Rocksmith

 PlayStation 3
Rocksmith Image
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 27 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 60 Ratings

Your Score
0 out of 10
Rate this:
  • 10
  • 9
  • 8
  • 7
  • 6
  • 5
  • 4
  • 3
  • 2
  • 1
  • 0
  • 0
  • Summary: Featuring gameplay that automatically adjusts to the player's skill level and innovative game design that makes reading music visually fun and intuitive, Rocksmith engages experienced musicians and those who are picking up a guitar for the first time. The game includes a sizeable library ofFeaturing gameplay that automatically adjusts to the player's skill level and innovative game design that makes reading music visually fun and intuitive, Rocksmith engages experienced musicians and those who are picking up a guitar for the first time. The game includes a sizeable library of music from classic rock bands to current artists, such as The Animals, The Black Keys, David Bowie, Interpol, Nirvana and The Rolling Stones.… Expand
Buy Now
Buy on

Trailer

Play Sound
Please enter your birth date to watch this video:
You are not allowed to view this material at this time.
Rock Hits 1970s - Rocksmith DLC Trailer

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 27
  3. Negative: 1 out of 27
  1. GameShark
    Oct 24, 2011
    100
    Uncertain futures aside, Rocksmith is a breakthrough title not just for the music genre, but for gaming as a whole. It's the first time a developer has been able to deliver a game that makes learning fun and deliver something meaningful in the process.
  2. Impulsegamer
    Oct 17, 2012
    90
    What is truly intuitive about Rocksmith is the fact that it works, let alone the fact that it works so well. Once the guitar is plugged in the learning begins, and there is a lot on offer in Rocksmith. Being able to use your Playstation to teach yourself an actual skill is a rare thing, and Rocksmith should be praised for the great leap it has taken in rhythm gaming.
  3. Da Gameboyz
    Nov 3, 2011
    86
    I can't help but think if Rocksmith had come out years ago before any of the other music/rhythm games that use a virtual guitar it would probably be the premier guitar based video game. That being said, Rocksmith is quite a different game and can stand alone in its own genre, as there is nothing available on the market that competes with it. Ubisoft has hit the nail on the head with this innovative title.
  4. NZGamer
    Oct 7, 2012
    83
    Rocksmith tries to walk that fine line between a game and an educational tool, and sadly it gets confused a lot of the time. It has evolved the music rhythm genre of gaming, which is brilliant, but it has forgotten how much fun rocking out with your six-string should be.
  5. GRYOnline.pl
    Nov 19, 2012
    80
    Rocksmith isn't really a game the same way Guitar Hero is. It's more of a complex educational software that uses the look of a video game for better motivation. You could easily use YouTube videos and Guitar Pro tabs instead - and thousands of self-taught guitarists do. Fortunately putting everything in one place and using nice game-like graphics create a product that motivates better than any "usual" software does.
  6. GameSpot
    Oct 21, 2011
    80
    There's definitely room for improvement down the road, but Rocksmith's debut has one thing going for it above all else: it's the real deal. This ambitious guitar game delivers on its promise of intense rhythm gaming action tied to the act of actual guitar playing. It has something to offer players of all skill levels, whether you're picking up and learning the guitar for the first time or have been playing for ages.
  7. Playstation Official Magazine UK
    Sep 27, 2012
    40
    There are thousands of programs, YouTube tutorials and teachers that do a more effective job of teaching, and an army of clicky peripheral-based games that nail the fun element better.

