Should We Buy Beatles Rock Band?

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Have you seen the buzz around Beatles Rock Band? This must be one of the better marketing campaigns I’ve seen in a long time.  Every other channel seems to have something about either the game or the Beatles themselves.  I love it!  I’ve been watching The Beatles Anthology when I can catch it as well as the Concert for George and the The Concert for Bangladesh.  I guess I should admit here that I’m a HUGE Beatles fan.  Seriously.  And the thought that I could play along with all of their songs in a game gives me chills.  I understand George Martin’s son oversaw the production of the game which has scenes from their early days playing the Cavern, to playing Shea Stadium, to their rooftop performance on the Apple building.  I heard there’s even actual banter from the original recording tapes in the game!  Given I’m such a huge fan should I go out and buy Beatles Rock Band?

Let’s see some pluses for buying it:

• It’s fun!  What fan hasn’t imagined themselves playing with the Beatles at some point?  And you can pick any instrument too?  You can even buy replicas of the guitars they used.

• A Family That Plays Together Stays Together.  This isn’t a solo game.  We could get the whole family involved on all of the instruments including singing along.  I’d get to immerse my kids in the Beatles catalog.  Seriously this could be some great family fun.  And three part harmonies?!?

• We Get To Play Without All The Noise.  Playing in a real band makes a ton of noise.  Even just playing guitar can be too loud at times where we live.

• Relaxation and Letting Off Steam.  Ever hit a drum?  Or really get into playing a song?  So cathartic!  After a hard day at work we can play A Hard Day’s Night and let off some steam and relax.  The game could actually be healthy for us.

• The Drums Are Decently Realistic.  I’ve played Rock Band before and the drum kit was set up pretty close to a real kit.  No it’s not the same but I could see getting a good feel for drums from playing the game.

• It’s For A Good Cause.  Well a little bit.  All proceeds from the purchase of “All You Need is Love” will go to the charity Doctors Without Borders.

• It’s the Beatles!  ’nuff said.

Now let’s look at some negatives:

• It’s Expensive.  We don’t already own a gaming system so right off the bat we would need to purchase one.  THEN we could go get Beatles Rock Band.  We’re talking hundreds of dollars here.  That’s a lot of money for a video game.

• Too Much of a Time Suck.  I expect the game to be fun.  I have no doubt about it really.  And I’ll want to master it.  All of it.  Bass, guitar, drums…yeah I’ll spend some time on it if I got it.  I’d probably spend too much time on it and I have a lot on my plate as it is to give up time to a video game.  And it will start my kids down the road of video game playing.  How could I tell my kids to get not play if it’s something I want to do.  Yes, I could manage my time.  But really it would end up as too much no matter how much I tried.  If I have it I’ll want to play it.

• I Could Listen to the Beatles for Less.  I already have most of their albums.  If I want to really enjoy them I could throw them on my stereo and listen.  That wouldn’t cost me any money and I’d still enjoy them.

• I Already Play Guitar.  I’ve been playing for years.  I play bass too.  In fact I have a book with all of the Beatles scores and tabulatures in it.  Any time I want to play a Beatles song I can crack open the book and go to it.  No, the family couldn’t play along.  But they could listen and sing along.  Really I’d be downgrading a real instrument for a piece of plastic.  And I can see how annoying I’d be too: “It would actually be easier on a REAL guitar!”

• I Could Get Bored With It.  Yes, I could actually get bored after playing it 27-7 for a week.  And then what?  I have all these plastic replicas all over the living room taking up space.  The entire set would take up a lot of real estate that would end up cluttering the house.

• Did I Mention it was Expensive?  It bears repeating how much this would cost.  On top of the equipment (about $250) you still have to pay to download albums or songs.  It comes with some songs but full albums will be released as the months go by.

Sigh.  As much as I’d like to buy it it’s just way too expensive and will take up too much of my time as well as my family’s.  We just can’t justify the costs.  I’ll have to enjoy the Beatles without the game and hope one of my friends gets it so I can try it out (or if my wonderful wife decided to surprise me with the most wonderful anniversary gift in the world – Love you honey!).  No worries though.  I think I’ll survive without it.  But if we ever did get a gaming system then this might be one of the first games I bought.

Will you be buying Beatles Rock Band?  Can I come over?

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