Rocksmith [for those playing the guitar, or hoping to do so sometime]

[cPT.cAPSLOCK]

Hey folks. Decided to stop by again for a second, and see if any of you has heard of this game.

It's called RockSmith and is being released this month for PS3 and XBox360, and in december for the PC.
Basically, it's Guitar Hero-ish but with a REAL guitar. In fact, you can plug in any guitar with a quarter inch jack, using the bundled 1/4"->USB cable.

The game dynamically scales the difficulty, depending on how good you're doing. If you never held a guitar before, it also includes some basic intructional videos. You'll start off with only one note every few seconds, but as you're starting to do sections correctly, more notes are dynamically added.
According to all the previews I've read, this keeps the game challenging, without overwhelming you.
The difficulty can increase up to the original guitar part for the song you're playing, and includes a 'Master' mode which also removes the interface.
More about the difficulty is explained here. Songs are divided in different sections, and for each section are 20 difficulties on average.

There's also a few extra's like an 'Amp mode' where you can play freely while using effect pedals from the game (X360 includes an achievement for unlocking 50 pedals, so there'll be a LOT), and minigames that will help you around the fretboard also.



Previews can be found here:
http://www.thegamingvault.com/2011/0...iew-rocksmith/
http://worthplaying.com/article/2011...reviews/83460/
http://www.giantbomb.com/news/rocksm...e-throne/3489/
http://www.joystiq.com/2011/06/07/ro...-authenticity/
http://videogamewriters.com/a-closer...fficulty-23966

All of these summarized, the previewers are generally amazed by the game. However, they do note that it takes the middle ground between being an instructor or a game.
I myself think that's a good combo.



Some notable features:
-Being able to use ANY real guitar with a 1/4" jack output
-Choose between Lead or Rythm parts
-Splitscreen multiplayer (two guitar parts and vocals)
-The dynamic difficulty helps progress without overwhelming
-Certain practice modes allowing you to play songs at a slower pace, or even note for note (song not progressing before you hit it right - let's face it, that's the way to learn all those insane solos also)
-The game notes which things you struggle with (and helps overcoming those obstacles by suggesting exercises or the riff repeater) and reacts to what you've learned (for example, if you've learned how to do the bend-technique, it'll recommend songs that include it)
-There are extra exercises and tutorials on doing special techniques like bends, hammer ons, slides, and so forth.
-Actually learning a real skill by playing a videogame for a change



My guitar is one of the few things I do with my little spare time. I myself am really excited to give this a try, as it makes playing alone more fun and less of a chore.
Based on the (customer) reviews from the XBox and PS3 players, that'll pop up after release, I'll definitely get it for the PC in December.


By the way, there's plenty more about this game on youtube. I recommend searching for some video's, and if you find anything interesting, feel free to post it obviously


Thoughts?

[Hellbringer]

I play a lot of Rock Band, and thought about getting this game to finally learn how the instruments work. However, I think the 2 stopping factors for me were 1) price (having already invested a lot in the whole Rock Band/Guitar Hero experience, and 2) time to learn/play versus time with my kids. I could get away with playing Rock Band with my son because he could easily pick up the plastic guitar and quickly equate the colored keys to what was on screen.

If I do another deployment overseas for a year or so, then this game is definitely coming with me. But until then, this game will probably have to remain on the shelf at full price for me.