The Beatles: Rock Band (Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)
common sense media says
Amazing band simulator features the biggest group. Ever.
parents & educators say
- 54% say it's educational
- 46% say there are positive messages
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this historic game is a fairly clean music-based video game that only received its "Teen" rating because of some mildly suggestive lyrics (occasional smoking and sex references). In "A Day in the Life," which will be available as a download over the coming months," the song contains "He blew his mind out in a car."
Educational value:
The game teaches about one of the most influential music groups in history, as well as musical composition, structure, and expression.
Positive role models:
The Beatles are fairly good role models; but their drug experimentation in the '60s is widely known. The game does show some "trippy" imagery in the background, though. John Lennon also once famously quipped the band was "bigger than Jesus."
Ease of play:
The game has many difficulty levels, tutorials and a "no fail" mode so it is accessible for both newbies and seasoned players.
Violence:
Not applicable.
Sex:
There are no overtly sexual lyrics in this game, though some might be considered suggestive innuendoes, such as "Come Together."
Language:
Some of the songs have some suggestive lyrics, such as in "I Am the Walrus" ("Boy you've been a naughty girl and let your knickers down") and supposed LSD drug references and imagery in "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds."
Consumerism:
There are images of musical instrument brands, such as Ludwig and Gretsch. The game features music from The Beatles, which might be considered a marketing initiative to buy the band's newly remastered CDs which are releasing at the same time as the video game.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
The song "Get Back" makes reference to "California grass"; "Come Together" mentions a "choking smoker"; and "A Day in the Life," a downloadable track, talks about having a "smoke."
More on The Beatles: Rock Band
Screenshots
Review It
Based on 13 parent & educator reviews:
- 54% say it's educational
- 46% say there are positive messages
Most useful reviews by all members
Sgt.Pepper
teen, 16 years old
teen, 16 years old
PERFECT FOR ANY AGE!
ONE OF THE BEST BANDS EVER=ONE OF THE BEST GAMES EVER! Nothing really bad about the game, at all! You can make a song mean anything to you. If you listen to the lyrics to a song, it can have many different meanings. Plus, if a kids playing, they probably wont think about the lyrics at all.. and if they do its not like they will know whats going on. I give it an A++++++++++++++++++.. everyone should buy this game, especially if you love the Beatles!! :D
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LucJB
kid, 12 years old
kid, 12 years old
AWSOME GAME and try not to get a BLISTER LIKE I DID
2 words. GET IT
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OHBULLDAWG92
kid, 12 years old
kid, 12 years old
A Great Music Game
This game has some of the best songs out there. There are a few iffy songs, like Come Together, Get Back, and With A Little Help From My Friends. Some songs also have positive messages, like Here Comes the Sun. Octopus's Garden is a childish song for kids. You can learn many facts about this legendary band. This is the greatest Rockband ever made. This band is also the best band out there.
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9001
teen, 15 years old
teen, 15 years old
Older tweens.
Some imagery suggests LSD and there are some inappropriate lyrics such as "p*rnographic priestess", "boy you've been a naughty girl you let your knickers down".
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trish0395
parent of and 12 , 17 , 18 year old
parent of and 12 , 17 , 18 year old
FUN! for the whole family.
I bought this for my son for his birthday and we played it as a family last night. My husband has never played Guitar Hero and he LOVED it!!!! We stayed up until 11 pm playing it. We all have different levels of play ability. My daughter could play guitar on difficult, my husband on easy, my son's a drummer, so he did difficult and, of course, my singing was expert all of the time. My 11 year old wanted to watch, so she sang along with me and it was amazing how many songs she already knew and loved. There's something for everyone and a great family game we all can play! I didn't notice any songs that would be inappropriate, pretty mild compared to today's lyrics and most kids that age don't really know what they're singing along to anyway, just like we did when we were kids. I noticed as I was singing a long I didn't know a lot of the words that I thought I did. FUN!!
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AlphaZK93
adult
adult
The game as a whole is Iffy 10+. The "clean songs" are On 5+. The "Dirty Songs" are On 14+. Most songs are fine, but a few arent
First off, I LOVE The Beatles. But I don't like all of their songs. The songs that I enjoy playing on here would be ON for 2+, but some songs, namely "I Am the Walrus, Day Tripper, Get Back, etc." contain lyrics that are not child-appropriate. Such include lyrics about overtly sexual themes (one-night stands, transsexuality, etc.). These songs are totally avoidable, which is something I do, and you should take the time to do by researching the songs your kids want to play. Or, you can just use my squeaky-clean list here:
----A Hard Day’s Night
All You Need Is Love
And Your Bird Can Sing
Back in the USSR*
Birthday
Boys
Can’t Buy Me Love
Dear Prudence
Do You Want to Know a Secret
Drive My Car*
Eight Days A Week
Hello Goodbye
Helter Skelter (This is a heavy-metal song, but no bad lyrics)
Here Comes the Sun
Her Majesty*
Hey Bulldog*
I Feel Fine
I Me Mine
In My Life
I Saw Her Standing There
I Wanna Be Your Man
I Want to Hold Your Hand
If I Needed Someone
I’m Looking Through You
Octopus’ Garden
Paperback Writer
Revolution
Something
Taxman
Twist and Shout
While My Guitar Gently Weeps*
----These songs are totally clean. Some may interpret a few as bad, but in my opinion, they are totally clean. I've starred the ones that you may want to look into to make sure you'd like your kid listening to. I'm pretty strict when it comes to music, but you may be stricter. LOL. But yeah, if it's not listed here, It's a definite NO in my opinion.
