The Beatles: Rock Band

The Beatles: Rock Band (2009) was among the most ambitious music games of its time - instead of an ordinary playlist, it delivered a comprehensive biography of The Beatles using archival photographs, period recordings, and stylized visual sequences accompanying each song. Players with a guitar, bass, drums, or microphone worked through the discography chronologically, from club performances in Hamburg and Liverpool to the late studio albums, and the game thus functioned both as an interactive tribute to the band and as a classic party game for four players at once. A system supporting up to three-part vocal harmonies also rewarded players who could sing secondary melodic lines, not just the lead vocal.

The Xbox 360 edition launched alongside the PlayStation 3 and Wii versions and contained the same songs and the same game content. Unlike the Wii version, however, it offered full-fledged online multiplayer via Xbox Live, allowing players to compete or cooperate remotely - something the Wii of that era did not allow for Rock Band series titles. Thanks to the more powerful hardware, the visual presentation of the musical "dream" sequences was also more detailed than on Wii, with sharper textures for the archival photographs and smoother transitions between the individual scenes.

In terms of gameplay and content, the Xbox 360 version remained identical to the parallel PlayStation 3 edition - only technical details tied to the platforms differed, such as the achievement system instead of trophies and slightly different support for wireless instruments. The instrument peripherals also weren't compatible between consoles due to different connectors, so owners of multiple systems had to buy a separate set of instruments for each platform. For fans of the Beatles and rhythm games, the choice of console therefore didn't really matter - the experience was practically identical on both HD platforms, just noticeably richer than the Wii variant, and after finishing career mode players could freely replay any unlocked song.

Why play it: For fans of the Beatles and rhythm games, the choice between Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 didn't matter - the experience was practically identical on both HD platforms and noticeably richer than the Wii variant.