| Mail |
You might also like: WoW Insider, Massively, and more

Reader Comments (71)

Posted: Nov 1st 2011 10:07AM Gibbeynator said

  • 2 hearts
  • Report
Huh... I haven't seen the "blame the reviewers for the bad reviews because they just didn't get it" defense since Lair...

Posted: Nov 1st 2011 10:26AM Hank Hill said

  • 3 hearts
  • Report
@Gibbeynator Don't forget Tony Hawk's comment on the reviews for Tony Hawk's Ride.
Reply

Posted: Nov 1st 2011 10:47AM Korbie said

  • 2 hearts
  • Report
@Gibbeynator

Wan't that also the defense of Too Human?
Reply

Posted: Nov 1st 2011 12:27PM PN04 said

  • 3 hearts
  • Report
@Gibbeynator
I havent actually seen many bad reviews for it though. Every review has pretty much just said "well... it works." That's not exactly damning it to hell.

The problem with the game is that it's not so much a game as a teaching tool, and I've said many times that the increasing complexity of these games is not what the average gamer wants. RB and GH originally did exactly what people wanted in allowing them to FEEL like they were rocking out without actually having any musical talent. When you make musical talent a requirement you're going to lose a major chunk of the people that might have cared about your game. Add to that the potential price of entry (a brand new guitar you might never actually be able to play or a system for people that already know how to play) and/or the lack of... well I'll just say it... Graphics, and you get a rather uninteresting product that's innovative as all get out, but just not particularly palatable to a larger audience.
Reply

Posted: Nov 1st 2011 12:32PM Muu said

  • 3 hearts
  • Report
@Gibbeynator

It's a legitimate complaint, though. Deviate from the norm or do something that might appeal to the 'casual' market and suddenly reviewers and 'hardcore' gamers are all against you.

Of course, in this day and age when all the things that these 'professional journalists' shrug off are taking off like a rocketship, it's probably best to pander to the folks that still listen to you. Between the guaranteed high score of AAA games regardless of quality and the haphazard scores of EVERYTHING ELSE, I'm surprised there's still as many people that even bother.
Reply

Posted: Nov 1st 2011 10:14AM (Unverified) said

  • 2 hearts
  • Report
Hmm, does sort of have a point even if he is saying it from a conflict of interest point of view.

Posted: Nov 1st 2011 10:24AM Oddgirl said

  • Half a heart
  • Report
A lot of what he's saying rings perfectly true, but using it in the defense of Rocksmith, video game software that is neither innovative or engaging, he doesn't have have a leg to stand on. That would be like John Singleton chastising moviegoers and film critics that are clamoring for a richer cinematic experience for not appreciating Abduction.

You can't compare Just Dance to Assassin's Creed, but you can compare it to Dance Central. Dance Central is both innovative, and engaging players from all over the "casual" and "hardcore" crowd. Rocksmith fails as a guitar teaching tool as well as a video game, its appeal from the start was to people who already had a guitar collecting dust in the corner of the attic that they never learned how to play... it let them down.
Reply

Posted: Nov 1st 2011 1:27PM Mal F4cti0n said

  • 1 heart
  • Report
@(Unverified)

And if dedicated game reviewers, who LOVE innovation don't get it, what does that say about average Joe Blow game player? Are there dedicated music genre only game players out there? If so, his sales will also suck if he is limiting his audience to such a small sampling of the larger game buying and playing population.

I guess, if you think about it, what he really is saying is that if the game reviewers did't like it, most gamers won't like it, and the game I made is a boring piece of crap. Very insightful. I wonder why he bothered to make the game at all then, if he already knew what a POS it was?
Reply

Posted: Nov 1st 2011 1:31PM (Unverified) said

  • 3 hearts
  • Report
@Oddgirl
You think it's not innovative?? What other games do you use a real guitar? What other game works with ANY guitar what other games using frequency detection as the input, as opposed to button presses.

Are you from the future?
Reply

Posted: Nov 7th 2011 12:35PM The Wes said

  • 2 hearts
  • Report
@Oddgirl

I was wondering if you have actually played the game?

And for the record, there have only been a couple of negative reviews. IGN and Gamespot both gave it 8.0 and above. To me, the review was overly nitpicky and critical. Was the reviewer seriously complaining about the game being boring and unengaging, and at the same time complaining about it not teaching music theory? This is a game to get people interested in playing the guitar, not an all encompassing teaching tool.

