RockSmith Video Game: Finally A Game That Uses Real Guitars!

When Clever Girls Collective/Ubisoft asked if I was interested in trying out Rocksmith with my tween son and his rocker friends (who are in a band), I jumped at the chance. Rocksmith is the first video game where you can connect real electric guitars with a standard 1/4” input jack with a Microsoft Xbox 360 or Sony PlayStation 3 entertainment system. There is also a Rocksmith bundle that includes a guitar.

The game has a helpful tuning process and difficulty settings that automatically adapt to your experience level. Experts can play songs from memory, experiened guitar players can play from notes on the screen and a beginner like me can follow easy color-coded strings on the screen.

Feel like a real rockstar with different backgrounds including a concert theme.

There are also mini-games and what the Rocksmith website explains as the ability to: "Turn your console into an amplifier and play with loads of in-game effects pedals, amplifiers, and cabinets. String pedals together with nearly infinite combinations and tweak your sound until you're satisfied."

Some of the tracks include  David Bowie – Rebel Rebel, Eric Clapton – Run Back To Your Side, Lenny Kravitz – Are You Gonna Go My Way, Lynyrd Skynyrd – Sweet Home Alabama, Radiohead – High And Dry, The Cure – Boys Don’t Cry and The Rolling Stones – (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.

 Here are some details from the press release:

SAN FRANCISCO – October 18, 2011 – Today, Ubisoft® announces that Rocksmith™ is now available at retail throughout North America.  The standard edition of the game, available for $79.99, will include the Rocksmith Real Tone Cable™, a unique 1/4” to USB cable that is the first of its kind, developed exclusively for Rocksmith.  This revolutionary cable turns the guitar’s signal from analog to digital, allowing it to be recognized and played through video game consoles for the first time.  The guitar bundle will provide a quality entry-level option for people that have always wanted to play but don’t own a guitar. The bundle, available for $199.99, includes an Epiphone Les Paul Jr guitar, along with the Rocksmith Real Tone Cable.  Rocksmith is rated “T” for Teen.  
For more information on Rocksmith, please visit www.rocksmith.com, and follow Rocksmith on Facebook at www.facebook.com/rocksmithgame

But what did my tween son's friends - who happen to play in a band - think about Rocksmith?

Not only did they say Rocksmith was enthusiastically "awesome" - but they also had been waiting for the game and were so excited it finally launched. Here are some of their comments after playing the game at our Rocksmith party:

• The game is not only fun but also teaches you how to play notes & chords by showing you where to press and even how to hold the guitar pick.
• Let's you choose whether you play chords or notes.
• Really enjoyed the freestyle mode.
• Unlike other games, you can play actual notes.
• As you learn, the game gives you more notes to play.
• Yeah! I finally get to play Rocksmith!

As a mom, it was exciting to watch video game play that had learning involved and was very "cool" (hard to find that combo). Rocksmith is the type of game that either one, two or big groups of kids at a party can take turns playing and is also fun to watch and listen to for the partygoers not playing the game.

At the same time, it is a welcome addition to our family video game library, whether for my tween son to play during his allowed "screen" time or for the family to play together. Rocksmith was also a great fit for my 8 year old twins who are taking guitar lessons. The teen rating was not an issue for our family because it was mainly related to lyrics in the songs (which I have been listening to for years so why can't my kids!).

Disclosure: Thank you to Ubisoft for sponsoring this blog post. Please click here to learn more about Ubisoft. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions are my own.