Rocksmith+

 PC
User Score
4.3

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 30 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 30
  3. Negative: 17 out of 30

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  1. goosecheese
    Sep 29, 2022
    1
    Really wanted to like this game.

    The subscription model was touted as enabling better quality content, by giving Ubisoft better certainty of income and a regular revenue stream to back ongoing development. So I was willing to give the developers the benefit of the doubt here, that they would provide a service worthy of the significant price of admission and loss of ongoing ownership    Really wanted to like this game.

    The subscription model was touted as enabling better quality content, by giving Ubisoft better certainty of income and a regular revenue stream to back ongoing development. So I was willing to give the developers the benefit of the doubt here, that they would provide a service worthy of the significant price of admission and loss of ongoing ownership rights.

    But Ubisoft appears to have completely back-ended their development to after release, pushing all of the risk onto the consumer, and providing a sub-par offering straight out of the gate.

    This is conflating the role of customer and investor. The early adopters are paying full price for an unfinished service, with all of the risk of a product that may not see out the end of the year given its poor initial reception, and may never live up to the pre-release promises. All while reaping none of the rewards of potential success that normally come with an investment and justify shouldering the burden of risk.

    Top this off with a marketing campaign that made a lot of promises, (millions of songs, weekly updates) which with each passing day become increasingly watered down (a few thousand songs, monthly updates), a communication strategy and level of transparency that would be better suited to the KGB, and a customer service model that sees genuine complaints, bug reports and refund requests by color blind customers who bought based on accessibility promises but let down in practice, outright ignored.

    Business model and general contempt for their paying customers aside, this game has some promise. But there are a number of changes that would need to be made before this comes anywhere near worth the price of admission.

    The song list is woefully pathetic. Think bargain bin in the local second hand shop after it's already been picked clean by crate divers. B sides, covers, unknown bands, and pop songs completely devoid of interesting guitar parts. (Steps anyone? But not 5,6,7,8, before you get too excited). The first update was just another kick in the teeth of anyone hanging onto hope for any genuine improvement.

    And although there are some hidden gems, navigation and ease of finding these songs is hampered by a buggy and poorly designed UI. Search and filters are broken and do not provide expected results. Featured song lists have barely changed in the weeks since release, and the AI generated "recommended" lists are also much too static and often produce wildly inappropriate suggestions for difficulty level or musical style.

    The lesson content, although produced to a high standard, including the occasional interesting bit of information, and some charismatic and knowledgeable presenters, are really shallow, particularly beyond the absolute beginner level. It appears the strategy is to drip feed the content to keep users on the hook longer, rather than focusing on providing a comprehensive learning tool that will help accelerate your playing ability. Much of the content doesn't offer much advantage over the vast library of content available for free on Youtube.

    In it's current state, if you haven't already foolishly signed up for the 12 month subscription, it's advisable to wait this one out, until Ubisoft either pulls the pin entirely on a lost cause, or pulls its finger out and puts some significant money into saving the franchise.

    The level of incompetence on display here really should see some heads roll.

    This is genuinely a real shame, as this could be a real winner if only someone in the corporate wasteland at Ubisoft cared enough to give it an honest chance.    … Expand
  2. Wesker3215
    Oct 6, 2022
    1
    Overall - it has some good tools and is better put together than its predecessors by far. currently, not at all worth what they are asking for. The song selection is absolute garbage, there are a couple well known bands and songs that are fun to play along with such as Alice Cooper and Mudvayne. that's basically it - everyone else I've never heard of. I like my music, especially Metal andOverall - it has some good tools and is better put together than its predecessors by far. currently, not at all worth what they are asking for. The song selection is absolute garbage, there are a couple well known bands and songs that are fun to play along with such as Alice Cooper and Mudvayne. that's basically it - everyone else I've never heard of. I like my music, especially Metal and Death Metal - I didn't see any bands worth mentioning. if you're going to advertise 5,000 songs from launch, make sure half of them are people we've heard of. these D-list bands just don't cut it. they pulled from the bottom of the barrel for each genre, and all are equally terrible - but don't worry, you got the **** Wiggles on there for some reason.

