RockSmith, anyone tried it?

[Rooks]

So, been thinking about picking up RockSmith, but I was curious if any Nerds out there have tried it and found it to be a useful way of learning guitar?  I don't really have time for lessons, so the idea of having a game around that I could pick up when I have time is a nice thought.  But I've read some articles that say it's not that great at teaching you. 

 

Figured I'd see if anyone from the Rebellion has given it a shot. 

[Suited hippy]

I bought the 2014 version about 4 months ago. As a review of the game, I'd give it a solid 9/10. If you liked guitar hero, or rockband, it is a great evolution. 

 

The lessons are easy, it ramps up difficulty at a level that will not frustrate. There are a bunch of mini games to help with guitar skills that are great for when you have a buddy over to pass back and forth on. IMO the song selection is not fantastic, and I only liked about 5 songs it came with, but the DLC is pretty good. 

 

Rocking out to "Sitting on the dock on the bay" by Ottis Redding... Let me tell you, you want to get a lady in the mood, bust out that on the bass. 

 

I should note that I did it on bass, not guitar. 

 

Now we have to talk about the real matter at hand. Rocksmith is just like any other guitar learning method, if you do not keep doing it, it will not work. I got busy, things got in the way, and I have not picked it up in about a month. In my defence I just moved, and am looking forward to rocking out soon, but it requires you to put the time in just like any other method.

 

All in, I would recommend it. It's $80, if you can borrow a guitar do it that way so you are not out the cost of the guitar. I got at least 20 hours of entertainment out of it so far, and even if I never pick it up again, 20 hours for $80 is a great deal.

[Valerius]

I had tried it and I liked. It isn't as in depth with theory as a well rounded musician would like. but it will definitely give you the mechanical ability to play.

[JCDenton]

I tried it at the behest of my roommate. 

 

The video lessons are decent-to-good from a mechanical standpoint, but at the same time, you can probably find most of this on youtube or other video sites, for the cost of your monthly internet access. The play-along parts are frustrating to me, but then I learned from more traditional approaches many years ago. I guess it would be less of a problem for someone starting out, but I don't like that part of it. My favorite part is the tone designer. Much as I express the importance of learning solid technique, finding the right tones for your style is also important, and this is a useful, if incomplete, tool. The tuner function is pretty awesome, and there's even a metronome function, which i can't say enough its importance.

 

I rate it 9/10 for beginners and 7/10 for experienced players.

One point is just for the value. Compare $80 to the combined cost of an amp, a tuner, and a metronome, never mind effects, which can easily jump to the $500+ range. This is a very good thing for those who like the idea of being a guitar player, but may not like the amount of time involved in getting better at it; cutting $80 worth of losses is a lot easier, and the game might be easier to sell than all that gear.

Six points are for the "game" itself. Not great, but not bad at all.

Two bonus points for beginners, as the format is structured for the beginner.

 

Beginner: Must-buy.

Experienced: Good bargain if you already have a system.