Review by: Todd Brakke

To state that Guitar Hero: Van Halen is the single worst entry into the Guitar Hero pantheon is something of an understatement. True, fans of the band’s early years will find some tracks here they can enjoy, but the $60 premium price tag for this game –assuming you didn’t get it for free with a purchase of Guitar Hero V- is far too steep for a title clearly produced on a budget and that has as many significant shortcomings as this one.

Right out of the gate it’s impossible to avoid the impression that this is the single most blatant milking of the Guitar Hero franchise that Activision has chosen to foist upon gamers. First of all, it’s the worst-looking Guitar Hero game since the third iteration (a low-point for the series for the current console generation). Really, I have fonder memories of the looks for the first Guitar Hero game, on the Playstation 2, which at least made decent use of color.

Worse, however, is the sound treatment, which is stereo only. For a music/rhythm game to be released in this day and age without full Dolby Digital surround is simply not permissible. Compare it to any other game in the franchise or anything from the Rock Band franchise and this one comes off sounding flat and hollow. It may fit the equally generic concert venues depicted in the game, but it isn’t befitting of a once great band.

Still, were these the game’s only failing, they might be overlooked. Had the game the sense of celebration of its subject material that Beatles Rock Band boasted, or even Guitar Hero: Metallica or Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, for the matter, it might still be worth the price of admission. Instead what we get is a mockery of Van Halen’s history, one that is very likely perpetrated by the remaining band members themselves.