Publisher: MTV Games

Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3, Wii

Played on: Xbox 360

Rating: 9.5 out of 10

Rated: T (Teen)

The Deal:

It would only be right to preface this review by admitting my outright lack of Beatles knowledge. I'm not a music reviewer and I didn't grow up listening to The Beatles. So, how is it that I, a Beatles novice, absolutely had to play The Beatles: Rock Band the day it launched?

The answer is in the magic of the storytelling. The genius of this Rock Band is that Harmonix didn't just throw some Beatles songs in a track pack for players to work through. Instead, they created an engaging and visually stunning biography of the The Beatles' musical career, starting from the tiny underground Cavern Club in Liverpool, all the way to their final rooftop performance at Apple Corps Headquarters. In The Beatles: Rock Band, the story of Paul, John, George and Ringo is more than history. It's an adventure filled with as much emotion and inspiration as the music it celebrates.

That's the wonderful thing about The Beatles: Rock Band. No matter whether you grew up at the time of Beatlemania, or the only song you know is Yellow Submarine, there's something for all kinds of music lovers. The Beatles should be commended for realizing the opportunity to use video games to introduce and welcome a whole new generation of fans.

The Good:

-The game is a beautiful and moving tribute to one of the greatest bands the world has ever seen. Not once does the game ever feel cheesy or contrived. Even the opening cinematic of the game, which is a fun animated romp through The Beatles' life and times, has the power to make your breath catch in your throat.

-The game is chock full of extra, usually unlockable, archival content such as rare photos and in-studio conversations between the band at Abbey Road. The content seems lovingly handpicked through the archives at Apple Corp Headquarters and presented as a gift to those who want to go deeper into the band's history.

-You'll perform in three of the most famous venues associated with The Beatles: The Cavern Club, The Ed Sullivan Show, Shea Stadium and Budokan. After the boys enter the studio to make some of the most experimental music of their career, the game begins to place the band in beautiful, ethereal "dreamscape" settings based on each of the songs. For example, you're under the sea in "Octopus' Garden" and in a beautiful meadow in "Here Comes the Sun." The dreamscapes are the songs imagined in such a visual feast, that they really are a crowning glory to a already magical experience.

-Finally, the addition of the "Realistic" option in the game settings is so clever and insightful. This option raises the volume of the crowd noises in the tour venues to the point that you can barely hear the music and lyrics over the screams and squeals of the female fans. Apparently the volume coming from the crowd used to be so loud that the band would often play the wrong notes and sing slightly different (and cheeky) lyrics because the crowds couldn't hear them over their own cheering.

The Bad:

-Coming in at only 43 songs, it is understandable the The Beatles: Rock Band could seem as a letdown to real Beatles fans, especially when there are some major absences ("Hey Jude," anybody?)

-If you just can't get comfortable playing the Rock Band guitar (compared to the Guitar Hero guitar), you are probably going to hate playing on the replica Höfner Bass that comes bundled in The Beatles: Rock Band Special Edition. Its longer neck and flat frets made this reviewer's hands tire more quickly.

Final Word:

The game is a beautiful and magical tribute to one of the world's greatest bands that's as relevant for both new and seasoned Beatles fans alike.

Developer: Bungie

Publisher: Microsoft

Platforms: Xbox 360

Played on: Xbox 360

Rating: 9.5 out of 10

Rated: M (Mature)

The Deal:

Master Chief does not a world-selling franchise make. A Halo 3 expansion pack-turned-standalone game, Halo 3: ODST is a reinvigoration of the Halo universe without the franchise's powerhouse protagonist. In fact, Halo 3: ODST doesn't rely on the linear storytelling of one character's journey to save civilization; instead it flashes between time and characters to tell the story of survival.

In Halo 3: ODST, you mainly take the role of a new recruit simply nicknamed The Rookie among a special group of ragtag soldiers called Orbital Drop Shock Troopers. After you literally drop from the sky into the ravaged Earth city of New Mombasa, you realize you have been separated from your team and need to scour the ruined city to find clues that will reunite you with your crew (and keep you alive).

When creating Halo 3: ODST, Bungie knew not to mess with a good thing – most of the weapons and enemies remain the same as the previous games. However, the creation of the ODST squad, including what may be seen as flaws from the surface, makes for a totally new and challenging experience. This is not some same old, same old Halo.

The Good:

Master Chief won't save you here – as ODST members you don't pack the same punch as the Master, which means your armor is weaker, you can't sprint, you lose stamina if in battle for too long, and your melee power barely moves a hair on larger enemies. While those all seem like things that would typically make a game unbearable to play, it adds depth and strategy to the game in order to stay alive and make it through the levels.

The addition of Firefight in multiplayer is just awesome. While the concept isn't new (fighting off waves and waves of enemies co-operatively or with a group, also known as Horde mode in Gears of War 2), it's a fun mode that provides lots of exciting moments with teammates fighting against the AI.

The non-linear storyline and "sandbox" environments are new to the Halo franchise and work well in this setting. Players are free to roam and explore the levels and your engagement can be dialed up or down depending on preference. There are even very little levels where players have to clear an area of enemies, meaning you could run through 75% of the game without killing any baddies if need be (not that you'd want to miss all the fun).

The Bad:

-You end up fighting pretty much the same crew of Covenant baddies in almost every level. There is only one new Covenant character and it doesn't even fight back. Oh, and there's no sign of The Flood anywhere in this game. While the repetition of encountering Drones and Brutes is a downer, the AI is smart enough that every fight is not always the same.

-The solo campaign is too short – you could probably get through it in four hours, depending on the difficulty level. While it's not necessarily a deal breaker for this game, it would have been nice to squeeze in a few more hours of gameplay, considering the price.

Final Word:

Put that Master Chief helmet away! Halo 3: ODST is a positive reinvention of an already beloved franchise with subtle but rewarding changes to the Halo universe. Come for the campaign, but stay for the firefight.