Guitar Hero: Van Halen

 Xbox 360
Metascore
57

Mixed or average reviews - based on 34 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 34
  2. Mixed: 23 out of 34
  3. Negative: 7 out of 34
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  1. IGN
    49
    No effort was put into making it good. It's a step backwards for the franchise and a totally unnecessary release.
  2. Gaming Nexus
    42
    This is a huge step backwards for not only Guitar Hero, but the music genre in general!
  3. Metro GameCentral
    40
    The worst Guitar Hero spin-off yet with a half-hearted tribute to a band who barely deserved one anyway.
  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. Xbox World 360 Magazine UK
    34
    Jamie's not the only one who's crying. [Apr 2010, p.100]
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  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.

User Reviews

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User Score
5.7

Mixed or average reviews- based on 23 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 23
  3. Negative: 6 out of 23
  1. NathanielS
    Jan 10, 2010
    1
    This game is far less quality than any Guitar Hero game. Even if you go back to Guitar Hero 1 or Guitar Hero 80s you cannot find this low of This game is far less quality than any Guitar Hero game. Even if you go back to Guitar Hero 1 or Guitar Hero 80s you cannot find this low of quality. It is a giant step backwards in the genre. Why isn't this DLC? Sam Hagar is missing and somehow bands like Weezer and Third Eye Blind are in the game even though they sound nothing like Van Halen and most Van Halen fans would not be interested in those bands. My brain tells me that this game simply happened to lock VH in a exclusivity deal so they wouldn't work with Rock Band. Eddie should be embarassed.… Full Review »
  2. JeffW.
    Dec 23, 2009
    2
    This game does nothing to move forward the music game industry. It does nothing to compensate for the fact that it was released months after This game does nothing to move forward the music game industry. It does nothing to compensate for the fact that it was released months after Guitar Hero 5 made leaps and bounds in this genre of video games. Besides that, the game has no narrative to compel you forward nor does nothing to explain Van Halen's significance to the music industry or anything. The game is also inconsistent with itself in the song choices, since the songs that were chosen do not at all relate to Van Halen's musical style nor their influences nor how they influenced the music genre. The only reason this game gets a 2 is because it has "functional" game play and some "decent" song selections. Still, no Van Hagar, no import, and no hope of future DLC for the game make it completely unacceptable. Do not buy this game unless you have just way too much money on your hands and do not mind wasting money on a game with some good songs but more than half of the set list is bad.… Full Review »
  3. fuyuyuki
    Sep 7, 2020
    7
    similar to, guitar hero metallica, the game has some "van halen flair". but the song list leaves a lot to be desired
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