See all 27 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 29
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 29
  3. Negative: 1 out of 29
  1. spanky36
    Oct 20, 2011
    10
    Excellent game! It is a much better feeling playing along with songs using a real guitar than a little light plastic toy. I have not beenExcellent game! It is a much better feeling playing along with songs using a real guitar than a little light plastic toy. I have not been playing my guitar often in the last few years, and this game gave me a reason to break it out and play again. I was a bit leery at first since I heard even if you miss notes the game still plays them, sure it does but the wrong note you hit still plays and it makes it sound terrible, so playing it correctly is satisfying enough. I have it running through a surround sound receiver through HDMI and then to my tv, and suffer no lag at all. I had to hook my PS3 up directly to the tv and miss the great sound because no matter how hard I tried to adjust the lag it just never felt right, this feels perfect. If this game would have came out first, I really think RB and GH would not have taken off like they did. This is like finding a better woman after you are already married, except it is much easier to ditch the old games and play this one.… Expand
  2. buddashak
    Oct 19, 2011
    10
    I've spent roughly 10 of the last 30 hours playing Rocksmith , have over 10 songs with over 85% mastery, mostly songs I'd never heard before,I've spent roughly 10 of the last 30 hours playing Rocksmith , have over 10 songs with over 85% mastery, mostly songs I'd never heard before, and can now say that this game is the bee's knees for anyone that plays guitar for fun regularly. Don't listen to all the people that say this is more of a tutorial than a game... at higher levels of play it's really just like playing guitar hero with your actual guitar. Regarding the auto-difficulty: At first I didn't feel like the difficulty was amping up fast enough, but then I realized after listening to some replays that this was because of my sloppy technique. For me this usually comes from missed palm mutes, missed harmonics, half-pressed barre chords, and brain farts. Once I got dialed in and actually started playing with precision the game would ramp up the difficulty and mastery level pretty fast. To all the reviewers complaining about the difficulty not going up fast enough (*cough* joystiq *cough*) I'm pretty sure its because you're not as good of a guitar player as you think you are. Rocksmith only gives you what you've earned. You wouldn't expect a mario game to give you access to world 8 just because you can half-a$$ your way through world 4, why should Rocksmith be any different? The lag when the ps3 audio is hooked straight to your stereo is equal to a good latency midi setup, meaning you can sense it if you're really trying hard but it's not enough to effect your playing. The interface is nice and easy to read when not cluttered... when you get to the higher levels of mastery it's another story, but if you're capable of getting to the higher levels then you're no doubt relying on your ear and memory more than what's on the screen, so it doesn't really matter The one thing that sucks is the total lack of streamlining. For example, I prefer to have my songs sorted by artist, but every time you go to the song list it resets to being sorted by title. This wouldn't bug me if you could change the sorting with a button press, but it's not. Also, whenever a song finishes the game automatically loads up the replay, thereby unloading the song. This means if you want to play the song again you have to wait for the replay to load, and then pick "play again", and then wait for the song to load up again. In other words, you end up doing a lot of waiting. Also, the two rap-rock songs are really bad.… Expand
  4. alakazoo
    Oct 23, 2011
    10
    This is not really so much a game as it is a guitar practice tool, as stated in a few other posts. Now I said a guitar 'practice tool'This is not really so much a game as it is a guitar practice tool, as stated in a few other posts. Now I said a guitar 'practice tool' because if you think you'll pick up a guitar and learn to play in a weekend, forget it. It seems to me that a person should have played a little before plugging in this game. I began learning guitar in the last couple of months and I find this game helps in many areas I have neglected, but I think to try it without never having picked up a guitar before would be daunting at best. Don't get me wrong, I truly believe Rocksmith is great, more a piece of software than a game, but if you need help getting motivated to play or are trying to go beyond the first few campfire chords, this is what you'll need.… Expand
  5. NOVEANO
    Sep 9, 2013
    10
    This game is simply amazing and what every guitarist had ever dreamt of also non guitarist ubisoft I love you ubisoft. It's a great way ofThis game is simply amazing and what every guitarist had ever dreamt of also non guitarist ubisoft I love you ubisoft. It's a great way of learning and improving your guitar skills, I can't wait to get the next version… Expand
  6. RedHotFuzz
    Oct 20, 2011
    10
    First off, I hope no one pays any attention to Joystiq's ridiculous 5/10 score for this game. Worst review ever - and a real shame as it willFirst off, I hope no one pays any attention to Joystiq's ridiculous 5/10 score for this game. Worst review ever - and a real shame as it will scare away some buyers who would actually find this game wildly entertaining AND educational. I guess anything beyond mindless button mashing is beyond that reviewer's comprehension.

    Anywho, in all honesty this is the game I've been waiting 30 years for. My attempts to learn guitar have been numerous and completely unsuccessful. I've tried it all - live instructor, downloading tabs and practicing solo, taking online video courses - nothing has kept my attention for long. It's too tedious and not fun enough to stay motivating.

    Enter Rocksmith. When I first heard about this game, I was sure it would be a flop. Plug a *real* guitar into my PS3 with nothing more than a PS3 dongle and it would recognize the notes I played? Yeah right!!! No way that was going to work. Well let me tell you, work it does. Played a couple of hours last night and a couple more tonight, and while the throbbing in my fingertips won't go away, neither will the grin on my face. The interface is quite intuitive if you've ever played a Rock Band or Guitar Hero game before, and the killer feature is the way the game will automatically ramp up (or down) the difficulty AS YOU PLAY! Wow, how's that for an amazing learning experience? The better you play, the harder it gets. And the arcade game extras are a great and fun way to work on those typically-dreaded drills (the ones that have made me give up guitar too many times before).

