blackbeltjones's Review of Rocksmith

Played until my fingers bled.....

User Rating: 9.5 | Rocksmith X360

By blackbeltjones | Review Date: October 20, 2011

Two things first off.. If you think you are buying a "game" dont get this, you will be disappointed. Also, if you've never played guitar and think you will learn to play in two weeks this game is not for you. Being a moderate guitar player, I wanted this game to maybe help with some required techniques for becoming a better player and it is already doing this in spades. It was a little slow going as it adjusted for my "moderate" skills but once it got to my level it upped me a little bit at a time and as soon as the game realized I was getting a little overwhelmed it eased back a little. The next time I played the same song it started me off at "my level" and slowly pushed me up a little more and soon I realized I was getting better with the progressions... this is what Rock Band should have had instead of difficulty levels... I like RB3 and I have the Mustang pro guitar with the buttons and it was nowhere near playing a real guitar. I was NOT purchasing a $300 fender squier to play the pro mode. I have over 1000 songs for RB3 and I will continue to play it with friends and at parties but this is my game of choice if I want to learn to be a better player. I hate to bring RB3 up here but the comparisons are inevitable.
The mini game modes are another excellent addition to this game where you can improve slide, chords, fretting, scales...etc. and not have the "boredom" of plucking away trying to learn these techniques. You are playing a simplified mini game and learning better guitar technique... you cant beat that.
The AMP mode is also a surprise... and the preset tones and pedals (which you have to earn) sound really amazing even through just my HDTV. You can purchase the presets instead of earning them through the ingame store but I think earning them will give you and I something to shoot for whilst we improved our guitar ablities. You can also unlock guitars as well though I am not sure where this comes in to play... maybe just another thing to shoot for while playing.
Also the note chart can be set to standard or tablature type. Standard being low E at top of the chart and high e at bottom. Strings on the screen are different colors and thicknesses so it is easy to tell whichever option you choose.
Graphics wise it is pretty bland but you wont really spend too much time seeing it because you are so busy watching the fretboard onscreen and off. Sound wise its what you would expect. I love after playing a song it will show the song again but with you playing and you can spend time seeing if you were early, late, missed a note...etc.
My only gripe is the initial lag... which you wont notice alot until the playback after your song. It can be adjusted but might take a few song playthroughs. Wearing my headphones directly connected to the Xbox eliminated this and i am sure connecting the sound directly to a stereo will also eliminate it.
I could go on forever but I still have more playing and learning to do. So, if you honestly want to learn guitar or you are a moderate player who wants to improve some techniques and maybe learn a few new songs along the way this game is definitely for you. If you already have a guitar, you can save on having to buy the guitar bundle, but the Epiphone Les Paul Jr. is certainly not a bad beginner guitar.. and the $199 for the guitar bundle is a great startup. It seems though that my Les Paul and Gretsch Jet will be getting a workout for awhile until I master this game and hopefully this great game will help me master the fretboard.

Rocksmith

Played until my fingers bled.....

Not Plastic!

Rocksmith doesn't make learning guitar any easier, but it makes it a whole lot more fun.