POSTED BY

Brandon Boyer

AT 1:58 PM
Tuesday June 2, 2009

E3 2009 • Featured • PlayStation 3 • Wii • Xbox 360

beatles • harmonix • rock band

E309: Does Beatles: Rock Band have the most fantastically surreal game intro of all time?

Answer: yes, full stop.

As I hinted at before, somehow the team at Harmonix, alongside Gorillaz animator Pete Candeland of Passion Pictures (I'm presuming, based on Candeland's similarly jaw-dropping work on Guitar Hero II's TV ad and the full-3D Rock Band 2 intro), have managed to even out-Katamari Katamari Damacy for what I'm going to call as the finest surrealist game intro we've ever seen.

And it's for the Beatles. At first, you'll think, hey, what amazing likenesses! This is like when the Mamas and the Papas were on Scooby Doo, only even more completely brilliant! And then a minute and twenty later, the doors of perception are blown open and it changes, and then another 25 seconds later, it blossoms even further into a relentlessly glorious technicolor dreamscape to the very end.

Apart from the updated trailer for Sony's The Last Guardian/Trico, this could easily be the best cinematic treat to come out of E3 2009.

beatlesrockbandringo.jpgUPDATE: Harmonix has posted a beautiful hi-def version of the intro to the official Beatles: Rock Band website, where you can pick out even more details and legacy references, like the tiny jar of Marmite Ringo packed for his British Invasion, sitting in his Strawberry Fields Farm box. If this animation doesn't pick up some Major Awards in 2010, I'll eat my bowler.

Previously:
1

31 Comments

Joel Johnson

#1 – 3:10 PM June 2, 2009

Well, I feel higher.

Kurochi

#2 – 3:55 PM June 2, 2009

Wow. I was watching this thinking: Well, yeah it's cool and quite well done, but surreal? And then suddenly WHAM, things got mind expanding.

Very nice

KBKarma

#3 – 5:27 PM June 2, 2009

OK, full disclosure time: I'm not much of one for the Beatles. It's true. Admittedly, the only Beatles album consists of their first few years, and misses some of their later work, which I do enjoy.

This video makes me want to buy Rock Band. Well done to all involved.

scaught

#4 – 7:54 PM June 2, 2009

This is amazing. This is for a VIDEO GAME. Incredible. Mind=blown

Neceros

#5 – 9:30 PM June 2, 2009

Meh.

DefMech

#6 – 10:02 PM June 2, 2009

Neceros: what a concise description of your personality!

ridl

#7 – 1:41 AM June 3, 2009

eh, video games are just a fad.

A New Challenger

#8 – 3:03 AM June 3, 2009

Videogames of guitars are on their way out.

Ratdog

#9 – 8:16 AM June 3, 2009

I want that elephant thing.

Jazzhigh

#10 – 8:24 AM June 3, 2009

Bah, I can't sign in for some reason. Anyway...
Absolutely stunning. I've never had any desire to play Rockband, but that opening did it for me. Also, I can't believe I'm saying this but, I don't think the Mamas and the Papas were never on Scooby Doo...just Mama Cass Eliott.

Jazzhigh

#11 – 8:27 AM June 3, 2009

Oh sure, sign me in and make me look bad! :) And you put all those mistakes in my post too! Just kidding. That should read: "ever" on scooby doo

Anonymous Anonymous

#12 – 9:31 AM June 3, 2009

Yep, drugs will do this to you. Beetles are not THAT good.

Anonymous Anonymous

#13 – 10:06 AM June 3, 2009

The eyes/waterfall/sun thing (and possibly several of the other things) is clearly inspired by the paintings of Alan Aldridge, who illustrated two collections of Beatles lyrics (apparently in an official band-approved capacity). That particular one accompanies "Tomorrow Never Knows."

http://www.webagora.com.br/1/aaldridge2/pages/alanaldridge5.htm , and, more broadly, http://www.webagora.com.br/1/aaldridge2.htm

AirPillo

#14 – 10:18 AM June 3, 2009

I don't remember ever seeing anything that awesome after taking mushrooms.

Boba Fett Diop

#15 – 10:26 AM June 3, 2009

Lord Ganesh! Watch out for that cliff!

