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Hey guys, what's happening? That's how you start a YouTube video, isn't it?
I'm James, pleased to meet you. Today I'm looking at
Rocksmith 2014. It's an all new edition
of some software, a game, that came out on PC,
PS3 and Xbox 360 a couple years ago.
This is an all-new version and it claims to
be the fastest way to learn guitar. Now,
its a bit like the old Guitar Hero or Rock Band type games
but instead it uses a real guitar instead of those plastic controllers.
Now, I've always wanted to learn to play an instrument, I just can't do it
I never had the gumption to give it a go even though
I've got a lot of friends who can play guitar really well and
they've offered to teach me but I've always bottled it, thinking
you know,
maybe I don't have the skills and I don't want to embarrass myself or whatever.
I probably lack the tenacity to, you know, properly get into it.
But, I saw an advert for Rocksmith 2014 and I thought
"that sounds a bit interesting," especially their claim
that it will teach you guitar in just sixty days,
which I think is quite a bold claim,
or that it'll improve your skills in just sixty days
So I did a bit of research, had a look online, and saw a lot of actual guitar players on forums saying that
they use this software to practice with, so I thought that was interesting!
What's more is that I saw a package that is available,
It ranges from about £130 to about £160,
and it includes the software, all the cables and everything that you need
as well as an actual guitar!
So, I thought "why not give it a go?
Why don't I go and buy it?" So, I had I look online, shopped around, and I eventually found it the cheapest
at Ubisoft's own Uplay store
online, So I thought I would give it a go.
I ordered it and it shipped via
UPS, all the way from Germany, and
it has come just today, so let's give it a look!
Here's the box itself!
It's a guitar-shaped box and
it claims to have everything that you need to play inside there so
lets get on with the unboxing. Now, you'll notice first of all if you're
into Rocksmith, if you've been shopping around, this isn't the retail box which I'm a bit
disappointed with. There is an actual Rocksmith
branded retail box, and it doesn't come in that!
I guess that's because it's come directly from
The manufacturers. I'm guessing that
its just easier to ship this way?
Its the actual Epifone box, so that's guitar box itself.
I've already cut the sellotape on it so
let's give it an open!
So, that's the box lid gone. The first thing you notice
is inside we have what appears to be
the guitar itself.
Lets get this baby out.
Its come packed in this
this little spongy type material.
I'll try my best not to damage anything as I open it!
Looking good so far! It should be a black one I think, a black
Epifone Les Paul Junior,
as they indicated on the online shop.
Lets take a look, we've got the
bridge and frets,
and the actual guitar there, its looking good already, isn't it, this? There's a QR code
and thats for "more info on Les Pauls"
apparently. Lets see what its like
on the fret board, I'm learning the terminology already! Removing the paper.
Nice little thing there.
So there is a single pickup, I believe,
you've got your volume knobs, tone knobs, whatever it is!
It is looking good already! The
unit there that you plug it into. It's bolted at the back.
Looking nice! So that is the
Epiphone Les Paul Junior black
guitar book that packaged with
Rocksmith 2014. Obviously it'll need a bit of tuning I think,
I believe the software teaches you how to do all that.
What else did we get in the box? Lets have a look!
Right, so the box here...
We have the Rocksmith "Real tone cable", now what that does,
from looking at it and researching,
one end plugs into the guitar itself
the other end is a USB input, which plugs into
your computer - I got the PS3 version.
Speaking of the software, there it is.
"Rocksmith all-new 2014 edition. The fastest way to learn guitar"
"requires a guitar or bass with a quarter-inch jack"
"and a Rocksmith real tone cable, sold separately."
although not in this case! "Fifty
tracks from classic rock to heavy metal" it includes all kinds of things like
Aerosmith's 'Walk this way', Alice Cooper, Alice in Chains, 'R U Mine' by the
Arctic Monkeys,
a nice Sheffield band there, Bob Dylan, Boston
Bush, Deftones, Foo Fighters, Green Bay, Iron Maiden, Jack White Joe Satriani,
The Kinks, Kiss, Muse, Nirvana,
Oasis, Pantera, The Police, Queen,
Radiohead, REM, The Rolling Stones, Slayer,
Smashing Pumpkins, System of A Down, Weezer and
The Who - some great songs on there, some
classics to get into I think! And of course as well
as always with these games what you can do is go onto the
online store and purchase more games. I believe there's around about 200
tracks to download, I'll give that a go.
What else have we got? We've got a
Rocksmith strap. Its a nylon type
strap and as well we've got
some picks.
Its got "Rocksmith" on there, its nicely embroidered on as well.
It doesn't look too cheap for a nylon type.
And the last thing in there, if I can get into it,
one last little box. Its another cable,
oh, its a cable with two quarter-inch jacks on, so that'll be
to use the actual guitar in an actual amp,
I guess. There's also little things like allan keys and whatever in there, which
I'm guessing are something to do with the actual guitar itself. I say not knowing!
So, thats the unboxing over with!
What's say we give it an actual try?
What I'm going to do is,
I'm going to take Ubisoft, who make Rocksmith,
up on their claim. They say that
you will learn to play guitar, or improve at playing guitar
within 60 days of playing. Its an interesting claim.
What I will do is try a little video diary, I'll give it a go
as and when I can over 60 days, film it, see how I get on
who knows I might become the next
Slash, or whatever.
So lets boot it up
and give it a try, eh?
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