    I am confident this will be a learning method I will stick with. Rather than burning the midnight oil on button-mashing FPS games, I can now be *learning an actual skill!* Yeah, how's that for a video game? If only there were more games like this - and more parents bought them for their kids. I would have killed for this game 30 years ago when I picked up (and put down) my first guitar. Seriously. This is dreams-come-true stuff.

    If you have any interest in playing the real guitar, buy this game. Period. If you're sick of your kids spending countless mind-numbing hours playing regular video games, get this game. In a couple of years they could actually be proficient guitarists - rather than just having won every achievement in Call of Duty. (Zzzzz...) I was going to pick up Battlefield 3 next week, but now I want to devote my gaming time to Rocksmith.

    Hopefully Ubisoft will get enough market support to crank out the DLC. The on-disc catalog is quite limited (and fairly weak - you won't know most of these songs I wager), so I hope Ubi has big plans in this department.

    I can't wait until my kids are old enough to handle a guitar so I can get them started on Rocksmith. Now we just need Violinsmith, Drumsmith, Saxsmith, Pianosmith... :)

    This is the must-buy game for Christmas 2011.    … Expand
  7. slikk66
    Mar 5, 2012
    9
    I've owned this game since pretty soon after it was released. I used to play guitar in a band in college, we had a couple of shows at theI've owned this game since pretty soon after it was released. I used to play guitar in a band in college, we had a couple of shows at the Roxy in Hollywood, we were good, not great. My guitar playing was self taught, and I never learned the right way to do things.. but we could still rock for the most part. Fast forward 10 years, I haven't played much guitar. I was hoping this game would get me going. At first, I played it some and the auto-adjust put me up to "master" guitarist pretty quickly (I thought), and I was overwhelmed. I could play notes and some easy chords, but when I did well on those, it turned up the hurt quickly. I put the game down for a while.

    Recently I picked it back up and really started to pay attention to what it was trying to teach me, pausing to lookup chord charts online when I wasn't sure. Long story short, I can play chords and "actual" riffs, pickings etc better than I ever could before. This game does what it promises, but just remember.. it's not easy. This is more of a tool than a game. But, it really does teach you how to play guitar in an enjoyable way. I think it should have come with a big chord chart, and maybe some real "how-to" videos to get newbies started.

    The critics have some points on the details, but once you find a few good songs to practice: Sweet Home Alabama, House of the Rising Sun, and some DLC: Smoke on the Water, More than a Feeling.. it starts getting really good really fast.

    I haven't put it down much in the last few nights, I'm hooked on guitar again.. and my fingers have callouses again (sweet!)

    Highly recommended, just be committed.    … Expand
  8. fuchikoma
    Dec 17, 2012
    2
    First off, Rocksmith is a great game with a few rough spots (technique challenges that are almost impossible because they require high-levelFirst off, Rocksmith is a great game with a few rough spots (technique challenges that are almost impossible because they require high-level mastery of other techniques not being tested. ie. Hammer-ons & pull-offs requires perfect, fast, frequent shifting without glancing at the guitar at all.) Overall though, it's a great way to push you forward to try harder techniques at a fast pace and make breakthroughs in ability, as well as keep practicing regularly.

    However... it's really irrelevant how well planned this software is when the PS3 version doesn't even function. It will lock up every 10-15 minutes of play, presenting a loading screen that never ends. This problem is well known and infamous on their forums, but Ubi's support staff basically take any open support tickets on it and declare that they have nothing to offer, and close the ticket as "solved." In other words, "it's really too bad you just spent $200 on this, but we got our money so you can buzz off now!" In a half hour session, this game will crash more than any other game I've played since PS3 launch has ever crashed, added up across all sessions I've ever played. It's broken. It's useless. It's buggier than an anthill. Stay away! The PC version is fairly decent, but the PS3 version isn't fit for an alpha test.    … Expand

See all 29 User Reviews

Trailers

Awards & Rankings

65
#65 Best PS3 Game of 2011
60
#60 Most Discussed PS3 Game of 2011
95
#95 Most Shared PS3 Game of 2011