Are You a True Rocksmith?

In a move that surprised pretty much everyone, Ubisoft announced earlier this week that they will be entering the music game market with a game focusing completely on Guitar.

Now before you roll your eyes and make jokes about PowerGig and Rock Revolution, it seems that this game was already in development under a different name: Guitar Rising.

So let’s look at what we know so far about Rocksmith:

Available for: Xbox360, PS3, PC

Release: Fall 2011

Price: $79.99 (Standalone) Epiphone Les Paul Junior Bundle for $199.99

Use Any Guitar:

With the use of a 1/4 inch -> USB cord Rocksmith promises to work with any Guitar with a pick up. Of course since the game relies on audio this makes us think that unlike Rock Band 3 your guitar will need to be in tune to get the absolute best results (just like real guitar).

They are also apparently offering a Gibson guitar (at a $300 price range) in a bundle for those that don’t own a guitar already.

Known Songs:

Best Coast – “When I’m With You”
Blur – “Song 2”
Cream – “Sunshine Of Your Love”
Dan Auerbach – “I Want Some More”
David Bowie – “Rebel Rebel”
Interpol – “Slow Hands”
Jarvis Cocker – “Angela”
Jenny O -“Well OK Honey”
Lenny Kravitz – “Are You Gonna Go My Way”
Lynyrd Skynyrd – “Sweet Home Alabama”
Nirvana – “Breed”
Nirvana – “In Bloom”
Radiohead – “High And Dry”
Red Fang – “Number Thirteen”
Silversun Pickups – “Panic Switch”
Soundgarden – “Outshined”
Spoon – “Me And The Bean”
Stone Temple Pilots – “Between The Lines”
Stone Temple Pilots – “Vasoline”
Taddy Porter – “Mean B.i.t.c.h”
The Animals – “House of the Rising Sun”
The Black Keys – “I Got Mine”
The Black Keys – “Next Girl”
The Boxer Rebellion – “Step Out Of The Car”
The Cribs – “We Share The Same Skies”
The Cure – “Boys Don’t Cry
The Dead Weather – “I Can’t Hear You”
The Horrors – “Do You Remember”
The Pixies – “Where’s Is My Mind”
Queens of the Stone Age – “Go With The Flow”
Rapscallions – “California Brain”
Red Hot Chili Peppers “Higher Ground”
The Rolling Stones – “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”
The Rolling Stones – “The Spider And the Fly”
Sigur Rós – “Gobbledigook”
The White Stripes – “Icky Thump”
The Yellow Moon Band – “Chimney”
Titus Andronicus – “A More Perfect Union”
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – “Good Enough”
Velvet Revolver – “Slither”
VsThem – “6AM Salvation”
White Denim – “Burnished”
The xx – “Islands”

Confirmed Artists:

The Strokes
Neil Young
Incubus
Franz Ferdinand
Kings of Leon
Rage Against The Machine

Game Features:

Difficulty settings that adapt to your ability.

You love a challenge, but hate being overwhelmed. With addicting gameplay that adapts to your personal skill level, you will automatically progress from single notes to complex chords without getting in over your head.

Lots of music. Lots of styles.

One of the most satisfying moments for any guitar player is hearing yourself play your favorite song for the first time. Rocksmith has amassed an amazing library of songs from different music genres allowing players to experience that moment first hand.

Play songs instead of just learning them.

You want to play new songs, but you don’t want to labor through tablature or cringe through poorly produced videos. No problem. Rocksmith will not only present you with new songs, but will also challenge you to step away from the notes on screen and play songs by memory.

Can I use my guitar with Rocksmith?

Most likely, the answer is yes. If your guitar has a standard ¼ inch jack for you to plug in a cable, then yes, your guitar will work. If your guitar does not have a jack (for example, many acoustic guitars), you can go down to your local music store and buy a pickup, and your guitar will be ready to plug in and play.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Will I need an amplifier to play the game?

Nope. All you need is a TV, a guitar, and our game. With Rocksmith, your TV or home theatre system becomes your amplifier. You plug your guitar directly into the console, and play. It’s that easy.

Will Rocksmith have rhythm or lead guitar in the gameplay?

Both. You will be able to choose rhythm or lead before you begin playing a song. Basically, whatever guitar parts are featured in the actual recorded song, we will have available for you to play.

Are there effects pedals in the game?

There are loads of effects pedals built into the game, and they are all the real deal. You’ll get to tweak your sounds, and string them together with nearly infinite combinations until you’re satisfied. Whether it’s a crunchy distortion, a vintage tremolo, or a psychedelic reverb, we have the gamut covered to make sure you can achieve the sound you’re looking for.

Will there be multiplayer?

Absolutely. But we can’t reveal everything just yet. More on this to come.

What songs will you have in the game?

The intention of our song list is to capture a wide range of music, while concentrating on fun, guitar centric tracks. We can’t reveal our full song list quite yet, but rest assured that it spans from old to new, classic to contemporary, fast to slow, easy to insanely difficult… you get the point.

Will there be chord charts?

Yes! And they are interactive.

What is this I’m hearing about mini-games?

There will be a wide variety of mini-games that will challenge you to hone in on specific skills. Whether its scales, or finger dexterity you want to improve on, our mini-games will have you covered, and addicted.

The game also comes with mini-games aimed at teaching techniques, such as note-bending (where a player plays a note that turns into another note) and sliding (a trick often used by blues musicians to create a wailing sound).