Guitar Hero: Van Halen is the third band-specific rhythm video game in the Guitar Hero series. As with the previous games Guitar Hero: Aerosmith and Guitar Hero: Metallica, the game features 25 songs from Van Halen along with additional songs from selected artists that inspired and have worked with the group. The game will be released for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii systems in November or December 2009. Neversoft and Budcat Creations will be developing the game, and it will be distributed by Activision. thumb|300px|right
Development
While the game was formally announced by Activision on May 7, 2009, several sources reported earlier that Van Halen was in development. USK, the German software ratings board, posted a content rating for a Van Halen-based game in the series, GameStop temporarily listed the game for pre-order during the month of April, and a list of Xbox 360 Achievements was posted to the Internet in early May. Activision currently will not publicly speak of the game which is odd because a lot of people all ready have it.
Gameplay
'Guitar Hero: Van Halen is similar to the preceding band-centric game, Guitar Hero: Metallica, featuring support for four players in a single band on lead and bass guitar, drums, and vocals. The game will not feature the additions that will be present in Guitar Hero 5, such as drop-in/drop-out play.
Only the current members of the band—Eddie Van Halen, David Lee Roth, Alex Van Halen and Wolfgang Van Halen—are playable avatars in the game for the Van Halen songs; former band members Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony and Gary Cherone will not be included. The band will be represented by their current looks, but by completing challenges in the game, players can unlock their older appearances, with long hair, etc. User-created characters will be used to play non-Van Halen songs in the game.
Soundtrack
Like the other band-centric games, Guitar Hero: Van Halen includes 25 songs from the band Van Halen, including 3 guitar solos by Eddie Van Halen, in addition to 19 guest acts such as Blink-182, Foo Fighters, The Offspring and Queens of the Stone Age.
The ones in bold are the main attractions.
The following songs are included in the game:
| Year | Song title | Artist | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love" | Van Halen | 03. West Hollywood |
| 1980 | "And the Cradle Will Rock..." | Van Halen | 03. West Hollywood |
| 1978 | "Atomic Punk" | Van Halen | 05. New York City |
| 1979 | "Beautiful Girls" | Van Halen | 09. The Netherlands |
| 2005 | "Best of You" | Foo Fighters | 02. Los Angeles |
| 1982 | "Cathedral" | Van Halen | 10. The Early Years |
| 2007 | "Come to Life" | Alter Bridge | 06. Berlin |
| 1979 | "Dance the Night Away" | Van Halen | 05. New York City |
| 2002 | "Dope Nose" | Weezer | 06. Berlin |
| 1978 | "Double Vision" | Foreigner | 06. Berlin |
| 2004 | "The End of Heartache" | Killswitch Engage | 04. Rome |
| 1978 | "Eruption" | Van Halen | 07. Dallas |
| 1980 | "Everybody Wants Some!!" | Van Halen | 03. West Hollywood |
| 1978 | "Feel Your Love Tonight" | Van Halen | 07. Dallas |
| 2001 | "First Date" | Blink-182 | 04. Rome |
| 1982 | "Hang ‘Em High" | Van Halen | 09. The Netherlands |
| 1981 | "Hear About It Later" | Van Halen | 05. New York City |
| 1984 | "Hot for Teacher" | Van Halen | 10. The Early Years |
| 1978 | "Ice Cream Man" | Van Halen | 07. Dallas |
| 1978 | "I'm the One" | Van Halen | 10. The Early Years |
| 1989 | "I Want It All" | Queen | 06. Berlin |
| 1982 | "(Oh) Pretty Woman" | Van Halen | 03. West Hollywood |
| 1978 | "Jamie's Cryin'" | Van Halen | 03. West Hollywood |
| 1984 | "Jump" | Van Halen | 05. New York City |
| 1982 | "Little Guitars" | Van Halen | 07. Dallas |
| 1980 | "Loss of Control" | Van Halen | 09. The Netherlands |
| 2006 | "Master Exploder" | Tenacious D | 06. Berlin |
| 1981 | "Mean Street" | Van Halen | 10. The Early Years |
| 2004 | "Pain" | Jimmy Eat World | 04. Rome |
| 1990 | "Painkiller" | Judas Priest | 08. London |
| 1984 | "Panama" | Van Halen | 01. Van Halen Intro |
| 1998 | "Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)" | The Offspring | 02. Los Angeles |
| 1995 | "Rock and Roll Is Dead" | Lenny Kravitz | 04. Rome |
| 1980 | "Romeo Delight" | Van Halen | 09. The Netherlands |
| 1978 | "Runnin' with the Devil" | Van Halen | 01. Van Halen Intro |
| 1978 | "Safe European Home" | The Clash | 02. Los Angeles |
| 1997 | "Semi-Charmed Life" | Third Eye Blind | 04. Rome |
| 2007 | "Sick, Sick, Sick" | Queens of the Stone Age | 08. London |
| 1981 | "So This Is Love?" | Van Halen | 10. The Early Years |
| 1979 | "Somebody Get Me a Doctor" | Van Halen | 09. The Netherlands |
| 1972 | "Space Truckin'" | Deep Purple | 08. London |
| 1979 | "Spanish Fly" (guitar only) | Van Halen | 10. The Early Years |
| 2003 | "Stacy's Mom" | Fountains of Wayne | 02. Los Angeles |
| 2007 | "The Takedown" | Yellowcard | 08. London |
| 1981 | "Unchained" | Van Halen | 05. New York City |
| 1982 | "White Wedding (Part 1)" | Billy Idol | 02. Los Angeles |
| 1978 | "You Really Got Me" | Van Halen | 07. Dallas |
I like cheese.
References
- http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30646432/
- http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=7908088&style=games&frm=lk_pwradio
- http://ps3.ign.com/articles/991/991850p1.html
- http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/06/04/guitar-hero-van-halen-trailer-rolls-out-at-e3-expo/
- http://www.destructoid.com/esrb-confirms-weezer-s-dope-nose-third-eye-blind-for-gh-van-halen-131697.phtml
- http://www.gamedaily.com/games/guitar-hero-van-halen/wii/game-previews/preview/8838/20708/
- http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2009/08/05/exclusive-guitar-hero-van-halen-song-list-and-release-date-revealed/