In this post:
1. a follow-up on Katie’s curry ambition
2. and my review of The Beatles: Rock Band
As noted previously, Katie was going take a stab at learning how to make Japanese curry from scratch, since she knows how much I love the stuff. And last night marked her very first attempt! The verdict?
Simply awesome. Granted, it was a bit on the dry side, but considering it was a first try, as well as how Katie is actually not a fan of the dish herself (I can barely make stuff that I personally enjoy to eat as is, and therefore couldn’t imagine trying to make something that I don’t for someone else), it was pretty damn good.
It’s just too bad that that my less than stellar camera is not able to properly take pictures of curry dishes, something that I’ve discovered the hard way as a taste tester for Americurry. Speaking of, yes, I still write for them, so don’t ask me why nothing new from my end has been posted for months now since I’ve certainly been passing restaurant reviews along regularly… guess Chris and Karen are a bit busy these days (no sense in me bothering them yet again, at least this weekend, with PAX going on).
But yeah, dinner consisted of homemade Japanese curry, aide by some imported Japanese beer, and desert was basically Venture Brothers, on DVD. I’ve been a hardcore fan since the pilot first aired, whereas Katie has only recently gotten into it; she had previously had a not so favorable opinion of the show, though I could hardly blame her. There’s been plenty of things that I used to like but could no longer stand due to an ex, or was not a fan of but could have liked, yet had zero interest in getting more involved, again due to an ex’s overbearing degree of fanaticism. Remember folks, if you want to get your significant other to enjoy the same stuff you like, don’t be a douchebag about it. Additionally, if he or she doesn’t like it, don’t act like a big baby… sometimes its nice when the other person isn’t a clone of you.
Afterwards, when Katie had gone to bed (since she was tired from… you know… making me dinner, and being at work all day before that, since she has a real job and stuff like that), I finally got the chance to crack into the one game I had been waiting all the year to play. Which is pretty much all I did all day today as well…
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REVIEW: THE BEATLES: ROCK BAND (Xbox 360… also for the PS3 & Wii)
To call The Beatles edition of Rock Band one of the most significant video game releases in the recent memory is a massive understatement. As everyone already knows, it merges the current king of virtual rock (at least critically speaking; Guitar Hero is still brings in the most bucks, despite how the current iteration is a shell of its former self and is more or less dragging the entire music game genre into an early grave), and the most celebrated group in the history of music, period, which is no small potatoes. It seriously has the potential to surpass Wii Sports and the original Guitar Hero as this generation of gaming’s ultimate crossover, the one thing that speaks to every single non-gamer out there and convinces them to pick up a controller. How so? Because everyone loves the Beatles… or so the saying goes. The pairing certainly seems like a dream come true, especially to myself; I’ve made it no secret that I’m a huge Rock Band fanboy and have spent more money on DLC for the game in the past year than actual CDs in the past ten years. I also happen to be a card carrying Beatles devotee; all they played on the military radio station at the army base where I grew up at was classic rock, with the Beatles becoming my favorite band around the age of five. Which is why I have no real emotional attachment for all the stuff from the 80s that everyone else my age is so nostalgic for. Though I would later develop an appreciation for certain artists like Billy Idol and Duran Duran… thanks to Rock Band, oddly enough. And hence why this game has been such a big deal for me personally. So how does it stack up, when all is said and done?
First and foremost, The Beatles: Rock Band might be the classiest video game ever crafted. At the very least, it handles its subject matter with a level of respect and taste that makes it as far and away different from Guitar Hero 5 as humanly possible. That title also features dearly departed rock stars, though Kurt Cobain’s portrayal is depressing and unflattering to the point of being offensive; this sounds super ridiculous, but I was so incensed by that video I passed along last time that not only was any interest in GH5 completely dashed, but it prompted me to get rid of my copy of GH4 as well. I also recall Billy Corgan throwing a fit at some World Tour launch party late last year, which made be roll my eyes at the news of yet another spoiled rock star, till I finally saw what they did to him in the game… in retrospect, his hostility was rather justified. Meanwhile, what one gets in this latest edition of Rock Band is what one expects, that being an interactive stroll through The Beatles’ groundbreaking (and immensely enjoyable) body of work, via the proven RB formula. Which is somewhat conservative to be honest, yet as GH just recently illustrated, sometimes you just to play it safe.
