Beatles Mania Strikes "Rock Band" Players

Coinciding with the release of the digitally remastered albums, Wednesday September 9, 2009 is the debut of "The Beatles: Rock Band" video game. "Beatles Day," as fans are referring to it, or 09/09/09 could mark a revival for the video game industry.

The game has 45 of the Fab Four's hits for players to sing and play along to, and a lot of work has gone into making this a special edition of "Rock Band." The track list is chronological, and covers the career arc of the band. The game also includes bonus points for singing three-part harmonies in the songs, adding an extra challenge as well as allowing for more players at a time.

Since the game is based on four of the most influential names in the music industry, special attention was paid to creating their digital likenesses on screen. Designers were aided by family members like Dhani Harrison, son of the late George Harrison and Yoko Ono, wife of the late John Lennon, to help them capture realistic movements and characteristics of the band.

Video game sales have dropped 46 percent this year, according to NPD Group, and the industry hopes that the new Beatles version of "Rock Band" will boost holiday shopping sales, though they face competition from Activision Blizzard Inc.'s latest version of "Guitar Hero," which includes Nirvana and Rolling Stones songs.

Another challenge that is being speculated is whether or not the video gaming generation will see the Beatles' catalogue as dated. However, the New York Times review of the game pointed out, "With all due respect to Wii Sports, no video game has ever brought more parents together with their teenage and adult children than 'The Beatles: Rock Band' likely will in the months and years to come."