Also, I disagree with UbiSoft coming out and saying something like this...It just makes them look bad.
Reply

Posted: Nov 7th 2011 12:36PM The Wes said

  • 2 hearts
  • Report
@Oddgir

l @Oddgirl

I was wondering if you have actually played the game?

And for the record, there have only been a couple of negative reviews. IGN and Gamespot both gave it 8.0 and above. To me, the review was overly nitpicky and critical. Was the reviewer seriously complaining about the game being boring and unengaging, and at the same time complaining about it not teaching music theory? This is a game to get people interested in playing the guitar, not an all encompassing teaching tool.

Also, I disagree with UbiSoft coming out and saying something like this...It just makes them look bad.
Reply

Posted: Nov 1st 2011 10:16AM The Blank Mage Returns said

  • 3 hearts
  • Report
Harsh words all around!

I personally won't be playing it because I CAN'T AFFORD A GUITAR.

Posted: Nov 1st 2011 10:16AM FreakinaVault said

  • 3 hearts
  • Report
@Aguiluz , can it be calibrated?

Posted: Nov 1st 2011 10:16AM FreakinaVault said

  • 3 hearts
  • Report
Probably still gonna get it.

Posted: Nov 1st 2011 10:18AM Zoot Suit Jedi Grammar Hammer En said

  • 3 hearts
  • Report
Should not have been treated as a game and, as such, should not have been reviewed by gaming websites.

Posted: Nov 1st 2011 10:26AM Oddgirl said

  • 2.5 hearts
  • Report
Following that line of reasoning, documentaries shouldn't be reviewed by film critics and autobiographies shouldn't be reviewed by sci-fi nerds.
Reply

Posted: Nov 1st 2011 10:41AM Zoot Suit Jedi Grammar Hammer En said

  • 1 heart
  • Report
@Oddgirl

Documentaries and autobiographies shouldn't be reviewed at all.
Reply

Posted: Nov 1st 2011 10:43AM Oddgirl said

  • 3 hearts
  • Report
Then art and creative content of any sort shouldn't be reviewed at all. You can't cherry pick what you want to be subjective about just because you might not like what someone has to say about it.
Reply

Posted: Nov 1st 2011 10:49AM Korbie said

  • 3 hearts
  • Report
@Oddgirl

Hi, devil's advocate here. What if Rocksmith is to video games like a fitness video is to cinema?
Reply

Posted: Nov 1st 2011 10:55AM vidguy said

  • 3 hearts
  • Report
@Zoot Suit Jedi Grammar Hammer En

Rocksmith is played on a video game console and competes with video games for sales. If it wasn't reviewed by gaming sites, Detoc would be even more pissed than he is now.
Reply

Posted: Nov 1st 2011 10:58AM Zoot Suit Jedi Grammar Hammer En said

  • 2 hearts
  • Report
@Oddgirl

Reviews are largely subjective by nature and as such can most certainly be segregated into what should and should not be reviewed. Tecnical issues, graphics, saound quality are all quantifiable; these are the traits that should be focused on. To say that a game is "not fun" or " was a good experience" betrays the intelligence of the reader. The reader can make those decisions on their own. Tell me what the game was, not how it made you feel.

"oozes boredom," suffered from audio latency, and "declines every single opportunity presented to educate the player on music theory."

The only important information here is audio latency. Emphasized by the fact that it was not put in quotes, because it is measurable. Oozes boredom: To whom? Music theory: was that the intention?

This particular title strikes me as a tool to help you learn to play a guitar in the strictest sense and, based on what I have read, manages to do exactly that.


Reply

Posted: Nov 1st 2011 11:08AM Korbie said

  • 2 hearts
  • Report
@Zoot Suit Jedi Grammar Hammer En

So in a nutshell, it works as an educational tool but it still fails as a game.
Reply

Posted: Nov 1st 2011 11:20AM Zoot Suit Jedi Grammar Hammer En said

  • 2 hearts
  • Report
@Korbie

Exactly. I blame Ubi for marketing it as a game. Laurent Detoc is misplacing his blame and perhaps his expectations.
Reply

Posted: Nov 1st 2011 10:19AM vidguy said

  • Half a heart
  • Report
Yeah, so when I said this game was going to "tank fast" because it's more of a (poor) teaching tool than a game, I was sh!t on. http://www.joystiq.com/2011/10/06/rocksmith-as-demonstrated-by-john-fatal1ty-wendel/

The music fad has passed and the market is saturated with crappy me-toos. If this game was released three years ago, things would be different, but poor reviews and sales were pretty much a given here.