The game actually hearkens back to RB1, in which everything is fairly structured; you basically go only from point A to point B, and so forth. One assumes the role of the band as a whole and performs assorted songs from a particular phase in their career, starting in 1961 at The Cavern Club, where Beatlemania officially kicked off. From there it’s onto The Ed Sullivan Show… then Shea Stadium… then to the studio, since by this time they stopped touring… all the way to the very end, their rooftop performance at Apple Studio in 1969. The track selection is, not surprisingly, top-notch; I guess with such a catalog to draw from, it?s impossible to go wrong, practically every single song was a number one hit. And side from featuring every band member’s strength, every song also provides a well-rounded workout for the player. They also wonderfully illustrate the evolution of the band by letting the music speak for itself; I still find it hard to believe that the same guys who gave the world I Want To Hold Your Hand would later deliver Helter Skelter. One might naturally expect to be inundated with a history lesson regarding each song before, during, or immediately afterward, but that’s not the case here, and it’s greatly appreciated. Instead of being told why they’re so amazing, you actually get to experience it for yourself… to a certain extent.
Back to the challenge, the difficulty is somewhat all over the place and that?s actually a good thing; early songs are not necessarily the hardest, though they can be, depending on which instrument is chosen. Though drumming is generally a bit on the difficult side (as much flack as Ringo gets, personality wise, he was a superb drummer), along with the singing, which has always been challenging, but is now even more complex since it’s no longer just one person handling the vocals but three. Scoring isslightly harsher than before and it too is welcomed; five stars, the highest rating possible, aren’t as liberally distributed this time. So in multiplayer modes, everyone has to really work together, since stars unlock various behind the scenes photographs and videos, which does the actual job of providing the history lessons. Despite being a life-long Beatles fan, I’m not exactly a walking encyclopedia of theirs, so I have no idea how rare and obscure or familiar territory much of this content is, but it’s neat nonetheless. Yet I know people will complain that it’s not enough, as well as how the game as a whole doesn’t do a good enough job of conveying the real behind the scenes story. But I find it hard to believe that Harmonix would have been given the green light of having a virtual Paul McCartney get pissed off at a virtual John Lennon for having virtual Yoko Ono hanging out at the studio.
The graphics are simply beautiful. It’s yet another example of the vastly superior art sensibilities that the Rock Band team has over their Guitar Hero counterparts; you can’t contribute the creepy look of Kurt Cobain to the uncanny valley since that would mean he looks somewhat realistic. Whereas here the boys from Liverpool are just cute and cuddly caricatures that, while still very much cartoony, truly embodies the spirits of the real things. These same artists also did an amazing job of creating visuals to accompany the later, more harder edged and introspective songs. Along with the ones that were clearly composed while the Fab Four were on hallucinogenics. Regarding the audio, each tune is based on the newly remastered recordings that goes on sale on the same day of the game’s release (or is available now and for free, if you know where to look, since everything seems to get leaked in advanced these days), so it goes without saying that even longtime fans have never heard the Beatles sound as good.
For this review, the game was entirely played with RB2 accessories. Wasn’t lucky enough to get the brand new guitar controllers based on the Fab Four’s actual instruments of choice, which are sexy as all hell, though since I don’t have the apartment space to spare, so it’s just as well. At least I was provided an additional wireless microphone, to go with the two I already have from Lips, Microsoft’s karaoke game from last year. So if you have that title already, you’re go to go with the intended six player action, provided you also have an entire RB1/RB2 set-up already. Which might be the way to go, unfortunately; as neat as the updated gear might be, the price they fetch might be a too much for most. The cost involved in getting these fancy new plastic guitars could easily be put towards an actual one, whereas many places are practically giving away the “old” RB hardware. Please also note that the only way to really play is with just three others; both singing and playing an instrument simultaneously is quite the task, even if it’s not real, but back then all the rock stars did it all. And on a semi-related note, the one thing I mostly took away from the game was how vastly inferior the music of today is in comparison, but that’s a whole different topic for another time.
Moving on, there’s also a Beatles Rock Band store, for acquiring additional songs and prolonging the life of the title. Unfortunately it’s not up as of yet, but will be by the time the game finally ships. Quick funny aside: all us reviewers were given orders to not touch it until launch day since doing so could potentially crash the infrastructure that’s still being put together! Honestly, that there could be the only thing to totally screw up the entire package: if the price of additional tunes are overpriced. Which I can easily see happening, since we are talking about the hottest game of the year, featuring the music of the biggest band ever. I can also already hear people bitching that the number of songs that are already included, which is 45, being not enough. But you know how hardcore gamers are… they love to complain about everything.
Which is why I’m dying to know how they’ll receive this game. Along with actual Beatles fans, primarily those who would normally not give a damn about video games. I’ve already heard various people state that it might trigger a new wave of Beatlemania, and how it might be the most important video game made yet. Really? Because you know how video game journalists are… they love to say outrageous stuff as well. All that’s really important is that it’s a Beatles game done absolutely right. But even more unique is how it’s something so hotly anticipated that still manages to totally hit the mark.