    - I've played Rocksmith since the original came out in 2011. Little 10-year-old me, very excited to pick up a guitar for the first time and it being a video game, had a blast. I learned how to use Pedals and much more because of this game. Fast forward to Rs2014, had an equal amount of fun and the learning experiences were more intriguing. The seemingly endless library in 2014 was incredible, I Spent way too much money buying song packs to play along with my favorite music and to challenge myself.

    - In my opinion I really like the UI, other than the suggestions. I don't need you to Suggest me music that I more than likely don't care about, I know what I like, and I know what I want to look for. For the most part it's easy to find what music or artist you want to see.

    - On top of all that, the note detection is really bad - I scrambled to try and fix it for a good minute and just couldn't find a reasonable setting to accurately hit the notes, rendering the game slightly unplayable. I don't know where they went wrong after releasing 2 superb titles, but something is broken and not working. I'm tired of game companies changing what they had to try and make it better, without it ending up being absolute garbage. Assassins Creed for example, why the **** is it an RPG Looter now?

    - I had such high hopes for this game since its announcement, I put hours upon hours in the other titles. I've played Rocksmith+ for 45 minutes and I already want a refund. Ubisoft screwed up really bad with this title

    - This game, Feels like a major cash grab. Music Selection sucks, note detection is bad and the price is way too extreme for the quality of the game. I knew from when I first heard it was going to be a subscription-based platform I knew something was off.

    This is my first and more than likely ONLY review I will ever put on the internet about a video game, but I was severely disappointed in this title - that being said I really want this title to succeed and be something I can use to get my interest in Guitar back. So, I'm hoping some of this information gets back to Ubisoft so they can correct their mistakes and make a game with classic artists and new artists alike. I already don't like Ubisoft because they ruined Assassins Creed; Ruining Rocksmith is where I Draw the line. I only paid for the 1-month subscription because I'm always skeptical about new releases, usually I'll wait 2 months after the game has been released to see people's reviews, this time I was way too excited to wait, wanted to jump in ASAP. Honestly, It's not even worth the $15 price tag. Because the song selection is so terrible, I wouldn't even pay $5 for this game. I immediately canceled my subscription after I played the 1 and only song I enjoyed.

    Don't make my mistake, wait until Ubisoft pulls their head out of their ass. Don't buy this game until its properly finished.    … Expand
  3. thaddeusk
    Nov 1, 2022
    0
    Ignoring the missing features of the game, I'd still suggest caution if you plan to subscribe to this service. Make sure to look through the song list for songs you'd actually want to play, but also that they have a real guitar or base arrangement instead of just a chart.

    I subscribed to the game because they had a claim of 8,000 songs, I figured with that many they'd have to at least    Ignoring the missing features of the game, I'd still suggest caution if you plan to subscribe to this service. Make sure to look through the song list for songs you'd actually want to play, but also that they have a real guitar or base arrangement instead of just a chart.

    I subscribed to the game because they had a claim of 8,000 songs, I figured with that many they'd have to at least have the songs I played in Rocksmith 2014, but that was, unfortunately, not the case.

    Despite the 8,000 song claim, most of those won't have a full arrangement, they will just show you the root note or chord for that section of the song. Not very helpful if you're trying to learn the actual song, since you aren't show the actual notes to play.

    The actual numbers are closer to 1,400 for guitar and probably under 1,000 for bass (which is what I play). Also keep in mind that those guitar numbers may not include the lead arrangement, so you could be stuck playing rhythm guitar.

    I also found out that the song selection is not great. It seems like they tried the find the least popular songs that they could instead, which is the opposite of what they did with the previous titles. There's no Nirvana, Soundgarden, or Alice in Chains, and only three songs from Pearl Jam, but none of them from the album Ten, the only album from them that mattered.

