Rocksmith
- October 15, 2012
- Ubisoft - San Francisco
- 2h median play time
Musicians finally have a game to call their own. Rocksmith delivers the most realistic music experience with a great track list, tons of options to tweak your sound, and progressive difficulty to test all abilities.
Get on SteamRocksmith is a unique music game that allows players to plug in their own electric guitar or bass and play along to a variety of songs in different styles. With innovative game design and adjustable difficulty, it caters to both beginners and experienced musicians, helping to develop real skills and styles. Local multiplayer mode for up to 2 players, with mini-games and split screen option, makes it perfect for friendly competition or collaboration.
PC
Windows
PlayStation
Playstation 3
Xbox
Xbox 360
Reviews
- Rocksmith is an excellent tool for learning guitar and bass, providing a fun and engaging way to practice and improve skills.
- The game features a diverse song catalog and allows players to learn at their own pace, with difficulty adjusting based on performance.
- The Guitarcade mini-games and technique challenges are enjoyable and help reinforce essential skills for playing the instrument.
- The game requires a proprietary Real Tone cable, which can be expensive and may not work well with all systems, leading to frustration.
- The user interface and menu navigation are often criticized for being clunky and unintuitive, making it difficult to access features quickly.
- Some players find the initial difficulty settings too easy, leading to a tedious experience before the game ramps up to more challenging content.
- music227 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 77 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The music aspect of the game is praised for its extensive and varied song catalog, which includes a mix of well-known tracks and lesser-known gems, making it enjoyable for players of all skill levels. While the game effectively teaches guitar techniques and allows players to learn songs at their own pace, some users noted that the sound quality could be lacking compared to the original tracks, and the DLC pricing for additional songs can be frustrating. Overall, it serves as a solid learning tool for aspiring guitarists, especially when paired with the ability to import songs into the more advanced 2014 version.
“I love the song catalog so far and am hoping I can still download more songs.”
“The simulated crowd response to your performance is a fun gauge of just how well you're playing, and the song selection is varied and entertaining.”
“The way the game gradually scales to your own ability of the song being played is brilliant and makes you more determined to get better and fully learn the songs and hit the correct notes.”
“The largest abomination to grace the music/game development industry.”
“The only thing better in this original Rocksmith is the main journey gig mode, where you play multiple songs in a row for points.”
“The main part of it is ok, or as good as Rocksmith ever gets in any version (which can be really quite good), but the training mechanics are incredibly awful, my first impression was 'this has to be the worst possible way to learn a song anyone could think of'.”
- gameplay12 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The gameplay in Rocksmith is primarily focused on teaching guitar through real instrument interaction, akin to a more educational version of Guitar Hero, but it lacks traditional game mechanics like story modes or unlockable content. While the remastered version enhances the learning experience and gradually increases difficulty, some users find the gameplay repetitive and menu navigation cumbersome. Overall, it offers a solid experience for learning guitar, though opinions vary on its entertainment value.
“Rocksmith is a teaching tool; the gameplay is kind of similar to Guitar Hero, but instead of a plastic toy, you use a real guitar.”
“The 2014 version is better in terms of gameplay, but this version really pushes you to master all of the in-game content and is much better at gradually increasing the difficulty.”
“The gameplay is fantastic.”
“The main part of it is ok, or as good as Rocksmith ever gets in any version (which can be really quite good), but the training mechanics are incredibly awful. My first impression was 'this has to be the worst possible way to learn a song anyone could think of.'”
“While an awesome concept with many awesome tools and things to do, I found the gameplay to be a bit boring.”
“The remastered version is great for learning songs, but it lacks any form of story mode or story mechanic, and you basically only learn songs.”
- story8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The game's story aspect is generally viewed as underdeveloped, with players noting a lack of depth and direction in the narrative. While the near story mode offers a fun experience reminiscent of being a rock star, many feel it is too simplistic and lacks the engaging missions and progression found in previous versions. Overall, players express a desire for a more robust story and additional unlockables to enhance their investment in the game.
