E3 2011: Rocksmith tunes up October 11 - Retail Radar

LOS ANGELES--Though the Rock Band and Guitar Hero franchises are taking a break in 2011, Ubisoft is pushing ahead with its own realism-based guitar game, Rocksmith. Now, gamers eager to get their hands on the music game have a date to circle on their calendars.

According to listings at big box retailers Amazon, Best Buy, Wal-Mart, and specialty shop GameStop, Ubisoft's Rocksmith will ship for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC on October 11.

The French publisher has not officially announced a release date for the title. However, in a recent video preview with GameSpot, a Ubisoft representative dodged offering a concrete ship date for the game, saying with a chuckle, "I believe I'm still saying 'fall 2011'"

As for the game, Rocksmith has players strumming along on actual strings. Ubisoft is betting that the game can avoid the fate of Guitar Hero because its players won't soon grow tired of learning how to play an actual guitar. The game will come with an input jack that is compatible with "most electric guitars."

Additionally, Ubisoft has announced a slew of songs that will be included in the game. These include classic rock tunes like Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" and The Rolling Stones' "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," as well as contemporary jams like The Black Keys' "The Next Girl" and The White Stripes' "Icky Thump."

For more on the new music title, check out GameSpot's most recent preview of Rocksmith.