    I had asked them for a refund, but since I'm not in one of the countries that forces companies to offer one for subscriptions, they have refused to help me out. I would have resubscribed when they had an acceptable song list, but I think I'll just stick to Rocksmith 2014 for the foreseeable future and regret my decision to waste money on this service.    … Expand
  4. Satanski666
    Sep 9, 2022
    0
    Wow, how they made new, more expansive edition and still made it worse? There is no session play and no minigames. Song library is terrible and full of pop and other crap stuff, and many songs have only some basic chord arrangement. Also i experienced some note detection problems which didn't happen in RS2014 (with RS Cable). I expected some improvements, like ability to rewind and fastWow, how they made new, more expansive edition and still made it worse? There is no session play and no minigames. Song library is terrible and full of pop and other crap stuff, and many songs have only some basic chord arrangement. Also i experienced some note detection problems which didn't happen in RS2014 (with RS Cable). I expected some improvements, like ability to rewind and fast forward songs in riff repeter, but got inferior product instead. But hey, the game is full of inclusivity, and it's the most important thing lately.… Expand
  5. Fartsindabreeze
    Sep 15, 2022
    1
    Rocksmith+ will absolutely give beginners a starting point to learn the basics via lessons but the music selection at release is overall terrible. There are a few well known artists, even a few hit songs and I do mean a few, but most artists are unknowns. Worse yet songs are B-side covers, retreads and live recordings. It even gets worse, if you do find a song to play, Ubisoft may orRocksmith+ will absolutely give beginners a starting point to learn the basics via lessons but the music selection at release is overall terrible. There are a few well known artists, even a few hit songs and I do mean a few, but most artists are unknowns. Worse yet songs are B-side covers, retreads and live recordings. It even gets worse, if you do find a song to play, Ubisoft may or may not have even bothered to provide tablature for the song. Whether it is Rocksmith's tabs or tradition tablature. More often than not there won't be tabs. Ubisoft actually expects customers to provide arrangements for lead, rhythm and bass and that feature is currently not working as of this review. (EDIT: this feature is currently working now). So unless you can transcribe musical tabs you'll be out of luck or waiting for the community which may not even have the correct tabs. Ubisoft absolutely does intend for the community to provide tabs for their game while paying $15/month and there are no announcements on which songs Ubisoft will provide tabs for.. Users have reported taking almost two hours to tab a song in the workshop and Ubisoft hasn't announced rewards for those that do transcribe songs. On top of providing no tabs, Ubisoft is rumored to be developing piano/keyboard arrangements, while not providing finished guitar/bass tabs for a rough guess of around 2000-3000 songs.

    You won't find Guitarcade. I haven't found Session Mode.

    The game seems stable though, had just one crash. UI looks like Netflix, a little blah. Some song previews fade too quickly, meaning you'll be going blind into a song unless it is known to you. The game can also be difficult to read at full speed due to the color of the notes. Colors are muted, so identifying hammer-on, pull offs and palm mutes can be difficult to read on some colors. The search filter feature in Rocksmith+ is frustrating to use. Every filter must be reapplied each time you search a new genre.

    I can't recommend this game when YouTube exists for free lessons and the limited exercise selection. Rocksmith+ was supposed to have music the people wanted to play, it simply doesn't have the music selection for the price. I also won't recommend a game that a multibillion dollar company expects the players to finish.
    The game does work as intended and may provide some enjoyment if you're in need of a musical experience, if you can find a song to play that is charted or have learned play by ear.    … Expand
  6. TypicalSlav
    Sep 7, 2022
    2
    While it does what Rocksmith 2014 did, it doesn’t do it better. In fact it’s a stripped down version of it. It suffers from same things it did while in BETA and the developers obviously didn’t listen to us.

    The library, while at it first seems huge, is laughably lacking. With claims of thousands of songs, it comes down to a fifth of what’s claimed and those thousands aren’t actually songs    While it does what Rocksmith 2014 did, it doesn’t do it better. In fact it’s a stripped down version of it. It suffers from same things it did while in BETA and the developers obviously didn’t listen to us.

    The library, while at it first seems huge, is laughably lacking. With claims of thousands of songs, it comes down to a fifth of what’s claimed and those thousands aren’t actually songs but different arrangements.

    Note detection is abysmal most of the time and you aren’t rewarded for playing the song right, but rather how the game dictates it ( 70% of the time you’ll play it wrong for game to detect it ) which goes against the principle of learning the instrument and/or the song.

