MANILA, Philippines--HI, I?M BIANCA. I?M 24 years old and I listen to what my friends call ?old people?s music.?

Unlike most children who slip on their earphones whenever their parents tune in to an oldies station, I actually don?t mind listening to crackling records of trippy ?60s music.

In fact, when people borrow my iPod, I warn them in advance about some of the songs, using my mom as an excuse for the iPod playlist I named ?old school,? which contains songs from The Beatles and the Beach Boys.

So it was understandable that when I brought up the idea of playing ?The Beatles: Rock Band? game to a bunch of friends, they were less than enthusiastic about it.

?The Beatles? I don?t really like them?their music?s old,? a friend said with a grimace (or at least, that?s what I thought she said; I couldn?t hear much over the pounding bass line of the hip-hop music she was bobbing her head to).

But after some time, I finally managed to try out the game with a friend who wasn?t as much of a Beatles fan as he was an avid gamer. After one song, I was enjoying myself more than I thought I would, and after a couple more, I wanted to get one for my family. I figured it was something my siblings and I could do with my parents (insert gasp here).

Breakthrough

Here?s the thing. ?The Beatles: Rock Band? is not just another video game, it?s a breakthrough. It shows how something that would otherwise be considered archaic (to people who have no appreciation of classic rock, for instance) could once again be appreciated, made relevant and, well, become cool.

Having never been a big fan of the Rock Band 1 and 2 games (my lack of coordination presented a problem when the game?s colored dots started rushing to me on the screen), I was skeptical about the game?s appeal for non-gamers.

But when the screen played the introductory video?basically a short run-through of the band?s career?the stylized graphic art and re-mastered songs got me hooked.

There?s something for every Beatles fan. Whether you prefer them as clean-cut moptops in suits on ?The Ed Sullivan Show? or as the psychedelic long-haired hippies in ?Sgt. Pepper?s Lonely Hearts Club Band,? you?ll definitely enjoy the nostalgic ride that ?The Beatles: Rock Band? game takes you through.

For one thing, the game allows more barkada (peer group) or family-friendly fun. In the previous Rock Band editions, only one microphone was included in the game. Shame if someone in your faux band turned out to be a mic hog.

In The Beatles edition, up to three players can sing along to the songs (including options for backup vocals). This means that including the two guitar players and one drummer, up to six people can sing along to The Beatles? trippy melodies.

Plus, unlike the previous Rock Band editions, a lot more thought and effort is put into the graphics; all the songs have a different background video, all suited to reflect the periods when The Beatles recorded them, or a themed background, at the very least.

(For instance, ?Here Comes the Sun? shows a long-haired Fab Four singing and playing on top of a grassy hill, while the dreamy ?Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds? is expectedly psychedelic. ?I Am The Walrus,? on the other hand, depicts a gloomy band clad in strange animal costumes).

Bonus features

Avid fans will love the bonuses, which appear upon completion of several challenges. Look out for the animated photo collages, trivia tidbits, and the Christmas album?a must-see for any true-blue fan.

Another thing to look out for is a track of them singing ?Get Back? on the Apple Corps rooftop in 1969, which ends with John Lennon remarking, ?I?d like to say ?thank you? on behalf of the group and ourselves, and I hope we passed the audition.? (An iconic pop culture bit repeatedly spoofed on shows such as ?The Simpsons.?)

On the other hand, even non-fans will be disappointed by the exclusion of famous songs such as ?Yesterday? and ?Across the Universe,? which are not part of the initial 45-track song list. Other songs will be available for download in the near future, but for the meantime, the current list is still satisfying and will keep Rock Band fans busy.

Real gamers praised improvements on the original Rock Band series, which now include a three-second delay countdown before resuming the song after pausing it, and more rewards for challenges (such as playing particular songs without mistakes).

But all gaming gobbledygook aside, I knew that ?The Beatles: Rock Band? game passed the acid test of coolness when my college-aged sister?the first one to slip on earphones when my parents tune in to an oldies station?actually badgered my dad to get the game.

And I knew that different generations had reached an agreement when Dad (always the first to complain about loud noises and time-consuming video games) actually agreed.

E-mail the author at biancaconsunji@yahoo.com