Guitar Hero: Van Halen

No effort was put into making it good. It's a step backwards for the franchise and a totally unnecessary release.

The unfortunate thing about Guitar Hero: Van Halen is that it really had the potential to shine, but there just seemed to be too much working against it. The ongoing band feuds have eliminated not only a large section of the group's catalog, but a founding member as well, and laziness on the part of all parties involved means that there's nearly nothing added to the game to give it the extra content we saw in the Aerosmith and Metallica editions

Its existence is puzzling, its release an admittance of surrender, and its song selection showcases one singer while snubbing another... yet because Guitar Hero remains fun, Guitar Hero: Van Halen comes away as a decent diversion.

If you were lucky enough to snag a free copy from the Guitar Hero 5 mail-in promotion, you'll likely be pleased with this adequate iteration. But we can't imagine any non-hardcore Halen fans feeling good about dropping $60 on this half-hearted effort. [Jan 2010, p.76]

Van Halen deserves better. [Jan 2010, p.79]

The steep cost of admissions is the only real downside to this entire package.

Activision could have done a lot better, and I think Van Halen, and its fans deserve better. As a free promotional game, it is passable, but as a full out release, we are expecting a little more.

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.

The song list is great if you love classic Eddie and the guest bands while not relevant, offer a solid mix. Not being able to export the songs into GH 5 or download any new tracks really hurts, but the lackluster presentation hurts even more.

If you’re cool with just the DLR years and you can hang with the weird faces Dance the Night Away, but if you’re looking for a comprehensive VH compilation and accurate portrayals you might as well Jump, back into GH5.

If you got this as a freebie ,good for you, if you find it in the (heavily) discounted bin then try it out (it should be there by Friday).

Unless you are an absolute die-hard Van Halen fan there is no way you should pay full price for a game that only offers half the content. If you really want to play it, wait until this game lands in the Bargain Bins in a few months time.

Even for absolute die-hard fans, I simply can’t recommend this game. The track listing is lacking, the gameplay is outdated (by its own predecessor), and the fun factor for this game just isn’t there.

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.

This is a huge step backwards for not only Guitar Hero, but the music genre in general!

This game isn’t worth a full release. The best Van Halen songs could’ve been offered as DLC. The whole game feels old and unpolished. It feels like a quick buck for Activision, without a deserving game for the fans in return. Compare this to Rock Band: The Beatles or even Guitar Hero: Metallica and you can’t deny it’s an inferior product. Only for fans who truly can’t wait. Everyone else, wait for the budget version.

Loss of (creative) control. [Mar 2010, p.96]

Jamie's not the only one who's crying. [Apr 2010, p.100]

The worst Guitar Hero spin-off yet with a half-hearted tribute to a band who barely deserved one anyway.

Pride, squabbling and calamitous design decisions have ultimately left the game a meagre shadow of its potential self. Its biggest problem, outside of its lacklustre design, is that you and the band have to ask yourselves, in the midst of a music game session, "shall we bother fumbling around the shelves looking for that copy of Guitar Hero: Van Halen?"

Whilst deep down I will always carry a torch for Guitar Hero, I just can't recommend the weakest offering in the series to date.

Guitar Hero: Van Halen hasn't become an exceptional game. It plays like every Guitar Hero game, but you can't call it success.

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.

One of the most underwhelming rhythm-action games in some time. [Issue#93, p.132]

The lack of bonus content, or a meaningful game structure, really lets the collection down. [Issue#56, p.88]

It plays like every Guitar Hero game, but you can't call it success. Only for die-hard Van Halen fans.

The worst exploit of this franchise so far.

A hastily put together product that lacks the overall quality of other band-specific games like Guitar Hero: Metallica or The Beatles: Rock Band. Thank God for Ice Cream Man, Eruption and Panama.

I can't help but feel that perhaps this game should have been left as downloadable track packs for Van Halen fans and not a full-fledged release with a high price-tag.

Guitar Hero Van Halen may not feature the greatest selection of tracks that will appeal to general fans of the franchise. However, it does provide those looking for a more interesting challenge, giving you access to one of the most intense collections of songs to grace a Guitar Hero game for sometime, definitely one just for hardcore Guitar Hero’s.

Plainly put, if you've played any other band-specific Guitar Hero games, you know what to expect, and that is a game that isn't as good as the others.

This game can only be recommended to true Van Halen fans. Graphics are worse than in other Guitar Hero games and there is no real career mode.