Posted: Nov 1st 2011 6:00PM vidguy said

  • 2 hearts
  • Report
@dsp4

The point is that if this market reaction was foreseeable by some, the developers should have done more to market to the right people or to change the software to meet expectations. It wouldn't have been too hard to add optional features to make it more game-like so they could meet both markets.

Second point was that fanboy-ism can often run counter to what's good for business. I like Rocksmith, but I never would have green-lit the project for my company.
Reply

Posted: Nov 7th 2011 2:11PM The Wes said

  • 2 hearts
  • Report
@vidguy

Who said that this game is tanking fast. It has sold around 110,000 units for just the PS3 and 360. The PC version is set to release soon, and the game hasn't even released in Europe yet. That isn't too bad for a game that costs 80 dollars and requires a musical instrument to play.

Do you know it is a poor teaching tool? Have actually played it, or are you basing your opinion on Joystiq's review?

Reply

Posted: Nov 1st 2011 10:20AM ObiBen8 said

  • 3 hearts
  • Report
The real problem is the misleading commercials for this game. I was not able to kick down any walls in my house while rocking out. Very disappointing.

Posted: Nov 1st 2011 11:06AM DevilSei said

  • 3 hearts
  • Report
@ObiBen8
I know right? I tried doing that to my bedroom wall, and instead of knocking the whole wall down, I spent an hour with my foot stuck outside. Plus, an owl flew in and made its resting spot my pillow...


It just keeps watching me...
Reply

Posted: Nov 1st 2011 10:26AM Gooblechev said

  • 2 hearts
  • Report
Looks confusing.

Posted: Nov 1st 2011 10:40AM CoconutSkittle said

  • 3 hearts
  • Report
@Gooblechev

YOU JUST DON'T GET IT
Reply

Posted: Nov 1st 2011 10:38AM Pugnaciousturtle said

  • 2.5 hearts
  • Report
People don't like your game? Insult them! That's the ticket to building a fanbase!

Sincerely, Dennis Dyack

Posted: Nov 1st 2011 10:41AM superdarrin said

  • 3 hearts
  • Report
@FreakinaVault Yeah, but apparently nobody wants to mention that. The lag CAN BE FIXED if people just take a few minutes. I love the game, and it's teaching me a skill that I normally wouldn't have the patience to learn.

Posted: Nov 1st 2011 10:42AM CoconutSkittle said

  • 2 hearts
  • Report
Joystiq certainly doesn't mess around when their reviews are criticized :D

But yes, this is unreasonable and major cop-out by the developers. You can't just make a game and criticize EVERY CRITIC for saying they didn't like it.

Posted: Nov 1st 2011 1:34PM Brian Griffin said

  • 2.5 hearts
  • Report
@CoconutSkittle

To be fair, not EVERY critic *didn't* like it. Some took the time to review it for what it was. Others did not.
Reply

Posted: Nov 1st 2011 10:44AM superdarrin said

  • 3 hearts
  • Report
Was it boring because the reviewer didn't want to learn guitar? As for the lag, it can be adjusted, you know. Oh, and I wouldn't call the technique tutorials "declining to educate the player."

You're not paying for a tutor; you're paying for a game that teaches you the fundamentals. Why is that so hard to grasp?

Posted: Nov 1st 2011 5:37PM Epsilon said

  • 2 hearts
  • Report
@superdarrin
As for your argument that it doesn't decline to educate the player, while the game does build some chops it passes over musical theory completely. As Jordan said in his review, while theory is not essential for playing guitar, it is very beneficial for going beyond what the game teaches.

Let me put it in a similar context. You would expect educational software that teaches reading to at least have some coverage of phonetics. That way the user learns to read stuff outside of the software and learns how to pronounce words they're unfamiliar with. If you had such software that taught the way Rocksmith does, it would exclude this and teach reading by pointing to words and saying the word aloud, thereby teaching by rote.

