By Luke Anderson

Last year Harmonix announced that they had acquired the rights to create a game based around The Beatles. Naturally this caused quite a commotion, as they are one of the most sought-after bands for rhythm games such as Rock Band and Guitar Hero. Unfortunately details were scarce, and we’ve been forced to wait for another major announcement regarding the title. Thankfully the wait for more info is over, as Harmonix has not only released specifics on the game, but a launch date and pricing as well.

So here’s the skinny, the game is called The Beatles: Rock Band, which insinuates that it will be similar in fashion to the AC/DC game that we saw last year. Whether or not this game will also give you the option to export tracks to your existing Rock Band game is still up in the air. Knowing how Harmonix feels about compatibility and their desire to make Rock Band a platform, rather than just a game tells me that we should be able to import the songs at some point.

The game, will come both as a standalone disc, and part of a bundle. The cheap route means that you’ll need to use your existing Rock Band (or Guitar Hero) instruments to rock out. However, if you decide to pony up the cash for the bundle, you’ll be treated to instruments which are replicas of the ones used by the members of the band.

While it’s exciting to finally get some news on this title, we’re still going to be waiting a while. The current release date is 9/9/09. That’s right, another six months. I know, these things take time to make, but I’m impatient! As for the pricing, that’s broken down below:

* The Beatles: Rock Band Software - Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3, Wii: $59.99 MSRP
* The Beatles: Rock Band Standalone Guitars - Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3, Wii: $99.99 MSRP
* The Beatles: Rock Band Limited Edition Premium Bundle: Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3, Wii: $249.99 MSRP