    Same connection setup as RS2014 yielded insane latency issues and I had to tweak it for over an hour just to get semi decent results. Ended up eliminating it, but there was no logic to it. Trial and error.

    Thousands of hours in RS games made me hopeful, but if the first thought after trying this game is “refund”, something went terribly wrong.

    If you are a newcomer, I implore you to follow the development and stay away from subscription until they fix major issues.    … Expand
  7. ultraviper
    Sep 7, 2022
    0
    8000 songs, but it's all filler. There might be some songs by artists you recognize, but it won't be their hits, or they will be covers, or live versions only. No more guitarcade. Lots of small design changes (appregio notation, chord panes, just the colors in general, etc.) are worse than they used to be. Subscription based with no free trial. No way to mod in custom songs. My suggestion:8000 songs, but it's all filler. There might be some songs by artists you recognize, but it won't be their hits, or they will be covers, or live versions only. No more guitarcade. Lots of small design changes (appregio notation, chord panes, just the colors in general, etc.) are worse than they used to be. Subscription based with no free trial. No way to mod in custom songs. My suggestion: buy Rocksmith 2014 while they're still allowing it to be sold. Which might not be much longer.… Expand
  8. Szmittu
    Sep 7, 2022
    1
    Please bear in mind that I am reviewing the game on release.

    Pros: Better note detection (with rs cable) Lessons... I guess? Cons: Game is UNREADABLE. Repeatable chords are impossible to sight read. Don't get me started on arpeggios. Awful songs. 5000 songs my ass. Barely any good arrangements, a lot of songs do not have tabs, nothing worthy in rock or metal genres. "Not found"    Please bear in mind that I am reviewing the game on release.

    Pros:
    Better note detection (with rs cable)
    Lessons... I guess?

    Cons:
    Game is UNREADABLE. Repeatable chords are impossible to sight read. Don't get me started on arpeggios.

    Awful songs. 5000 songs my ass. Barely any good arrangements, a lot of songs do not have tabs, nothing worthy in rock or metal genres.

    "Not found" simulator. Try any of the known bands in the search bar.

    Awful, awful UI.

    Unless they add a bunch of bangers, this is a typical "stay away" type of a subscription scam.    … Expand
  9. NL-Meta
    Sep 7, 2022
    0
    This is my first ever metacritic review. This game is so atrociously bad I felt it's my duty to save you $15-$100.
    This UI is a buggy mess, there are literally 1,000s of songs but they're unknown/noname. If you want to learn mary had a little lamb and naruto theme song, this might be for you. The song list reminds me of those crappy karaoke games for xbox 360. Search any popular artist    This is my first ever metacritic review. This game is so atrociously bad I felt it's my duty to save you $15-$100.
    This UI is a buggy mess, there are literally 1,000s of songs but they're unknown/noname. If you want to learn mary had a little lamb and naruto theme song, this might be for you. The song list reminds me of those crappy karaoke games for xbox 360. Search any popular artist and you'll be playing the "no results found" game. Worst is the song list doesn't revolve around "guitar music", it's a hodgepodge. You're going to be playing needle in the haystick with an atrocious UI.

    The Gameplay - Well RS2014 nailed the "gameplay". There isn't anything really "new" here except that the notetrack and highway is on ketamine. In the before times, you could pretty easily pick up on a chord progression visually, but not anymore! Now you can develop intense eye strain instead. Ultimately the gameplay is the songs and it's just not there.

    This game is objectively bad compared to RS2014, has little improvements aside from ASIO integration (which does work, but comes with the same issues and required workarounds from the beforetimes). I'm not against DRM or a subscription model, but I expect to get something in return for the loss of ownership. At least with a timeshare you get a nicer condo than you could afford, even if you don't own it. Now you have a timeshare but it's worse place than the one you could afford to own outright. Save your money.    … Expand
  10. lemurcozy
    Aug 17, 2023
    0
    UPDATE: Aug 2023
    I paid $100 for a year subscription, and now that the first year is almost complete, I am pissed off at this game. Song releases were few and far between, and the new songs were mostly NOT ROCK. This tech demo was worth, maybe $10 not $100 (or even $60 as a non-live service game). Cancelled my subscription and am going to uninstall now.
    I am what you call a    UPDATE: Aug 2023
    I paid $100 for a year subscription, and now that the first year is almost complete, I am pissed off at this game. Song releases were few and far between, and the new songs were mostly NOT ROCK. This tech demo was worth, maybe $10 not $100 (or even $60 as a non-live service game). Cancelled my subscription and am going to uninstall now.

