Do You Want to Know A Secret? Beatles Rock Band Is Out

By Geoff Duncan Published September 18, 2009

Beatles Rockband — Image used with permission by copyright holder

It’s September 9, 2009: do you know where Paul is? If you’re like untold thousands of Beatles fans, the answer may be on your Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, or Nintendo Wii: The Beatles: Rock Band video game is now available worldwide, and the title is expected to be a top-seller throughout the remainder of 2009.

The Beatles: Rock Band marks the first time the Fab Four have licensed their music for digital distribution: the Beatles have famously shunned iTunes and other music services. But The Beatles: Rock Band isn’t just cuts from Beatles CDs set to the regular Rock Band video game: Harmonix has gone all out, offering remastered versions of some 45 Beatles classics ranging from early tunes like “I Saw Her Standing There” and “Twist and Shout” through tracks off Sgt. Pepper’s and the White Album, including “With a Little Help from My Friends,” “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” and “Come Together.”

Recommended Videos

The game lets players track the Beatles as they advance from a struggling club band to a full-fledged psychdelic culture-changing phenomenon; while the game play is highly reminiscence of Guitar Hero and Rock Band titles, the game offers new twists, like the ability to sing three-part harmonies. The game also offers Beatles-themed hardware, including controllers based off instruments used by the Beatles—although the game can be played with most third party controllers and mics, including those from Guitar Hero, Rock Band, and titles like SingStar and Lips.

Beatles: Rock Band is expected to be a top seller this year, with industry estimates having the title pushing more than 5 million copies by the end of $2009: at almost $300 apiece, the game might represent over $1.5 billion in revenue all by itself. However, the question remains how much translating the Beatles to a video game will appeal to a younger generation raised on gaming and digital music: while the price tag may not be incredibly daunting to the Beatles’ ever-aging fan base, are kids really going to wander through strawberry fields forever…with their parents? Or grandparents?

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…

Gaming

If you want to buy Horizon Zero Dawn on Steam, you have to buy its remaster

Aloy running towards a Tallneck with her bow and arrow.

As we get closer to the release of Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, it's become more and more difficult to purchase the original Complete Edition of the game. This week, it's starting to be delisted from digital PC storefronts.

It was first removed from the Epic Games Store, as some ResetEra users reported earlier this week. While the store page is still live, the buy button has been grayed out and just reads "unavailable." There also isn't a link to purchase the remaster from this page, although you can find it through search and preorder it ahead of its October 31 release date.

Gaming

Pokémon’s new mobile game will bring out the card collector in you

Three phones running Pokemon TCG Pocket.

While the mainstream popularity of the Pokémon Trading Card Game has ebbed and flowed since its launch in 1998, it has always enjoyed a cult following. That's earned it a spot at the top of the genre alongside games like Magic: The Gathering and Yu-Gi-Oh. It's grown in popularity and complexity in the past 25 years, evolving from a simple card game that lived alongside the anime and mainline Pokémon video games to having its own obsessive fanbase, competitive scene, and world championship events.

Battling has always been at the core of the Pokémon world, but another aspect of the game has always reigned supreme: catching them all. And that's exactly what Creatures and The Pokémon Company wants to get back to with its new mobile game.

Computing

We gave these products a 9 out 10, and they’re on sale for Labor Day

The Sony 65-inch Bravia XR A95L OLED 4K Google TV in a modern-styled living room.

Labor Day deals have largely ended, but there are still some fantastic deals available. In fact, there are fantastic deals on some of our favorite products of the past year. If you're having trouble deciding what to buy, we're here to help you. What's so special about this roundup of Labor Day deals? They've all received a rating of at least 9 out of 10 stars by our reviewers, who thoroughly tested them before giving their honest opinion. We put whole-hearted recommendations behind all of these products, so you won't regret purchasing any of the items that we've highlighted below.

If you're thinking about buying any of these high-scoring products, we highly recommend completing your transactions as soon as possible. That's because we're not the only ones who think highly of these devices: We expect a lot of shoppers to have them in their wish lists. Labor Day is over, so these deals could end at any second. If you don't want to miss out on the savings, push through with your purchase immediately.
Sennheiser Accentum wireless headphones (9 out of 10) -- $132, was $180