Many months ago I pre-ordered Rocksmith 2014 and excitedly awaited its release date. That Tuesday finally came and I raced over to the store, eagerly picked up my copy, raced home, placed it on the entertainment center and immediately got busy with other things (chasing squirrels, mainly) for two weeks.
I know, I know... Weak.
I finally put it in, did all the life-support things that need to be done like download updates and transfer the old version's songs to the new version, put new batteries in the controller, and got down to business.
Whoa. Way different game. More training tool than game, really, but it is a significant improvement over the last one, which I loved.
It is, though, a little unnerving to see phrases slowly vanish as Master Mode is entered and more than once I have found myself stupidly staring at the screen robotically waiting to be commanded to play the next notes when I should just be following along. There I am, cleaning my fingernails with my pick thinking to myself "Huh... I sure have been standing here a while... I thought for sure the music started by now... Hmm, I wonder why the word MISS is popping up all over the fretbo... OH [insert various expletives here for pretty much the remainder of the song and several minutes afterwards]!!!!"
A few days ago my wife told me our five-year-old said "When I grow up I want to be a rock star like my dad."
This worries me. A lot.
See, that indicates that not only does he have no clue whatsoever what the term "rock star" means, I would be willing to wager that he has no idea what the words "want", "be", "like", or "my dad" mean, either! I need to have a word with his teacher to make sure he didn't hit his head on the playground at school and now he's gone all "mambo dogface to the banana patch" or something. I'm pretty sure he's not deaf... Maybe she left out that he said it with Olympic-level sarcasm dripping from every syllable complete with air quotes and eye-rolling and that they both had a good chuckle afterwards.
Yep. That’s probably it.
I love the new "Session Mode" where you get to jam with a virtual band of pretty much whatever style you choose. The band members will attempt to pace your playing and fill in behind you. Now, I think I sound awesome, but I can't help feeling like I am the one and only thing holding these guys back from making it big. Sometimes I can hear them quietly talking to each other when I put the guitar down to go get a drink or something:
Me: Whoo! Great set, guys! I'll be right back!
Guy 1: Oh. My. God. That was awful... I knew I never should have joined a band called "SnowUrchin and the Horribly Mangled Pentatonics".
Guy 2: Totally. I mean, are we ever gonna play, like, actual songs or are we just gonna try to match his ever-changing, near-random tempo, key, and volume for hours on end?
Guy 3: I don't know how much more of this I can take. I would have left long ago if I wasn't shackled to the floor like this.
Guy 1: How long have we been here, anyway?
Guy 2: Uh, guys... You know something? I don't think we survived that fiery bus crash after all...
Guy 3: Shhh! Here he comes!
Me: Surprise! Rice Krispie treats for everyone! What do you say we do just one more hour?! And a one and a two...
The voice recognition through the Kinect is very good and the game understands a huge number of words and phrases that make navigating the interface a breeze. It's pretty sensitive, though, so I have spend a lot of time pantomiming to my wife and kid to "please for the love of God go somewhere else to talk why did you turn on the Roomba, the washer, the dryer, the dishwasher, and the downstairs TV all at once and will you both please stop repeatedly chucking the Hungry Hungry Hippos game down the stairs I can't play with all that racket going on ". Now, it's tough to wordlessly express all that but, I think I nail it succinctly by waving...
My arms...
And...
Wait a gosh darn minute. You don't think they're...
[Pause. Head shake.] Naaaaah...
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