----In short, this game is an amazing tribute to the Fab Four. There are downloadable songs available. Make sure you read the lyrics to them before you download them (Especially Abbey Road and Sgt. Pepper). I've played this game so much that I have made my little brother strongly dislike The Beatles and Rock Band. hahahahah I'll re-convert him eventually. It's also great because you can only play as The Bealtes. No skanky women (which I hate about Rock Band and Guitar Hero), just 4 men singing their hearts out. Oh, and you can't pick who you play as. You can only pick the instrument. BUY IT! IT"S AWESOME!
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ChickenOfTheWest
teen, 18 years old
teen, 18 years old
I am the Walrus. Koo Koo Kachoo.
Any Beatles fan will love this. It takes technology and the band and squishes them together. The result: An explosion of re-mastered music and great graphics. Get it, Beatles fan. If your not... Well, why are you here?
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jhmirage
parent of 5 , 7 , and 8 year old
parent of 5 , 7 , and 8 year old
Everyone in the family loves this game
I have long been a fan of Beatles music, but I didn't expect it to be so overwhelmingly adored by all of my kids. Particularly interesting is that each one has their own favorites, without much overlap. The game itself is terrifically fun to play, and having everyone so invested in the song choices makes it a total blast.
Everyone in the house loves to play this game!
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PYEsinc
teen, 14 years old
teen, 14 years old
A Great Wholesome Family Video Game! All Ages Admitted!
Get it for Xbox 360, Wii, PS2, or PS3.
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BlueJade
parent of 11 year old
parent of 11 year old
Fun for the whole family!
The Beatles Rock Band is the first guitar/rock game that our whole family is able to truly enjoy. While previous Rock Band/Guitar Hero games have a few tunes all of us know, this is the first one that we know most of the songs, especially the lyrics. Give it a try! It's very fun to have kids singing Beatles songs, like "All You Need is Love," "I Want to Hold Your Hand," and "Yellow Submarine." These are great sing-along songs. The entire package is superbly done, again better than previous type games. We listened to an interview with one of the creators who explained that all four Beatles families were very involved in the game's creation, and it shows. Lots of photos. Great montages. Good details about the Beatles. For some kids, it could be a good way to discuss the history of the times. Kids we've played with it are fascinated how the Beatles' music, lyrics and looks changed.
Some of the tunes, including early ones, are not the easiest to play on drums or guitar. This may take some kids practice (or maybe they will just have to watch their parents practice.) That's different than previous type games which had only easy songs first. This game puts up songs by the date they were released. Even tho Ringo is often considered just an okay drummer, you'll be surprised how challenging the drum parts are.
The game doesn't take too long to complete. But there are going to be more songs released and higher scores release more information and songs. The game is a little pricey, but fun. You can have up to three people singing leads on microphones, even more singing harmony, then the 2 guitars and drums. Now that's a lot of people getting together!
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shera999
parent of 10 year old
parent of 10 year old
Beatles: rock we know!
Love it! There's something to be said about trying to sing or play songs that you know every note, as opposed to some of the Rock Band I and II songs that we may not have ever heard of. Also, the vocals are not complicated so they can be sung by a regular person.
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Airconditioner4
teen, 17 years old
teen, 17 years old
DUDE, my five year old brother plays this
I find it ironic that they rated it on for 14+ but guitar hero is rated 8+. Even though The Beatles weren't the best role models (John cheated on his wives) they were better than the heavy metal bands today. My parents hate guitar hero, but they love this game.
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Weeklybob
parent of 13 year old
parent of 13 year old
JUST FORGET ABOUT THE LYRICS, PEOPLE! THERE'S NO CUSSING, IS THERE?????? JUST ENJOY THE GAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOUR KIDS AREN'T GOING TO GET ANY BAD IDEAS IN THEIR TINY, BRAINWASHED HEADS FROM PLAYING THIS GAME!
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cryipto149
kid, 12 years old
kid, 12 years old
Come Together,right now,to play this game
This game is awsome.From The Cavern, To The Fab Four's rooftop concert you will be rocking all the time.If your new to RockBand, you will be Getting Better with the traning.What are you waiting for?Drive down Penny Lane to get The Beatles Rockband Today!
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monky booty
teen, 14 years old
teen, 14 years old
good for 7s
i love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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readyourheartout
teen, 14 years old
teen, 14 years old
Beatles rock!
i do own this game and i am absolutely ADDICTED to it. i think the beatles are fantastic and they make the best music. My family and i are big fans of them and we sing it all the time(:
so its a big BUY for any beatles fan!!
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actingtiger10
kid, 12 years old
kid, 12 years old
A great game to bring the family together.
I really love this game!! It's a game that the whole family can play. Though there is some inappropriate language in I am the walrus, day tripper, ect. Most songs should be appropriate for children.
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Swit Swat
kid, 12 years old
kid, 12 years old
Live life... The Beatles way!
Woohoo! This is like one of the best music games ever! The Beatles rock! Obviously there are a few references to drugs. But it's not that bad. There is also a reference to pornography in the song "I Am the Walrus." But it is very brief. This game gives you a story option, which follows the Beatles timeline of the their musical success. Get ready, if you are a true Beatles fan, then this game will surely appeal to you. The game is very simple, since there are different difficulty settings for each kind of player.
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Celtic1962
parent of 11 and 15 year old
parent of 11 and 15 year old
Parents finally have an opportunity to show how great the Beatle's music was
Growing up as a fan of the Beatles, I like the fact that this game has given my kids an appreciation for their music. We can enjoy most of the lyrics, while it also gives us an opportunity to talk about some of the later trippy songs that are obviously drug induced.
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