Rocksmith 2014 Hands-On Preview

Rocksmith 2014 is all set to replace Ubisoft’s fledgling guitar tutor release later next month.  We managed to secure a small hands-on with the game.

Rocksmith took the popular, yet washed-up, interactive rhythm game and managed to turn it to its advantage.  By moving beyond plastic instruments and novelty track listings and focusing on becoming a title more concerned with being a guitar tutor package Rocksmith managed to offer something that many budding guitarists had been wanting for years.

What strikes anyone familiar with the first title is how much brighter and responsive the UI appears to be in the 2014 edition of the game.  Once again you have a central hub-like area where you can choose to play some of your favourite songs, strum away freeform, practice certain aspects of guitar playing or take part in some of the wacky guitar-training mini-games on offer.

Principally the game hasn’t changed.  It still employs a Guitar Hero/Rock Band set of musical railroad tracks.  As a block passes the line at the bottom of the screen you have to execute the designated pattern on the guitar.

Difference being here is that this is on a real guitar and not a plastic one.

The refined user interface seems to lend itself better to picking up the incoming notes and allowing you to execute these in a smoother transition.  Admittedly I’m not the best guitarist having only dabbled with Rocksmith over the past few months myself.  That said I was still able to make a reasonable attempt and actually felt like I was learning a practical skill.

Likewise the refinement in the hub area so it’s more light and breezy makes you feel a little less like you’re using a piece of software and more like you’re playing an actual game – albeit edutainment in many ways.  I didn’t really get any hands-on with the new session mode but did see it in action and watched a few people lay down some riffs with the new riff repeater function.

Rocksmith 2014 is set to pick up where the original left off.  Similarities are obvious, yet it appears that Ubisoft have iterated enough and added substantive new features to make Rocksmith 2014 an interesting prospect for current owners as well as newcomers.  I still, personally, think it’s one of the most accessible methods of learning guitar for those not able to get to lessons or dedicate enough hours to practice every day.

We’ll be able to take a better look at the game on its launch on October 22nd for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3.