“The Beatles: Rock Band”
Genre: Rhythm/music
Developer: Harmonix
Publisher: MTV Games
Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii
ESRB rating: “T” for Teen
Price: $59.99
Release date: Wednesday, Sept. 9
Grade: A

Game Guy wanted to say “The Beatles: Rock Band” is a waste of time and money.

He longed to laugh out loud at the folly of plugging the Fab Four into pixelated stages, with the unwarranted hope the legendary group’s fire from four decades ago reignites. After all, nothing represents failure quite like an expectation of past glory resurrected.

But just as Game Guy expected camp to bubble up through The Beatles’ digitized life story, he stumbled upon something else: genuine satisfaction.

“The Beatles: Rock Band” culminates the protracted legal wrangling over the British group’s library and legacy, as well as three years of effort by game developer Harmonix to try putting players in the places where the four faces of popular music also shined. Starring in this title are the venues and experiences of the band, as well as about 40 examples of its music (with other tracks available through downloads), and all of it in remarkable detail.

Now, players can shake it up, baby, in Liverpool’s Cavern Club, host to The Beatles’ early success, then travel to Shea Stadium, Budokan, Abbey Road Studios, and finally the farewell performance on the roof of Apple Records, living the Beatles’ stage life at every turn with help from previously unpublished voice recordings. Even the ambient sound from the shows and recordings has been included, bolstering the feel of authenticity.

As sauce for the goose, there are spot-on recreations of the bands’ instruments available as peripherals, which together jack the title’s overall cost well above $350. Reliving the past to its fullest can be pricey.

As with previous Rock Bands, players try to hit the proper notes in rhythm to the music as visual prompts scroll up the screen. This time however, Harmonix added emphasis to the vocal harmonization, allowing up to three singers at once and including a voice training feature with guide tones at the proper pitch to improve accuracy (If you’re like Game Guy though and can’t sing well even in the shower, then good luck getting through the training).

“The Beatles: Rock Band” also places a premium on simplicity. Players choose any instrument, can switch around at will and at various difficulty settings, and without stopping the music. In fact, there’s not much challenge beyond what Rock Band has offered before.

But then, it’s not the challenge that matters most here; it’s the experience — the chance to walk The Beatles’ steps and see the sights of their times, even from the comfort of your own carpeted living room. For boomers, this game a dream come true. For boomers’ offspring and their offspring’s progeny, “The Beatles: Rock Band” offers a look at what John, Paul, George and Ringo hath wrought, and perhaps provide, more than any rhythm-based game to date, an experience shared across generations.

And there’s absolutely no folly in that.