Ubisoft announces guitar game 'Rocksmith'

Ubisoft has announced Rocksmith, a guitar-based video game that will allow players to use real guitars instead of the plastic, guitar-like peripherals typical of the genre.

Game Console understands that Rocksmith requires the player to play actual chords and notes, and that Ubisoft believes it will create "a new generation of guitar players". The difficulty of the game will adjust to the player's skill level in order to help the player to learn.

Rocksmith is expected to launch with around 45 songs on the disc, including tracks by the Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Nirvana and the Animals. However, despite the similarities, the publisher is quick to distance itself from the recently axed Guitar Hero franchise. "Guitar Hero is a party game. Rocksmith is a music experience," said Ubisoft's senior vice president of marketing, Tony Key, to The Hollywood Reporter. Reportedly, Ubisoft is in talks with guitar manufacturer Gibson regarding the possibility of bundling a guitar with the game, although a standard input jack will be supplied that allows the use of most electric guitars. Rocksmith is scheduled for release this September only on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 platforms.