Pretty much everyone knows Rock Band, the game that took console music/rhythm gaming to a new level. And everyone knows the Beatles - the most successful group in the history of music. So putting the two together should be a sure fire winner...
Coming up with the idea of combining the proven gameplay of the Rock Band game and the songs that everyone knows and most people love doesn't take a genius... but it does take someone with connections, and in this case it was Dhani Harrison, son of Beatles guitarist George Harrison.
The game allows users to play guitar, bass or drums or to sing on a selection of songs taken from the twelve albums the Beatles recorded during their 1962 to 1969 period at EMI records. As in all previous Rock Band games, players must successfully hit notes in time as they scroll down the screen. Correctly hitting a note earns points for each player. If a player fails to hit a note, their performance meter will drop, and if it reaches empty the player is be forced out of the game, which reduces the band's overall score. Any player can be saved from dropping out by another player, if they activate "BeatleMania", which is called "Overdrive" in the normal Rock Band games. BeatleMania is earned by successfully completing specially-marked parts of the songs. BeatleMania can also be used to temporarily increase your band's scoring.
Like previous Rock Band games, there is a career mode, though rather than creating a fictional band with an imaginary career, the Story Mode takes you through the Beatles career. As a result, you'll get to play in such exalted venues as including The Cavern Club, the set of the Ed Sullivan Show, Shea Stadium, Abbey Road Studios and the roof of the Apple Corps offices at 3 Savile Row. The most obvious new feature of Beatles: Rock Band is the introduction of multipart vocals, and players can earn extra points for singing in harmony.
Rock Band: Beatles is compatible with existing Rock Band instruments, and other music controllers and will ship as a stand alone game. There will also be version available with its own custom controllers, styled as the Beatles own instruments. Unlike some other games in the Rock Band series, Beatles is not an expansion pack, and the songs are not cross compatible with other versions of the game. But the game includes 45 tracks, and additional songs will be available as downloadable content for Beatles: Rock Band, including All You Need is Love, the proceeds of which are to be donated to Medicines Sans Frontiers.