E3 2011: Rocksmith teaches you to rock out on a real guitar

When rhythm games exploded in popularity a few years ago, every living room was strewn with plasticky instruments that gave anyone a shot at being a bonafide rock star. Games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero may not be the hottest new thing these days — that honor goes to motion and 3D gaming — but Rocksmith (coming to the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC) seeks to combine music and gaming in a new way, shifting the balance toward the former. Rock Band 3 started paving the way with "Pro" instruments that approximate the real thing, but Rocksmith wants to take rhythm gaming to the next level of realism, for better or worse.

Anyone who's played an instrument knows that making music means practice, practice, practice. Rather than building a guitar around a game, Rocksmith builds a game around a guitar — your guitar, in fact. Unlike other games that require pricey plastic instruments, plug any electric guitar into Rocksmith and start jamming. Your console and existing entertainment setup serve an a super-customizable amp, so veteran guitarists can get the sound they want without laying down the cash for the real thing. The game also scales in difficulty, offering less seasoned guitar players mini-games (like the clever Space Invaders-esque one featured below) and beginner levels to get up to speed.

Rocksmith, at least in this pre-release stage, didn't have the cartoony charm of Rock Band or Guitar Hero; there were no costumed glam rockers or cheering crowds pumping their fists in the mosh pit. But depending on what you want out of a game — or out of your instrument — Rocksmith offers a different, more didactic music gaming experience. Even without the cartoonish flair, practice certainly looks more fun when you're timing your strums in tune to brightly colored notes on a screen. The game hits stores on October 11, and with an impressive catalog of playable tunes ranging from recent indie hits to classic rock, Rocksmith looks to be shaping up quite nicely.