Rocksmith

It's rare to find a game that encompasses a teaching tool as effective as Rocksmith, with virtually no negatives to observe, while still being enjoyable to play. Though for the first day or two you'll feel some pain in the tips of your fingers as your new guitarist callous' begin to form, it's a small trade for the skills, abilities, and pride you'll feel as you level-up as a genuine musician. Nothing beats learning useful and fun real-life skills, especially when it's with something as cool as an electric guitar.

As a game in the traditional sense, Rocksmith is barely there; it's essentially a practice aid combined with a rudimentary teacher. However, it is one that works quite well and is fully capable of letting you learn at your own pace - right up to the point where you could easily plug your guitar into a conventional amp and play a song unassisted.

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.

It's as simple as this: if you want to have fun with friends in a rhythm game, buy Rock Band 3, but if you want to learn guitar, buy Rocksmith. It works, it's fun, and no strange man with a handlebar mustache will force you to play Soul Asylum here.

Rocksmith feels like a present from the rock gods themselves. This little slice of the future is the perfect tool/game to teach all skill levels a thing or two about rocking out on the six-strings.

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.

While Ubisoft may have fundamentally failed to grasp the commitment behind learning actual guitar, the product behind it is sound. It may be a steep initial outlay to play, but if you're serious about learning guitar, this one will put you on the right path, while entertaining you in the process.

It may not provide a quick arcade fix, but as a full on guitar tutor this is one of the most enjoyable ways to learn how to play. [Dec 2012, p.99]

For those serious about the guitar, it's an enjoyable game and a structured way to learn. [Dec 2012, p.78]

RS is a great teaching tool, but your experience is going to depend on how committed you are to learning guitar. RS won't turn you into a shredding Jimmy Hendrix overnight, but if you commit to practicing each day you're going to see results. Even if you're an experienced guitar player, you're probably going to find something to like in RS.

Will Rocksmith revive the dying music game market – probably not. But as an engaging and entertaining tool to help beginners learn to play guitar, it is fantastic. In fact, I would not be surprised if in five years from now we hear a famous rocker or two say "I first learned to play guitar using Rocksmith." It is that good.

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.

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.

Many people might be turned off to Rocksmith due to its lack of party game appeal, but that's not what it's about. It's about making a difficult instrument easy and fun to learn, and it accomplishes that.

Is Rocksmith always a thrill a minute? No. However, few recent games offer so novel an experience as playing a guitar part, and hearing the notes you play flow out of your TV as part of a great rock song. It's the added incentive a lot of potential musicians might need to put in the time it takes to excel.

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.

No matter how much physical pain we had to endure, we always had fun. To us, it was like rediscovering a lost love. It goes to show how useful a game (or better said: educational software) like Rocksmith can be. Almost anyone can enjoy it. Even an absolute beginner. [November 2012, p.82]

If you're prepared to put in the hours and make those fingers bleed, Rocksmith is the perfect learning tool, hitting all of the right notes and striking a chord with rock fans.

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.

As a new IP and a ballsy take on the floundering music genre, Rocksmith is an awesome first step. The technology is fantastic, and while the gameplay could use some tweaks, the dynamic charting system is a great sign of things to come.

Brings a fairly fresh approach to learning a real guitar. [Issue#223, p.72]

Those of you who put in the time and effort needed will have a lot to gain from Rocksmith. Not just high scores, but the feeling of actually learning to play an instrument.

Rock Band and Guitar Hero already have the party attitude, but Rocksmith needs to try harder to master this untapped school music teacher approach.

Despite some really good ideas, Rock Smith still has this unpolished overall feel to it.

The technology driving Rocksmith is awesome. Unfortunately, the software just doesn't compare. [Dec 2011, p.81]