Clearly a step-up in quality!

According to The Wall Street Journal, Apple Corps Ltd (the Beatles’ recording company) and MTV Networks are expected to announce today that the Beatles have licensed songs to the popular video game Rockband, a 4-person game which allows you to emulate your favorite bands with 2 guitars, drums and a microphone.

There are a lot of missing details, but it sounds interesting:

“This game is not just a Rock Band expansion pack. It is a new, full game title production built from the ground up,” Harmonix co-founder Alex Rigopulos said during a Thursday morning conference call.

Giles Martin, son of Beatles’ record producer Sir George Martin and co-producer of the Beatles Love project, will serve as music producer.

The songs will be based on the U.K. versions, Giles said. “The thing we’re trying to keep to is for people to play the songs as if they’re playing the originals [and] preserve the sound quality as much as possible.”

I love the fact that they are planning to stay “true” to the original versions of these songs. I hate the ones that are butchered in some games systems. Even the two surviving Beatles are getting into the mix:

Starr and McCartney, the two surviving Beatles, talked up the game in a press release. “The project is a fun idea which broadens the appeal of The Beatles and their music. I like people having the opportunity to get to know the music from the inside out,” said McCartney. “The Beatles continue to evolve with the passing of time and how wonderful that The Beatles’ legacy will find its natural progression into the 21st century through the computerized world we live in,” said the fan-averse Ringo Starr.

You have to admire a band whose music remains relevant even after 4 decades. I know from experience what Guitar Hero has done for reviving old songs; this Rock Band Beatles version will undoubtedly extend The Beatles’ music for generations to come.

Can’t say this makes we want to buy the game more, but I’m sure it will be a hit with others!

“I can confirm that the Obama campaign has paid for in-game advertising in Burnout,” Holly Rockwood, director of corporate communications at Electronic Arts, the game’s publisher, told me via email, noting that EA regularly allows ad placements in their online games. “Like most television, radio and print outlets, we accept advertising from credible political candidates,” she continued. “Like political spots on the television networks, these ads do not reflect the political policies of EA or the opinions of its development teams.”

Great idea, but this seems to be a little bit over the top. Most gamers buy games to escape from every-day pressures and now those games are being invaded by politics. Seems to be bitting the hand that is feeding Obama and not a very wise strategy.