The Beatles: Rock Band vs Guitar Hero 5 - who will win?

The stage, the instruments...where's the band?
The stage, the instruments...where's the band?

Music fans and gamers can expect a hard day's fight in September, as two video game titans are rolling out their big guns.

In one corner, we have The Beatles: Rock Band, which just today added new images to the website's landing page.

As you can see below, Ringo Starr's drum set now sits atop the riser. Additionally, the stage features instruments made famous by John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison.

The tracklisting for The Beatles: Rock Band is still a well-kept secret. Perhaps we'll know after the E3 Electronic Entertainment Expo set for June 2-4. Keep it locked on MusicRadar for more news.

But the folks at Activision aren't falling for the Fab Four so easily. In the other corner, we have Guitar Hero 5, due 1 September (eight days before the release of The Beatles: Rock Band). Ballsy, huh? You bet.

While details of new instrument features are still under wraps, Activision has released a listing of artists who will be featured on the new set. They include:

The Rolling Stones
The White Stripes
Kings Of Leon
Tom Petty
Bob Dylan
Johnny Cash
Santana
Vampire Weekend
Beastie Boys
Coldplay
Duran Duran
Gorillaz
Jimmy Eat World
Muse
The Raconteurs

There's still four months to go before both games see the light of day, and more details to follow. We'll report, you decide.

Joe Bosso

Joe is a freelance journalist who has, over the past few decades, interviewed hundreds of guitarists for Guitar WorldGuitar PlayerMusicRadar and Classic Rock. He is also a former editor of Guitar World, contributing writer for Guitar Aficionado and VP of A&R for Island Records. He’s an enthusiastic guitarist, but he’s nowhere near the likes of the people he interviews. Surprisingly, his skills are more suited to the drums. If you need a drummer for your Beatles tribute band, look him up.