An appealing alternative to the Xbox 360's bloated first person shooter library.
It has a few different "modes," when playing songs. The original song plays in the background during all of them and in the single note mode, a few individual notes are played during the song. In chord mode, the player strums occasional chords from the song. In combo mode, the player uses both single notes and chords to complete the song.
If song is going well, Rocksmith will add more notes and chords to be played and more strings to be used. It felt great when I noticed more notes were added and a bit of a relief when I was over-whelmed and notes suddenly disappeared from the runway.
There are also arcade games and technique challenges to practice guitar fundamentals. These are interesting and useful for practice. I was very pleased with myself as I started hitting "Hammer Notes," that I have to credit Rocksmith with teaching me.
As much fun as Rocksmith is, it's also a bit disappointing. While playing a song, messages pop-up and are difficult to read. There is no mention of them in the instruction pamphlet and from what I have been able to read, they announce the beginning and end of a hot streak. I also once got a, "Groove Bonus," but, I haven't any idea what that means or what I did to earn it.
Also, I don't think Rocksmith does a good enough job tracking high scores on each song. After completing a song, I'd be left wondering how it was compared to my average or if it was new personal best. It's great that the minigames have scores that I can compare to other players online but, why not individual song scores, as well?
I'd also like lessons in learning actual sheet music. Playing is a lot of fun but, even if I master Rocksmith, I won't be any closer to learning music not included in the Rocksmith songbook.
Finally, why do I need an Xbox controller at all? Why not E String to accept, G string to cancel, E Chord to go to the menu, etc? I think playing individual notes to make different selections should be at least an option.
I never understood the fascination with Rockband and Guitar Hero. Rocksmith is truly innovative and makes perfect sense. I may not learn sheet music but, my technique, fretting, and guitar skills are definitely improving as I play. Rocksmith is a great alternative to the bloated first-person shooter library on the 360.