Music games that simulate musical performance have often been criticized, ridiculed andlampoonedfor being too repetitive and for lack of a better word, fake.Synonyms aside,Rocksmith— a new game that lets you plug and play an actual guitar to your gaming system — is something that is geared towards actual learning rather than simulating an experience.
Plus, with the recently announced cooperative gameplay feature, it’s enough to pique the interest of most guitar players — old, new and well, fake alike.
Rocksmith(PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC)Developer: Ubisoft MontrealPublisher: UbisoftRelease: July 17, 2025
It is impossible not to compareRocksmithwith games likeRock BandorGuitar Hero, especially out of the public ennui from being overexposed to these titles. ButRocksmithis not merelyRock Bandwith literal strings attached. What makes it different from the others, asUbisoft North America President Laurent Detoc explains it, is in its aim to pursue “real life benefits” in games. That is, players will be able to take lifelong skills with them even after they play. Based on what I experienced at theRocksmithEvent, the game has enough features to let players train progressively and selectively — in reading tabs, recognizing chords, making techniques such as hammer-ons, bends and so on.
