It's hard to put into words how much I truly adore this game. Before its announcement, the notion of The Beatles, of all bands, getting their own Rock Band game was a pipe-dream. The fact that it even happened is worth celebrating, but on top of that, it's an amazing game! While it is VERY easy, it is still very fun to play. The game is loaded with fun collectibles to unlock through completing the story mode and beating challenges (one of my favorites is an old Beatles Christmas record that you can actually listen to.) The game has a wonderful art style. While not realistic looking, Paul, John, George, and Ringo are all modeled to be instantly recognizable; with lots of personality in their facial expressions. Another part of the game's presentation that blew me away was the "dreamscape" songs. Because they stopped touring so early, the band never played a lot of their most legendary songs to a live audience. So for the entirety of the Sgt Pepper era though Abbey Road era songs (and a few others before and after that time), the background visuals show the band in the studio, before transitioning to imaginary "dreamscapes" that reflect the lyrics and tone of the song. Getting to actually see the Yellow Submarine while playing Yellow Submarine is a treat, and it helps this game stand out from every other Rock Band game to this day. I am forever grateful I got to experience this masterpiece of a music game on the day of release.

While one can argue that Green Day were not an iconic enough band to warrant an entire game being dedicated to their music (Unlike the likes of Metallica or of course the Beatles), it's hard to say that it didn't make for a fun Rock Band game. Particularly on drums, Green Day's song list makes for a surprising and fun challenge. Just like The Beatles: Rock Band, this game also features tons of unlockable extras of concert footage, concept art, and other behind the scenes stuff that is sure to be a treat for dedicated Green Day fans. One thing in particular that Green Day has going for it over The Beatles, is that you could actually import this game's tracklist into the main Rock Band song library; giving it strong value as a game to buy new, complete it once, import the songs, and then immediately trade it in. Still all around a very solid music game.

While still a great game in its own right, Rock Band 3 regressed from Rock Band 2 in a few disappointing ways. The content of the career mode was severely trimmed down. I can't put my finger on it, but the visuals felt like they took a bit of a step back too. The background performances lost a bit of that cinematic quality that Rock Band 1 and 2 nailed. 2 really neat additions to this game are the keyboard instrument, and vocal harmonies (up to 3 singers where applicable, for a potential max of 7 players at once!)