    I am what you call a Rocksmith 'power user'. For almost a decade, Rocksmith 2014 has been the most satisfying game in my library. I always looked forward towards the weekly DLC packs, and over that time I've spent several THOUSANDS of dollars on songs. Most of my time was spent on the PS3/PS4, but recently I switched over to the PC due to note detection and audio fallout problems on the PS4. I REBOUGHT my favorite songs on the PC so that I could hone my skills on a more stable build. I would often tell people that Rocksmith was my favorite game OF ALL TIME because my time was well spent learning skills in an entertaining way. FWIW, I am a game developer for 20+ years, and RS2014 has had this place in my life me since it launched.

    That brings me to Rocksmith+...

    I am very disappointed with this title. There is a laundry list of issues/regressions that make me regret the $100-per-year subscription fee I spent earlier this week. The list of disappointments include:

    - The included song list is overwhelmingly filled with 'user content' rather than the 100% Ubisoft-transcribed songs from RS2014. Most of, if not ALL, of the user content is simple strumming against chords and NOT accurate note-for-note tab. I dabbled in user created content in RS2014, and a lot of those songs were flat out wrong. When paying top $$$ for Rocksmith+, I expect the content to be professionally generated and note-for-note. It is a huge overstatement, and frankly lazy, to say that the song list is thousands-strong if you are filling it with third-rate user content.

    - To reiterate the above point, the ACTUAL song list at lauch is really small, and of those songs they are weird and obscure selections. Not sure what is going on in the licensing department, but is this really the best you could muster?

    - I agree 100% with the other user reviews in that the UI is horrible. It feels like Ubisoft decided to ape 'insert-your-streaming-video-service-here', but made it worse. I don't want 'suggestions', I want a clear way to find content that I want to learn to play. And when I was able to (somehow) get to the full song list for a category, finding what I wanted was overwhelming. It would be really help to have different filters so that I could, say, organize the songs by tuning and then possibly artist. I would take the clunky RS2104 UI over this any day.

    - Rocksmith+ needs to stop saying that it is suggesting things based on my likes. I like rock, metal, and alternative music of all types. I have found ZERO songs in the current list of Ubisoft-generated songs that I listen to in my day-to-day life. That wouldn't be a problem if the other selections didn't feel like they were chosen based on how cheap Ubisoft could license them for. Feels like a garage sale, whereas I was always impressed by the quality and top-tier feel of the selections of the older games. Hell, didn't RS2014 launch with Jerry Cantrell doing a demo at E3 or something? And AIC was one of several high-profile rock/metal/alternative acts that shipped in that title. Sigh.

    - To top it all off, I think the note detection is WAY off and the new tab visualization doesn't clearly indicate when you are making mistakes. I used to be able to download a new song and at least get 80-90% accuracy on the first try (unless it was something like Megadeth), and RS+ constantly grades me as 50-60% accuracy, even if there are only a handful of notes in the song at beginner diffculty. Something is broken.

    To sum it up, I want this title to succeed. This is my first (and maybe ONLY) review that I have posted for a game in my life, so I hope some of this feedback makes it way back to Ubisoft so that they can course-correct and bring back the parts of Rocksmith that were working. And I shouldn't have to wait and 'trust' Ubisoft to release songs that are worth learning 'at some future point'. Like I said, I paid $100 for a year subscription. That is $40 over a standalone game costs. I EXPECT a song list NOW that is worthy of at least that $60 price tag...

    ...and I hope that Ubisoft listens and improves their game. I would love nothing more than to be able to tell my friends that Rocksmith+ is my favorite video game of all time, like RS2014 turned out to be.

    Your move, Ubisoft    … Expand
  11. dutchgoose123
    Nov 1, 2022
    0
    This product absolutely does NOT work. I am on Windows 11 and the game/product simply does not work. Absolutely do not subscribe. Ubisoft will refuse to give you a refund if the software doesn't work for you.

