Rocksmith
8.7
10
84
84
Great Practice App!
I am not a gamer nor am I an expert musician. I have only been playing guitar for a few months and I am not very good at it. That being said, this game is great! I would not use it to learn music because it doesn’t really teach anything about the theory of music but, let's face it, the hardest part of learning an instrument is the mechanics of it. Stretching your fingers out and becoming comfortable with moving around the finger board is hard, time consuming, and until you get good at it, it can be very boring. This game takes the boredom out of it. There are lots of ways to play and practice. Rocksmith forces the player to watch the T.V. and not their fingers. For a beginner that can be challenging, but after only a couple of hours I found myself playing right along with it. The automatic increase of difficulty is actually during game play so you can start playing a song at level 1 but end it playing at level 5. It is fun, informative, challenging and worth every penny I spent on it. In other words, "This game is AWESOME!!"
10/19/11
Good.
Well, this is the first real guitar game that lets you use your own guitar. Even the most basic version comes with a cord that hooks up to the game system and into your electric guitar, similar to an amp.
Gameplay is really simple: Hit the right string, on the right fret, at the right time. The only time this is hard is when you look at the screen every few minutes your eyes hurt, but I am sure that goes away after a while.
I have not played the game enough to say that it improves my guitar skills, but I can say that you will need DLC there's maybe 20 good songs on disc.
11/28/12
both a guitar player and a gamer, nice idea
First off I have been gaming for many years and been playing guitar as long. This game is a nice concept that teaches you pieces of guitar playing it doesn't get advanced though and stops shy of putting everything together. There is really no theory here. Yes you learn scales/modes, chords, harmonics, muting, sliding etc.. but this game fails to teach it in a meaningful manner. You will learn songs but only to certain degree as they are simpler versions even in master mode there are parts that are simplified and if your used to playing it correctly note for note then your outta luck. The scales you get one movable pattern for each scale that you will play in every key basically the major, pentatonic minor/major etc are all one box scale pattern and guitarcade let's you choose what key to play it in, there are different scale patterns for each scale that go down the fret board and they don't teach that here. They also leave out applying scales over chords or chord progressions. The slide game is boring and gets old fast kinda no point to it as is there is no point to the duck game the super duck game is somewhat useful. The technique challenges are full of problems. There can also be tuning issues I know if my guitar is out of tune I have been playing for years and yet the tuner in the game said my guitar was in tune even though it was flat on my low E and A string. You will learn things here but if you really want to learn I'd suggest lessons or a good book as this game leaves holes in both theory and its songs. It will teach scales but when and where does it tell you to use said scales. It will teach you chords but no chord progressions or the difference between a major triad and a minor chord. Its a good approach and will get some peoples feet wet but it is missing to much to make a beginner a com potent guitar player. You will learn songs but don't think you'll be ready to be the next Hendrix, Vai, Satriani, etc.. after mastering this game. They give you a puzzle pieces but its up to you to see how it all fits.
10/1/12
Might as well play guitar hero
Lets face it the hardest part of music is the theory behind it. Anyone can move their finger. Go ahead give it a try I bet they move just fine. Without proper guidance practicing can cause Irreputable damage to your playing. If you practice incorrectly then you will play incorrectly limiting your abilities forever. If you want a cheap app there are many that are much cheaper than this but if you want to learn to play guitar don't rely on a game to do it. You wouldn't learn how to drive by playing Gran Turismo or learn how to skate from playing Tony Hawk. Don't take my advise what do I know I'm just a guitarist.
10/1/12
Lamesmith
I have played guitar for 15 years, taught for 10, played headline shows all around the north bay, had my band played on the fox and XM satellite radio and I don't find much good about this game. You learn fragments of riffs not the actual riff. I found it harder to play what they wanted me to than the actual song. I tried Symphony of Destruction which is a song I have known how to play for 10 years and the game had me play like every third note with pauses in between. Imagine playing a song and leaving out the notes that get played on the second and third beat of every measure. The only way I was successful was to ignore the game and just play the song. Problem is when I wanted to play a song I didn't know it taught me some butchered version that made no sense from a musical stand point. I would never teach someone like this nor would any teacher I have come across and I have taken lessons from Steve Smyth from Testament, Nevermore, DragonLord and many other amazing musicians. I play a lot of games and enough guitar to be a sweep picking, tapping, shred, legato master but this did not close the gap. The worst part is no one will buy my used copy so I'm throwing it away.
9/25/12
My high hopes were blown away!
After reading many reviews, I was unsure of what to expect, I figured that if nothing else, this would be cheaper than buying an amp and pedals. When I started playing it, I could see and feel improvement every time I played a song! I had made attempts at learning guitar in the past, but in two hours of play, I grew more than I had in the years of on again/off again play. If you've read any negative reviews on this game, disreguard them, this is the best guitar teacher I've ever seen. Take time to learn the interface, be patient, there is no way to insantly be awesome, but this game will teach you how to be awesome more quickly than anything I have ever tried! if you get frustrated and quit, then you probably have no business playing guitar in the first place!
7/25/12
Great product for me and my level of interest
This game has huge untapped potential for people who have a casual or intermediate interest in playing guitar. Not only do you get to learn songs, but you can go into the Amp feature and build your own cabinet with equipment you unlock as you learn more songs. The "Guitarcade" games are very helpful for learning different aspects of playing guitar, whether it is hitting chords quickly and correctly, learning scales, or doing slides correctly. I have mainly focused on just learning songs, but have come to recognize that this product is so much more than that, and will be one of those games that I keep my xbox 360 for long after whatever next system comes out. I will be playing this thing when I am in the old folks home. That's right granny, take it off, I am a rock star! LOL
Also, by getting a second cable, I have been able to enjoy playing songs with my son. It also works with my wireless microphone, so once they get some better karaoke songs, sounds like party time. Looking forward to the bass add on when it comes out...gonna have to save some money for a bass....
7/25/12
Great game
The game is AWESOME. My only problem is that it needs more songs. The 'different music genres' is basically just rock artists from The Rolling Stones to Muse. It would've been cool if the game had Live.
7/13/12
Couldn't ask for more.
I just retired and decided to dust off my guitar after almost 20 years. It was frustrating so I went looking for something to help me get my licks back again. The cd lessons did not seem the way to go so I read the reviews on the Rock Smith game. I just picked it up today and with a little messing around was jamming with the Rolling Stones. For someone who needs to refresh their chops this is the ticket. The system pushes you to improve. Just about the time you start to feel comfortable it adds more notes. I would have some reservations recommending this to someone with no guitar experience as it requires some basic idea of what playing guitar is all about. Do not confuse this with Guitar Hero. This is much more of a training system then a game but it does make you practice time much more productive and entertaining. I cannot wait to get more into it.
5/17/12
Not like guitar hero
Well I was a huge fan of guitar hero and I saw this game I was exited. I thought I would be able to pick up a real guitar like a could use a guitar hero guitar. I was sadly mistaken. As a never before player, I have no idea how to hold it, and the game never really teaches you. When the notes start coming faster I'm sure there is a way to manuver your fingers so you are able to hit them, but I'm stuck with just my index finger. It mroe just sends out some notes at you. Its not as responsive as I would liek either. For example, in guitar hero when you hold down the red button, the red button on screen is highlighted. This does not happen in Rocksmith, it just tells you when you hit the wrong note to move left or right. I think this game would be a lot better if it came with a guitar specially made for the game. Also as one other complaint, the notes sort of come at you on. If you are an experienced player im so this will come as a fun game for you, but for new players, heed my warning and learnt he basics first. For now this is going on the self until after I take a few lessons.
5/13/12