Rocksmith 2014 vs the old Rocksmith (2012)

[🌌Karmac]

I don't own either of them, but I'm interested in learning to play guitar through this game, should I jump directly to 2014 or purchase the cheaper 2012 version? What are the main differences between the games, for someone who has no knowledge on playing guitars.

Thank you and Rock On.

[Decomposer]

I do not own rocksmith 2012, but from what I can gather rocksmith 2014 is a more polished version of 2012 with more features. Most important though, is that you do not buy either on Steam. You will need a special cable that only comes with hardcopy versions be it 2012 or 2014. Call your local games or music/guitar store and see if they have a hardcopy of the game.

[nickname]

Take RS 2014! I started playing guitar with the original RS then I changed to RS 2014. Whatever you do in RS - the software wants to check if your guitar is in tune - this is annoying. In RS 2014 you have to check the tuning only one time in every session, this is much better. RS 2014 has much more lessons for (absolute) beginners. So If you don't know anything about guitar playing - no problem. And the riff repeater is much much better than in the old version. And in my mind the riff repeater is the best part of the software to learn and play songs in reduced speed and without any pressure. There is no reason to take the original RS. Buy the software and start playing!

[Mental-Maniac]

I have the 2012 and there is no real defrence. Other then afects that are going on in the back ground there is no defrence, get the 2012 one you will like it as much as the 2014 one.

[wraith7201]

2014 is a much improved version. There are significant differences in the quality of the software, and the tracks in 2014 (including the 2012 on disc and DLC tracks that are imported into 2014) are charted more closely to the real tracks.

My recommendation is to get both, but play the 2014 version--buying the 2012 version, plus the import tool will get you all of the songs from the original game (with the improved tracks), and give you the ability to buy all of the original DLC. NOTE: If you buy the Xbox or PS3 version, you don't need 2012 in order to buy the original DLC, there's a Steam bug that prevents you from buying the original DLC if you don't own 2012.

Originally posted by Phazma:

I have the 2012 and there is no real defrence. Other then afects that are going on in the back ground there is no defrence, get the 2012 one you will like it as much as the 2014 one.

By the way, this is wrong.

[Pleazard]

Everything that Rogue said.

Get 2014 with original cable, then later on get 2012 cheaply on some sale so you can buy 2012 DLCs on Steam.

[MTZIGG]

sooo not true I own both and can assure you there was major improvements. and will like 2014 better

Originally posted by Phazma:

I have the 2012 and there is no real defrence. Other then afects that are going on in the back ground there is no defrence, get the 2012 one you will like it as much as the 2014 one.

[CostlySpider]

Get 2014, Its miles ahead the first rocksmith, there are some good things on the first, I found most of the arcade games a litte more beginner freindly then 2014, but In the first you have to unlock them.

Load times, screen menu thogh not perfect in 2014 is still way better then the first. I would of recommended the first to anyone interested before 2014 came out, now there is no way get 2014 and if the first goes on sale real cheap maybe grab it and the import tool for those extra songs.

[AtomBrain]

Originally posted by Phazma:

I have the 2012 and there is no real defrence. Other then afects that are going on in the back ground there is no defrence, get the 2012 one you will like it as much as the 2014 one.

You must've been either high, drunk or both while playing the original RS if you don't notice any differences. 2014 is miles ahead of the original. The general interface in 12 was aweful to say the least. Navigating the menus was sooo frustrating, it still gives me nightmares.

Kinda miss the career mode though...

[🌌Karmac]

Thanks for all the replies, the general consensus is to get the 2014 version since is more polished; I figured it would be like that, but I was kinda burned with games like Magic 2014 or even FIFA games, where they launch one each year without any noticeable differences, so that's why I was afraid of getting rocksmith 2014 and hence my question.
Again, thanks for everyone replying, 2014 it is. Well, on a steam sale eheh

[MTZIGG]

link to the lasest release of 2012 w/cable pc mac with bass not a bad price then you can get the DDL 2014 when on sale somewhere http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/200982621298?lpid=82

Originally posted by karmac:

[905]

MTZIGG is right, get the cheapest way to the software you can. I got the old RS first then waited and just bought 2014. It was on sale at humble bundle for 15 dollars (just a digital authorization for steam and a steam download). I'm hoping at Christmas they have a sale on the song transfer from RS 1 on disk songs to 2014.

I think from a game stand point, RS 1 is more fun. Its main focus is creating setlists for you and you having to practice to get up to a certain level to perform. Then you perform before a cheezy audiance and if you do well on the setlist, you get an encore and possibly a double encore. That is all gone in 2014 and it is more like a learning tool. The 2014 interface is a bit better. And session mode will eventually be more fun for me as I get better improvising.

So if you want to have a game experience to start your guitar learning, I think RS 1 is best. I had over 300 hours of fun with it. If you prefer a less structured approach and less game like, then 2014 is the way to go. Eventually you will want both because on Steam they won't fix the problem, so to buy RS 1 DLC for 2014 you have to have RS 1.

[MTZIGG]

Hey 905.The import has never went on sale that I remember. I may be wrong.
The career mode was fun.Had me working hard to get to that bigger venue and the to add one more pasted crowd hehe.I still go back and visit it from time to time.But i dont miss the clunky menu's.
After you play 2014 for a while you really appreciate the sound and the easyer menu's.when you play 2012.Hope they bring career mode back and add some kind of search function to the song menu.

[Zharfenstein]

You can still have (albeit randomized) "set lists" in Rocksmith 2014 with the non-stop play function, although I wish it had an option to exclude different tuning songs from the list without manually deselecting them one by one which is tedious.

I absolutely hated the career mode in RS1 after a little while mostly because of master mode encore, so I never played it after around 50h of playing the game in total...

RS2014 has better everything, very little waiting for loading (though it still annoys me sometimes that the menus are unresponsive while it animates things, totally unnecessary, luckily they don't animate for very long), actually usable and quickly accessible riff repeater (though it'd be better without the stupid "rewind" thing they do when you get to the end of a section), much clearer note runway, good amount of technique instructions (though I'd still check them up online, they're still lacking a bit), more fun minigames, score attack if you want to turn your playing even more into a game.

Only thing I miss from RS1 is Sunshine of your Love, for some reason it didn't make it into the import.

In my opinion, gamifying the learning process is a two-edged sword - I see way too many people on youtube with absolutely terrible technique (flying fingers all over the place), sure they're fast and somewhat accurate but in the long run they're just hurting their playing by not realizing (because the game doesn't/can't help with that, only a real teacher can) what they're doing wrong. The game only cares about what notes you hit, not how. But then, it's also a lot of fun.

[Just Lucky]

2014 is better in anyway especially for beginners

[Kak]

Go to a gamestop and try to buy the whole package of 2014. I bought it 2 weeks ago at a good price of $40 with the cable.
Its basically impossible to find the cable by itself from my experience. It may cost you $20 alone if you do find it.