    I purchased the RealTone cable, and neither of my two guitars was detected by the game even though Windows 11 detected the devices. Then I switched to using my iPhone 12 and the    This product absolutely does NOT work. I am on Windows 11 and the game/product simply does not work. Absolutely do not subscribe. Ubisoft will refuse to give you a refund if the software doesn't work for you.

    I purchased the RealTone cable, and neither of my two guitars was detected by the game even though Windows 11 detected the devices. Then I switched to using my iPhone 12 and the Rocksmith app to connect the guitar. However, the tuning process on the App is broken and makes you put your guitar out of tune to pass the sound check. After 3 hours of troubleshooting, and several weeks back and forth with Ubisoft support, I am here, leaving this review. Ubisoft refused a refund, and I wasted hours of my life.

    Fortunately, PayPal and my bank saw the screenshots and evidence that the product did not work and forced a refund for the service.    … Expand
  12. yoshemahino
    Dec 30, 2022
    0
    As a huge fane of the original as well as 2014 I can say this is completely horrible. I remember when I purchased the original bundle with guitar on the ps3 and absolutely loved it. When 2014 came out I had to get it for the ps4 now as well as the new 2014 remaster edition. When this came out I tried to like it. The menus is a little different and play style as well. But it seemed to beAs a huge fane of the original as well as 2014 I can say this is completely horrible. I remember when I purchased the original bundle with guitar on the ps3 and absolutely loved it. When 2014 came out I had to get it for the ps4 now as well as the new 2014 remaster edition. When this came out I tried to like it. The menus is a little different and play style as well. But it seemed to be alright. The huge set back I have is the fact it’s a pay to play game. You spend 14.99 to 99.99 to play. I see myself actually backtracking after my free trial to 2014 on pc. I will not suggest this total to any of my friends or family members. Instagram I tell them to get 2014 where you can play it and buy any dlc you want for the game.… Expand
  13. IanMuir81
    Mar 16, 2023
    2
    This game is an enormous downgrade from Rocksmith 2014. I really loved the previous version, but this version is just a huge waste of money. The subscription based cost means you're paying $100+ per year for the game. The justification for this cost is the song library, which is just garbage. The most recent metal album in the library is 2019. In the Rock category, there have only been 7This game is an enormous downgrade from Rocksmith 2014. I really loved the previous version, but this version is just a huge waste of money. The subscription based cost means you're paying $100+ per year for the game. The justification for this cost is the song library, which is just garbage. The most recent metal album in the library is 2019. In the Rock category, there have only been 7 songs added from 2021 and 2022 and none of them are event remotely popular bands.

    You will be hard pressed to find 4 songs you even recognize in this game unless you're a big fan of pop rock from the 50's and 60's.    … Expand
  14. Manolis3917
    Jun 21, 2023
    0
    Cold not fun expensive low songs count harder less enjoyable worse graphics less customization s than 2014 and overall pretty little stuff on this game its hard to see the notes it doesn't allow you to play diffent type of chords that make the same chord or harmonics it will take it as mistake really bad game, 0 freedom 2014 has all the freedom you need and you can do anything ForeverCold not fun expensive low songs count harder less enjoyable worse graphics less customization s than 2014 and overall pretty little stuff on this game its hard to see the notes it doesn't allow you to play diffent type of chords that make the same chord or harmonics it will take it as mistake really bad game, 0 freedom 2014 has all the freedom you need and you can do anything Forever Rocksmith 2014!… Expand

Critic Reviews

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No score yet - based on 2 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 2
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 2
  3. Negative: 0 out of 2
  1. Slant Magazine
    Sep 23, 2022
    80
    For a beginner guitarist, Rocksmith+ is a godsend.
    Read full review
  2. NME
    Sep 6, 2022
    60
    Rocksmith+ is a far from perfect offering from Ubisoft, but it’s an undeniably effective teaching tool. Learning to play a track through Rocksmith+ offers more fun than staring at the same tab for an hour, but whether or not it has the songs you’re after is another matter entirely.
    Read full review