) We're not gonna lie to you: we were pretty excited to walk into the MTV Games/Harmonix booth at E3. And not just because we're feeling pretty positive about the upcoming Liverpudlian-influenced game, The Beatles: Rock Band, but because of the beautiful booth setup made to look like the iconic Abbey Road Studios. Thankfully, we had our trusty camera on-hand and captured a slew of pictures of the outside (and inside, of course) of the booth, just for you. Kick your shoes off, get comfy, and calmly pore over our gallery -- won't you?%Gallery-64897%
The Beatles: Rock Band DLC not compatible with other Rock Band games
Harmonix Creative Director Josh Randall confirmed to us today that we should think of the Rock Band platform and The Beatles: Rock Band as two totally separate entities. Meaning, that The Beatles: Rock Band tracks and DLC will not be playable with any other Rock Band songs and vice versa.So, only owners of The Beatles: Rock Band will be able to download the Abbey Road album when it's released as DLC later. There will also be no export feature for The Beatles: Rock Band into Rock Band. It's really a shame and one we hope that some licensing agreement in the future can fix.
The Beatles: Rock Band intro is our 'Real Love'
Rock Band fans will no doubt recognize the 3D models found in the background action of The Beatles: Rock Band, but it was the game's intro that really stole our hearts at Microsoft's Pre-E3 Conference. Using a stylized animation that spanned the early days to the later years of the band's history, the intro video to The Beatles: Rock Band left us wishing the entire game adopted the unique style instead of the standard Rock Band look. Take a look for yourself (above) and let us know which you'd prefer.
See the first Beatles: Rock Band trailer and Ludwig drums
click to Beatles-size It debuted only a few hours ago at Microsoft's E3 press briefing, and now we have it right here for your viewing pleasure on the Joystiq stage, the first trailer for The Beatles: Rock Band. The trailer travels through the various eras of the Beatles' career, from the humble, black and white beginnings to the trippy, technicolor middle and even the famous performance atop Apple Records. Check it out after the break.We've also got the first shot of the game's Ludwig drums. We think it's safe to say they don't quite replicate the look of the real thing as well as the guitars. We're sure they play just fine though.%Gallery-50259%
Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr are at the Microsoft press conference
Hey, we'd heard rumors, but it's official, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr are at Microsoft's press briefing. The remaining Beatles seemed a little unmoved by the experience, with Ringo saying "The graphics are very good, and we were great." And Sir Paul adding "We love the game. Who'd have ever thought we'd end up as androids."We don't know how you feel, but those of us who decided against going to the conference are totally kicking ourselves.
The Beatles: Rock Band's 'All You Need is Love' exclusive download on Xbox Live
During the Microsoft E3 briefing, it was revealed that Xbox 360 gamers who pick up Rock Band: The Beatles for that console will be able to download an exclusive song, "All You Need is Love," a "special version" of the track. No date was mentioned, though one can assume it will be available on day one. It was also announced that all proceeds for sales of the tune will go to Doctors Without Borders.
Ten Beatles: Rock Band songs, first downloadable album revealed
During the big Beatles: Rock Band to-do at Microsoft's E3 keynote, ten of the forty-five newly remastered songs on the disc were announced. Here's what they are: 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 "Abbey Road" will be the first downloadable album. Oh, that's right, downloadable albums.
Dhani Harrison: Beatles Rock Band will "blow people's minds"
Speaking to musicradar.com, Dhani Harrison, son of the Beatles' George Harrison, took care not to mince his words when discussing The Beatles: Rock Band. Naturally, one would expect that someone so closely connected to the project would be pretty positive about it, but Harrison made himself quite clear, saying, "I'm not hyping in the least when I say The Beatles: Rock Band is going to blow people's minds." He then added that the game will "set a new standard for video games."Strong words to be sure, but, considering Harmonix's pedigree, it just might be true. We'll find out when we take the game for a spin next week at E3.
OFLC lists 'Rock Band Project 9' ... it's likely The Beatles: Rock Band
Australia's rating board, the OFLC, currently has a listing for "Rock Band Project 9," which it classified on April 29 of this year. We're not used to rating agencies using code terms, but it turns out that's likely what happened in this case. We got in touch with the Harmonix/MTV/EA combine and were informed by the hive mind, "We can confirm that The Beatles: Rock Band will be coming to Australia and New Zealand on September 9, 2009."But, but ... that wasn't even our question!! So, we'll take this to mean -- without it being said -- that Project 9 is code for The Beatles: Rock Band. This wouldn't be the only oddly labeled Rock Band title on the OFLC site, as Rock Band Unplugged is simply titled Rock Band PSP. Harmonix has been hiring like crazy -- and there are most certainly secret projects going on -- but "Project 9" will likely be all set to let us jam with Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band this autumn.[Thanks, Andrew]
The Beatles: Rock Band site unveils Ed Sullivan studio
The background image on the Beatles: Rock Band site has changed from a studio full of instruments to a reproduction of the set of the Ed Sullivan show from the Beatles' American debut on February 9, 1964. Without the band present, it just looks like the show is really proud of that drum riser.We're currently checking with Harmonix to verify whether you can play on this set in the actual game. With all the work that went into modeling it, it would be pretty silly if it didn't show up in the game. We would, then, also expect at least one of the songs performed at that "really big shew" to be playable: "All My Loving," "'Til There Was You," "She Loves You," and "I Want to Hold Your Hand."%Gallery-50259%
