TheXboxLife

With Guitar Hero: Van Halen being released last week, December 22nd, Activision doesn’t disappoint with an outstanding soundtrack, but in the end, it lacks the game features which have propelled Guitar Hero 5 and Band Hero to be the games users will really want to pick up this holiday season.

Featuring a 40+ soundtrack with Van Halen, Foo Fighters, Weezer, Foreigner and others, this installment of Guitar Hero definitely has some bands you could do without, including Third Eye Blind and Yellowcard. Don’t get me wrong, Third Eye Blind was a great 90s band, but considering that “Semi-Charmed Life” is around it’s 20th anniversary, they could have picked a better lineup. All you die hard Van Halen fans won’t be dissapointed as you’ll get to jam out to such hits as “Jump”, “Atomic Punk”, “Everybody Wants Some!!” and many many more, so fans will be able to drop their air guitar and bust out some real music on your console.

Many of the original Guitar Hero features are still here. You’ll be able to team up in a band of 4 to play online, and of course, be able to use the Guitar Hero mixer to create your own tracks. That’s pretty cool, but it’s nothing new and different. The game play itself is rather dominant. Rocking out to Van Halen is no easy task, as you’ll find out in attempts to solo “Eruption” on Expert as Eddie Van Halen.

As far as the interface goes, the game definitely has taken a step back as the stage and characters look mediocre. The game runs off the older Guitar Hero engine that Guitar Hero 5 has greatly improved on, but users and fans know they aren’t buying the game for the look, as much as they are to play their favorite Van Halen rock ballads. The crowds are still great to play for, and the noise levels are phenominal. Van Halen definitely sounds amazing in this game with a Dolby Digital Surround Sound, so if you’ve got killer speakers to play off of, you’ll definitely enjoy playing this throughout the night.

Overall, the band deserved a better game, and doesn’t come close to the magnitude that Guitar Hero: Metallica enjoys. Though the song selection is great, many gamers and fans may still be wanting more. It’s worth the rent, probably not the buy unless you’re a true Van Halen rocker.