June 1, 2009

The Beatles + Video Game = I win!

I knew I needed to post something today, but I had no clue what to write about. I had topics that ranged from "Happy June", the fact that I'm broke and unemployed, the nice weather, how I felt ridiculously old watching the MTV Movie Awards last night, or a heartfelt goodbye to LC's last episode on the Hills.

Then I was saved. Can I get an Amen?

Hell, we are all saved by what happened this afternoon. The E3 Expo is this weekend, which is something I haven't been excited about since Madden announced it was adding a franchise mode that effectively changed the course of my life forever. This year, however, came a big announcement. I haven't played my Wii in forever, but this game got me excited about playing video games again.

My current status with video games is very murky. I've reached the stage where I don't know if I feel comfortable wasting an entire day by playing a season of Madden. Here I am at 25 years of age. That's got to be about the point where you go past the personal video game stage and enter the family fun entertainment stage. My switch from an Xbox 360 to a Nintendo Wii last year helped accelerate this process as I can no longer play EA Sports games (if you haven't played an EA Sports game on Wii, let me just say that you feel similar to a soldier who just trekked 59 miles during the Bataan Death March before falling to the ground, then you get stabbed by the bayonete of a Japanese soldier. Luckily, you happen to be the grandson of Filipino national hero Andrés Bonifácio, so your life is spared after a Filipino, disguised as a Japanese soldier, acts like he kills you but you're really taken off the road to help John Wayne lead the resistence before General MacArthur comes back three years later. So playing Madden on Wii feels like you're being stabbed after walking 59 miles, but really, you're helping John Wayne, so you keep playing even though it sucks. And I've had numerous people tell me they felt the same way).

Well, the game that could be my last personal gaming purchase will be released on Sept. 9, 2009. The game, affectionally known as The Beatles: Rock Band, was debuted today at the E3 thingy. The trailor is now up online. (See: below)

I was pretty ecstatic as I watched the gaming versions of John, Paul, George and Ringo play at the Cavern Club, Ed Sullivan Show, Shea Stadium and the Budokan, but the bird broke through the cage when the I Am The Walrus segment appeared. Awesome! And then it ends with them in the studio, on the roof and a scene where they play on a hill. Besides the hill thing, the looks are uncanny. The settings look real. They've captured all of the biggest moments and stages of their career. Dhani Harrison, George's son, has proved to be an invaluable asset to the game producers as he's provided historically accurate information.

That said, I am concerned about the Back in the U.S.S.R. segment, which featured the Beatles in the studio for the White Album sessions, with Ringo on drums. Obviously, readers of this blog know that Ringo temporarily quit the band when the song was introduced on Aug. 22, 1968. The three remaining Beatles, instead of halting recording sessions, finished the song in five takes in two days with Paul on drums (although two other drum tracks were overdubbed later, but these were thought to be added by either John or George, according to Mark Lewisohn). Ringo came back several days after the song was completed. So, really, it should be Paul playing drums in the game, and Ringo should be shown crying in his house as he wonders why the hell he just flushed his career down the toilet by quitting the Greatest Band on Earth. Obviously, anyone could be the drummer for the Beatles. C'mon Ringo. Get it together.

Now, you may be saying, "Wow, Sean. How about you try not to an effin' d-bag right now? They just made a stupid video game about a band that you've devoted more of your life to than God. Maybe you should lighten up a little bit." Two responses: 1) Why is there not a "God: The Video Game"? I mean, the Bible has violence, killing, blood, God, royalty, back-stabbing and snakes, which is everything you want in a video game. Let's recreate the Old Testament here. I want to control Moses by parting the waters and unleashing a plague that kills all the first-born babies in Egypt. I want to be David and sling the rock at Goliath's face. I want to be Noah and go Oregon Trial style by sailing the Ark around rocks, while fending off lions in the Captain's quarters. Someone get to work on this. 2) If I'm dropping $250 on a video game, the info better be right. If you bought Madden and it had the Packers as the best team in the NFL, then you'd want a refund because that's obviously bullshit. So let's get this fixed before the release date.

The only problem is that barring some miracle that I become employable, stay in school, graduate and own a teaching job by next June, I will never own this game as it's priced at $250 for the limited edition bundle, which includes the Hofner Bass. The September release date is also the worst month in the world. Not only will all my extra money (this "extra money" doesn't actually exist for the Mrs. Thug Mrs. and I, but we'll make it up for blogging purposes) going to four family birthdays that month, and I will be ensconsed in 15 hours of classes on campus, two correspondence classes, one part-time job and one day spent in a high school classroom per week. Also, the entire Beatles catalog is being remastered and released the same day -- in mono and stereo. Awesome. When's this economy turning around again?

Either way, I look forward to owning this game at some point in my life. Now if only I could design God: The Video Game...

You Tube...no, you're a tube
This should be obvious...

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Amazing! Even has their bobbing head and eye movements. Those Japs have outdone themselves.