Opinion: The Beatles Rock Band is The Wii of Music Games

Being a trade site and newsletter, IndustryGamers doesn't review games per se, but we sure play the heck out of them, especially those we like. And The Beatles Rock Band, which just launched today, is one we like a lot. This editor, who grew up on '80s and '90s rock music, never was a self-professed Beatles nut, but what's so brilliant about Harmonix's fantastic tribute to the Fab Four is it lets those of us who weren't alive in the '60s understand what Beatlemania is all about.  

The game's chronological presentation, beautiful artwork and animation and unlockable extras make The Beatles Rock Band a must have for any Beatles fan. To call The Beatles Rock Band “just another” music game along the lines of Guitar Hero Aerosmith or Guitar Hero Metallica does a great disservice to the meticulous attention Harmonix paid to one of the greatest bands of all time and the finely tuned gameplay. 

The game's artwork is so good that sometimes you're distracted from hitting the right notes!

But what impresses us most is how the game can truly be enjoyed by anyone. The Beatles' songs are not only melodious, but they're practically timeless. A 60-year-old and a 10-year-old can both gain immense satisfaction from playing this game (possibly together) and that's really saying something. The Beatles Rock Band is truly the Wii of current music video games, and it might even entice more middle aged folks to get into gaming (much like the Wii did).  

The game not only fits the “universal appeal” mantra of Nintendo's Wii, but it's also managed to penetrate the mainstream in a similar manner. Perhaps we shouldn't be surprised, but we're honestly a bit taken aback by how quickly MTV and Harmonix successfully latched onto the mainstream. Newspapers, websites, TV news... they're all covering The Beatles Rock Band either in short snippets or in-depth. Heck, the New York Times already smothered the game with lavish praise, calling it a "cultural watershed" and saying it could be "the most important video game yet made." When we turned on the TV this morning, numerous news stations were mentioning the game. It's quite reminiscent of the massive hype generated by Nintendo for the Wii, and that's a very, very good sign for the game's potential performance this holiday season. Kudos to MTV!

With three downloadable albums on the way, and fan reactions nothing but glowing so far, IndustryGamers expects The Beatles Rock Band to really thrive at retail this holiday and help inject some life into the slumping music video game category. MTV reportedly invested tens of millions in licensing, but it's an investment that we feel was worth it and will likely pay dividends in the long run.