Tech-Gaming Technology, Gaming, and Culture
Technology has often been the catalyst of my appreciation of the Beatles’ music. As a youngster, I was first introduced to their melodies by a program for the Atari 800 computer, which allowed users to listen to rudimentary, chiptune arrangements of ‘Back in the U.S.S.R.’ and ‘Yesterday’. Later, as cassettes gave way to new technology, I welcomed the era of the compact disk with a purchase of The White Album. More recently, Beatles: Rock Band has offered yet another high-tech way to appreciate the compositions of the Fab Four.
Owners of the game already have access to some of the most prominent songs from Abbey Road: “Octopus’s Garden, “Here Comes the Sun”, “Come Together”, “Something”, “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” and “The End”. This week, the remaining tracks were made available for a $17 download (or $2 for the piece-meal approach) , allowing fans to enjoy the celebrated album in its entirety. 360, PS3, and Wii owners will find the following songs in the Abbey Road Pack:
• “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer”
• “Oh! Darling”
• “Because”
• “You Never Give Me Your Money”
• “Sun King/Mean Mr. Mustard”
• “Polythene Pam/She Came In Through the Bathroom Window”
• “Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End”
• “Her Majesty”
Additionally, a track entitled “Abbey Road Medley” will let gamers play though the entire seventy minute set. Clearly, Beatlemaniacs will be delighted by the additional content- beyond the 23-second “Her Majesty”, there’s little filler on the song-list. Those expecting a radically different visual interpretation might be disappointed. The new songs use many of the same assets from the game disk, albeit in a slightly remixed fashion.
Owners of Rock Band 2 haven’t been forgotten; this week ten tracks from 70’s rockers Queen have been added to the music store. While “Bohemian Rhapsody” is inexplicably missing, the rest of the songs should please fans of Freddy Mercury and company:
• “Another One Bites the Dust”
• “Crazy Little Thing Called Love”
• “Fat Bottomed Girls”
• “I Want It All”
• “I Want to Be Free”
• “Killer Queen”
• “One Vision”
• “Somebody to Love”
• “Tie Your Mother Down”
• “Under Pressure”
