Rocksmith 2014

To all the parents and teachers who say video games melt your brain, this one actually has you learn something while you play. Granted, it will probably lead to them complaining about you being a metalhead and “delinquent” rocker, but you would be a rockstar, who cares, right? Ubisoft’s Rocksmith 2014 takes on the challenges of learning an instrument, specifically being self-taught, and combines it with one of the most beloved forms of a medium: a video game. Rocksmith 2014 is Guitar Hero to the next level, teaching you real guitar skills as you play and learn your favorite songs.

Yes, You Actually Learn

Not only is Rocksmith 2014 fun, but it is designed to make you actually learn guitar while you are playing. With certain tools like a custom learning curve and the Riff Reaper, learning guitar has never been easier or as fun. National research studies on the “game” found that 95% of players saw improvement in their guitar skills by playing Rocksmith. With plenty of hit songs to jam out to as well, there is some sweet motivation to get your skills up so you can rock out to your favorites.

Plug and Play

One of the coolest features in Rocksmith is that it is plug and play to the next level. No extra guitar remote or sensor is needed, and you can use whatever guitar or bass you regularly play as long as it has an electric portion to it to hook into the console. This means you do not have to spend extra money on a fake guitar to practice or even add clunky material around your room or your instrument, you play it as it is. The next big thing this means is that you get to learn on your instrument, getting familiar with it as the feel becomes second nature to you, and you will not have to question when you switch between different instruments.

Songs & DLCs

The standard edition of Rocksmith 2014 already comes preloaded with some great tunes, like “Losing My Religion” by R.E.M., “R U Mine?” by Arctic Monkeys, and “We Are the Champions” by Queen, giving a little bit to every taste of music that wants to learn to play. Furthermore, if these songs are not enough (there is never enough music), DLCs and extra songs can be bought and added into the game. The new Rocksmith 2014 Remastered version of the game includes six new bonus songs, such as “Hey Ya!” by Outkast and “Drops of Jupiter” by Train. Even more than this, on the official Rocksmith website, there are over 1,000 additional songs available for download! This means endless rocking and rolling.

Personal Rating

I think learning guitar or base is an unbeatable idea, and I am shocked that this is not more popular than it is. The layout is clean, it has great tools to help learn the nitty gritty parts of the instruments, and keeps the players engaged in their learning experience with goals and motivation to play their favorite songs.

Pros:

• Fast, Easy, and Proven way to learn guitar or bass
• Seemingly endless songs to choose from
• Similar setup to already popular guitar games like Guitar Hero

Cons:

• Beginning to get older, may not be some’s music taste (even the remastered version is from 2016)
• Not everyone is a virtual learner, for professional guitar lessons, seek a teacher