Ubisofts holding a closed beta for itsnewRocksmithtitleand I managed to get in on it.
After a few hours checking out the new interface and game engine, Im impressed.
But I wont be uninstallingRocksmith 2014 Edition Remasteredanytime soon.
The new games calledRocksmith+.
It’s free, every week, in your inbox.
If youve never playedRocksmith, its a gamified guitar/bass teaching tool.
At its most basic, you plug up your guitar and play along with music tracks.
In the newest edition, Ubisoft has done away with DLC.
All youll need to have access to the full library ofRocksmithsongs is your subscription.
Note: The game is entirely free to play during the closed beta Ubisoft hasnt announced launch pricing yet.
Whats new
The interface has been massively updated and streamlined.
It finally looks good on a 4K screen.
Connecting via Real Tone Cable is seamless and worked perfectly.I had absolutely no issues installing and playing the game.
The hardest part was remembering my Ubisoft Connect password.
The gameplay remains largely unchanged, however the game engine feels like much more sensitive.
Theres also a new rewards system featuring items that unlock as you play.
It looks like all the items are cosmetics such as digital fret boards and player nameplates.
The closed beta appears focused on ensuring gameplay is good (its great!).
And that means numerous features such as theRocksmith Workshop are currently not working.
And many modes, features, and options from previous versions are currently missing entirely.
Whats missing
First off, there are no endless play or session modes.
For those of us with hundreds of hours invested in Rocksmith, losing our playlists is a huge bummer.
I also didnt see any leaderboards or other asynchronous multiplayer functionality.
It seems odd to offer a music subscription service as a purely single player game.
Its currently unclear whether the final version will offer local multiplayer like previous versions did.
And, to the best of my knowledge, Ubisoft hasnt announced any online multiplayer options.
And, finally, the current song selection is lackluster.
Theres at least a few hundred songs available and most of them are great tracks.
But really, this is a closed beta.
Stay tuned for our full review ofRocksmith+once it launches later this year.
In the meantime,you might still apply for the closed beta through 22 July.
