Guitar Hero: Van Halen

 PlayStation 3
Metascore
59

Mixed or average reviews - based on 33 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 33
  2. Mixed: 21 out of 33
  3. Negative: 7 out of 33
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  1. IGN
    49
    No effort was put into making it good.
  2. PSM3 Magazine UK
    40
    Fans will squeeze out some fun but this is the laziest GH yet. [Mar 2010, p.88]
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  3. TheSixthAxis
    40
    Van Halen deserved better, and so did Guitar Hero fans. Avoid.
  5. Gamer.nl
    40
    In 2010, Guitar Hero: Van Halen should have never been released in stores at full price. It’s absurd. We’d rather applaud you to wait for the release of Guitar Hero 6, since Guitar Hero Van Halen has the same lack of content as it has lack of love for our frettapping guitar legend. Or as Eddie would probably put it: Aint Talkin’ Bout Love.
  6. D+PAD Magazine
    40
    As a self-contained music game then, Guitar Hero: Van Halen really isn’t substantial or appealing enough to warrant extended play.
  7. Gaming Age
    33
    There's so much about this game that falls flat, and so much that feels like a quick cash-in attempt using the band name attached, that I can't suggest picking this up, certainly not at a full price point.
  8. GameShark
    25
    In a world where The Beatles Rock Band exists, the paltry effort put into Guitar Hero: Van Halen is, quite simply, deplorable. If you‘re going to devote the time, money, and effort to developing a band-themed game in this franchise—then do it right. Don’t embarrass yourselves by passing something like this off as a legitimate, full-featured game.

Awards & Rankings

96
#96 Most Discussed PS3 Game of 2009

User Reviews

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User Score
5.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 11 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 11
  3. Negative: 4 out of 11
  1. SamH
    Jan 2, 2010
    8
    I'm not a huge Van Halen fan, but I am a fan of the Guitar Hero series. I found this game surprisingly fun to play considering how I'm not a huge Van Halen fan, but I am a fan of the Guitar Hero series. I found this game surprisingly fun to play considering how little I liked Guitar Hero: Aerosmith. Eddie Van Halen's playing style leads to some pretty challenging songs with serious replay value.… Full Review »
  2. BC
    Dec 22, 2009
    8
    While it certainly could've had more Van Halen tracks, you can't fault the game for having to follow Van Halen's orders. I While it certainly could've had more Van Halen tracks, you can't fault the game for having to follow Van Halen's orders. I have a hard time believing that DLR(current singer of the band) would want Haggar's songs in the game or to have his digital portrayal having to sing as him, or vise versa. As for Michael Anthony not being included IS harsh, Wolfgang is the current on-tour bassist. Wolfgang is a big fan of Guitar Hero and (IMO) influenced his father to have this game made. Also, no set list is perfect in any music game. The fact these reviews knock MAJOR points off for having Third Eye Blind in the game shows incredible bias, and is really, just lazy journalism. Every music game to date has all of the songs you want and none of the ones you hate. Grow up. The fact Van Halen signed off on letting their amazing set list get put into the GH series is a blessing. These songs are a blast to play on guitar, the vocals are insanely challenging(ITS DAVID LEE ROTH!), and the drums are do-able but tough to master. (Yes the game suffers by not being on the newer engine, but thats Activisions problem with timing and allowances)… Full Review »
  3. PanamaHat
    Dec 28, 2017
    10
    This game is really good fun! Sure, it didn’t contain any major new features to Guitar Hero games but it does have 25 great Van Halen songsThis game is really good fun! Sure, it didn’t contain any major new features to Guitar Hero games but it does have 25 great Van Halen songs that are a pleasure to play on all instruments. I’ve played this more than the other 7 GH or Rock Band games that I have combined… Full Review »
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