Rocksmith REVIEW

Our Rocksmith review.

Rocksmith is not for everyone, but for those looking to begin the lifelong journey of learning to play guitar, I highly recommend this game. Despite some problems with the interface, this guitar game does of a solid job of teaching the basics and will quickly have you playing along and enjoying yourself while you actually learn to play the guitar.

If you have an electric guitar, then the game comes with everything you will need to play the game. If you do not have a electric guitar then you will have to buy one to play this game. You will find a Bundle available that will include your guitar, pick, etc if needed. This runs about $200 but does include a nice guitar and a few accessories for what amount to only an additional $120 bucks. I think this game is more of a guitar training tool than a video game. Many of the people you see going on about how good the game is are actual musicians that think this is generally a great product for them. Of course you will earn achievements and points, which keeps you motivated. You will not see any avatars or major gods of rock to conquer.

When you start the game for the first time it walks you through the basics of holding a guitar and strumming methods. The first thing you’ll do is tune your guitar with the built in game chromatic tuner. This quickly shows you how quickly and accurately the “game” tracks the pitch of the notes you play. Then you will be guided through the basics of how to fret notes and how to follow ’s own unique layout like you’ve probably seen in other guitar related games. Within moments you’ll start playing the notes to the main riff of “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction” by The Rolling Stones. The way the game eases the players into the mix may seem a little slow for some people that are already good guitar players. However, it is a great method for the newcomer to allow them to become excited about playing. I have always liked playing by ear and it is a great feeling to actually learn how to play some of these songs you have heard all your life. rewards you with that feeling right away.

As you go through the “ Journey” you will be rewarded more for substance than style. The game is trying to teach you the basics so you can progress and improve. Again, there is nothing flashy here…you are intelligently guided through the process of learning to play as you quickly tackle new songs and techniques. Due to the built in artificial intelligence of the system, you will notice the system automatic making difficulty adjustments for you if it sees fit. But the system will back off if you get in over your head. That is the great thing about ; it gives you constant challenges without pushing you to quitting. This makes it a fantastic training tool for the newcomer. Also, you will not have any of the booing and hissing of the unhappy crowds if you fall behind like you experience in other guitar games.

Make sure you go through all the training exercises as you go along. They contain videos that explain the concepts you are being taught in an easily understood manner. You learn not only basic chords, but also some tricks like string bending, palm muting, tremolo picking, harmonics and slides. The game also includes a variety of fun mini games in the Guitarcade that you’ll unlock along the way. These mini-games really help you work on perfecting your skills in a very fun way. For example, you can increase your chord vocabulary while shooting zombies, hit home runs with string bends, and diffuse bombs with harmonics. There are 8 mini games in all for you to unlock and each of them provide a useful and fun way to practice and hone your technique in a way totally unique to Rocksmith.

You will find a wide variety of songs in many genres and styles. There are songs from artists such as Nirvana, Cream, David Bowie and one of my favorites…Muse. You can jump to various songs but it is best if you just take the songs as they are recommended along your career path. It is highly likely that eventually there will be many more songs available for due to its popularity. Rocksmith does allow for 2 players but this requires an additional electric guitar and another special USB cable in order to make it work, but offers a fun way to rock out with a friend. If there are two players then the game splits the screen horizontally and astonishingly has no problem keeping track of both guitars. It will also automatically scale the difficulty to both player’s individual skill levels which means that no one will get left behind. This does make playing the game a lot more fun if you are rocking out with a friend.

This game comes with both an HDMI and analog connection option. Note that you may be better off just using the analog output. I noticed some audio lag with the HDMI hookup. That is the same kind of lag you might notice on some DVD players to your TV that are not quite up to par. However, if you do not have an analog output then the lag will not be bad enough to hinder your playing and advancing in the game. It might just be a little distracting.

The Rocksmith guitar game has an “invert” mode that can be turned on. In the standard mode all the chord shapes looked off if you are used to reading standard guitar tab notation.

My main complaint about this game was simply that it does not come with supplemental printed material to use when you are not plugged in such as a chord book and tabs for the songs. would be a more complete training program if Ubisoft would include these materials.

The Pros
• This game uses ANY 6-string electric guitar
• The game includes a Tuner, and you can unlock Amps and Effects within the game
• Challenging minigames that help develop real skills
• Automatic difficulty works with your skill level
• Fun Songs to learn
The Cons
• Expect to spend a LOT of time with this game to get the full experience, it requires a lot of practice
• The Interface can be a little challenging to follow
• You might notice a slight audio lag on digital systems
• Does not include any books or lessons that you can use outside the game

Overall Opinion…
Rocksmith is not for everyone but is highly recommended for anyone really wanting to learn to play the guitar and really enjoy that experience. Despite a few small issues, this guitar game does of a solid job of teaching guitar basics and will quickly have you playing along with some of the world’s greatest artists. Though seasoned guitarists might get frustrated at some points within the overall process, they should benefit greatly from the mini games which will help strengthen skills. Just remember, this game will take some time but it will surely set you on the right path to becoming a very good guitar player…and yes, also show you a good time and reward you along the way. A big thumbs up!

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Rocksmith