“The story-driven element of the game makes you feel like you have proof of the game's educational bend.”
“It's not as polished, but the near story mode was a nice addition that's fun to play through.”
“This game is fun, but it is still missing some more elements, like a story, something to get you further invested. I love how the Ubisoft team developed the venues and how you progressed to a whole new scene after beating venues.”
“The remastered version is great for learning songs, but it lacks any form of story mode or story mechanic, and you basically only learn songs.”
“This game is fun, but it is still missing some more elements, like a story—something to get you further invested. I love how the Ubisoft team developed the venues and how you progressed to a whole new scene after beating venues, but it needed chapters, more unlockables, and a sense of direction of what kind of guitarist you wish to be.”
“The new version does not have these types of missions.”
- stability5 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 80 % negative mentions
The game's stability is generally acceptable, with some users noting tolerable bugs and occasional freezing or speed issues. While the tutorial phases are criticized for being slow, the overall experience is deemed good for learning songs, despite some minor UI and gameplay bugs.
“Freezes, or runs the game too fast.”
“A few of the minigames seem to be somewhat buggy, though it might also be due to my cable, which seems a bit too insensitive sometimes.”
“Great concept, tolerable bugginess considering you use your own guitar; however, the condescendingly slow tutorial phases are genuinely intolerable to me.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Users appreciate the gamified approach to grinding in the game, as it transforms practice into an engaging experience rather than a tedious one. The inclusion of mini-games for learning chords and scales helps maintain interest, although some players find the initial stages of tracks repetitive before they become more enjoyable. Overall, the grinding aspect is seen as beneficial for skill development while still requiring patience.
“I had some of the same feeling that I had with Guitar Hero, grinding tracks, trying to get higher scores.”
“Every track starts at a beginner stage, making them tedious, hitting single spaced out notes waiting for the AI to pick up and them be fun to play.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is generally engaging, with a dynamic crowd response that reflects player performance and varied song selection. However, players have reported issues with point registration during performances, and the lack of a "soft reset" option can be frustrating when mistakes occur.
“The simulated crowd response to your performance is a fun gauge of just how well you're playing, and the song selection is varied and entertaining.”
“The only problem is that sometimes in the middle of a performance, nothing I play registers for points.”
“There is no soft reset in a performance.”
“If you score well enough in the performance, you unlock an encore song or two that you haven't yet practiced.”
- graphics4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are described as decent but not particularly impressive, with some users finding the visual complexity overwhelming and the menu navigation awkward. Overall, while the visuals are serviceable, they do not enhance the gaming experience significantly.
“Decent graphics”
“Graphically, the game is okay, but not beautiful.”
“The menus are often awkward to navigate, and if you're used to other rhythm games, the complexity of the visuals can be headache-inducing.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect is perceived as uncertain, with users expressing concerns about the cumulative costs and the hope for better financial management in the future.
“Not sure how much all that adds up to, but there's always next year if my patience builds back up.”
“The monetization feels overly aggressive, making it hard to enjoy the game without spending money.”
“I feel like I'm constantly being pushed to buy in-game currency just to keep up with the content.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its engaging crowd dynamics, particularly during moments of achievement like scoring higher and leveling up, despite some initial delays and tuning steps that slow down the gameplay.
“Though slow with all the additional tuning steps and delays in getting the game going, I really enjoy the crowd atmosphere, especially when you're achieving higher scores and increases in levels in real-time.”
- humor1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is derived from its intentionally poor user interface, which some players find amusing despite the frustration it causes. Overall, while the UI may be hilariously bad, it doesn't detract from the game's effectiveness as a guitar training tool.
“The good news is, once you grit your teeth through the hilariously bad UI and maybe pay a few more dollars than you should for a couple of DLC tracks so you can actually rock, Rocksmith is an absolutely excellent guitar training tool.”