In summary, the biggest flaw is that Rocksmith teaches guitarists to play the songs included in the game, but does not impart a way to translate this knowledge to further musical development.
Reply

Posted: Nov 7th 2011 2:18PM The Wes said

  • 2 hearts
  • Report
@Epsilon

Have you played the game?
Reply

Posted: Nov 1st 2011 10:44AM ace518 said

  • 2 hearts
  • Report
You're holding it wrong!!!

Posted: Nov 1st 2011 10:47AM foxhound said

  • 2 hearts
  • Report
@ace518
I know, but they'll never come out with a KazooHero or JAZZ BAND game, so...
Reply

Posted: Nov 1st 2011 10:54AM (Unverified) said

  • 2 hearts
  • Report
I haven't had an opportunity to try this yet, but my problem with most of these music games is that they force you to play songs you don't like - usually over and over. Seems that would be extra unpleasant in a game like this. But yeah, complaining about reviews is a no win situation.

Posted: Nov 1st 2011 2:27PM BizarroPete said

  • 2 hearts
  • Report
@(Unverified) You can access all of the songs in the main menu if you want, so there's no reason to play songs you don't like.
Reply

Posted: Nov 2nd 2011 11:32PM gevenstaines said

  • 2 hearts
  • Report
@(Unverified)
thats why i started playing STEPMANIA
Reply

Posted: Nov 1st 2011 10:58AM (Unverified) said

  • 3 hearts
  • Report
BOTH the Xbox 360 & PS3 versions each have nearly 40 user reviews, with an average of 4.5 stars. I would trust these reviews, from folks that actually want to learn how to play guitar, more than game review sites.

I'm an experienced guitarist, been playing for 15 years, and I'm interested in Rocksmith...once the price drops.

Posted: Nov 1st 2011 11:05AM (Unverified) said

  • 2 hearts
  • Report
User reviews ON AMAZON. Forgot to include that part.

Posted: Nov 1st 2011 11:06AM (Unverified) said

  • 2 hearts
  • Report
I think there missing the point with this title. Was it really supposed to be another RB or GH. Everything I read was screaming instructional tool and musician friend. So lets call it what it is and not a game. Seriously do these rating sites not see that. Even the trailers never showed some goofball superhero as you helped him develop a career in the fictional music world. I give it 4 out of 5 for what its Actually trying to be because damn im having fun with the pedal effects from this title.

Posted: Nov 1st 2011 11:06AM PedoJokerBear said

  • 2 hearts
  • Report
Is he french? he sounds french

Posted: Nov 1st 2011 11:10AM CaptainProtonX said

  • 2 hearts
  • Report
I'm going on a limb that this game is for the fans and not critics.

You can put that on a sticker for the box.

Posted: Nov 1st 2011 11:14AM Nobledevil Gaming Optimist said

  • 2 hearts
  • Report
Vinny Caravella's thoughts on this game are where I'd go if I really wanted to decide on a purchase. Basically he says it works as a teaching tool, but it is not necessarily a game.

Posted: Nov 1st 2011 11:15AM Dumac said

  • 2 hearts
  • Report
We all accept that bringing out an innovative game can be risky, but i don't know if enough thought is put into considering that reviews are a serious business too and subject to risk themselves. If Ubisoft decides they want to take a chance, that doesn't mean IGN or Joystiq is just as willing, so they might try and mold the review into the same bunch of templates they have for every other game.

I'm not saying that's what happened. I haven't played Rocksmith and haven't even read Joystiq's review, i don't care for the game (there's some of that apathy he talked about too), nor am i saying that the misunderstood genius defense is always right, I'm just saying it's a possibility.

Posted: Nov 1st 2011 11:22AM TheFairlaner said

  • 3 hearts
  • Report
Well, joystiq, I don't know about all that but I'm a novice guitarist and really like it. Maybe it's just not the sort of thing you're interested in?

Featured Stories

Image

Stiq Figures, May 14 - 20: He's heating up edition

Posted on May 27th 2012 11:30PM

Image

The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Ballin

Posted on May 27th 2012 10:30PM

Engadget

Engadget

TUAW

TUAW

Massively

Massively

WoW

WoW