TheCrawNotTheCraw

#16 – 10:53 AM June 3, 2009

Really nice!

Things were good, and they got "great" when "I Am The Walrus" started.

Daemon

#17 – 11:27 AM June 3, 2009

Hmm. Though this is indeed cool, I think I'll stick with the trailer/opening for American McGee's Alice.

historyman68

#18 – 12:00 PM June 3, 2009

Pretty sweet, though I have to say I missed that piano chord at the end of the song...

Also, did the Beatles jumping with their umbrellas remind anyone else of Lemmings?

RedShirt77

#19 – 12:15 PM June 3, 2009

Someone clearly got the job to do this and decided to make it their Job, their hobby and their weekend getaway until it kicked some ass.

Can't wait to get my copy, even if it will be too expensive.

Favor from the experts. I want to buy this for my PS3 as that is the machine that lives in my living room, rather then my xbox. Does anyone know whether there are or will be a significant downside to the PlayStation network in terms of additional content etc.?

nehpetsE

#20 – 1:41 PM June 3, 2009

I've tried posting several times here over the past 4 hours and its not showing up.
Is there a problem?

I'll try it again, this time with no links in case that was screwing it up, and trust folks to google the names themselves


It would have been chronologically authentic if they had gone with an Alan Aldridge look, but
many of the trippy images in the viddy seem more directly influenced by the illustrations of PATRICK WOODROFFE.

especially the bejeweled color schemes,staring eyes, spheres, and elephunts.


RedShirt77

#21 – 2:39 PM June 3, 2009

I believe that is a rhino.

TJ S

#22 – 2:50 PM June 3, 2009

@Redshirt77

It's been announced that "All You Need is Love" will be exclusive DLC for the 360 (proceeds to go Doctors without Borders). Not sure about any other content yet.

I wouldn't be surprised if that turns out to be the same sort of timed exclusivity that we saw with the Fallout 3 DLC, though.

AirPillo

#23 – 5:10 PM June 3, 2009

The ending really would have been better with that final piano note.

The dog whistle I could live without. Also, posting a direct swf link just for my own self-benfit so I can download it:
http://www.thebeatlesrockband.com/inc/swf/E3Video.swf

You can download it, too!

RedShirt77

#24 – 5:12 PM June 3, 2009

Gracias TJ S, I guess I am not super concerned about a little delay, I would just hate to not be able to get new songs eventually or ever get songs from previous games the way I know you can on xBox live.

It looks like the gameplay can use two vocals. I wonder if it comes with a mic stand or two mics.

AirPillo

#25 – 5:13 PM June 3, 2009

Aw damn, the SWF file is merely the player. They're too clever for me.

Can someone teach me how to save the high-resolution version to my computer?

chalkley3

#26 – 7:24 PM June 3, 2009

Airpillo: you can find it here: http://www.thebeatlesrockband.com/inc/swf/assets/mp4/Cinematic.mp4

A quick look into the source and a knowlage of flash video players can go a long way, friend.

For those interested, I'm uploading an embeddable HD youtube version right now.

chalkley3

#27 – 8:07 PM June 3, 2009

Fresh off the "presses". Not as hi-def as I'd like, but until they release a 720p version, we'll have to make do.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POG3pMJ8Sao

Clay

#28 – 10:29 PM June 3, 2009

This video understands the very essence of Yellow Submarine.

supernova_hq

#29 – 11:15 PM June 3, 2009

It is very creative and artistic. But as for surreal, I would personally go with the beginning of the original Black & White game where they explain how gods are created.

deelink

#30 – 3:21 AM June 4, 2009

Being a huge fan of The Beatles, I am completely sold. I don't care for the technicality of illustration sources, or whether it's a elephant or a rhino, I just want to be able to sing/play to the Beatles with my friends. Considering I have no musical talent whatsoever, this is the closest I'll ever get. That intro, in my opinion was just simple sweet awesomesauce for this humble Beatles fan! Yay! I am the Walrus! (too)

Malgas

#31 – 9:43 AM June 10, 2009

The original youtube video's down. Looks like Viacom remains fully committed to shooting themselves in the foot with regard to viral marketing...

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