Stacy’s Mom – Fountains of Wayne
First Date – Blink-182
Semi-Charmed Life – Third Eye Blind
Pain – Jimmy Eat World
Pretty Fly (For A White Guy) – The Offspring
If these are the songs you think of when you think of “Van Halen,” you’ve got your perfect game.
(To be fair, everything else in the track list is mostly appropriate, and mostly Van Halen.)
The gameplay is standard GH fare. The career is GH:Metallica style, so you don’t have to play every single song to unlock every single song, but unlike Metallica you DO have to play every song to unlock the “Beat the Career” achievements. Expert fake guitar players looking for a challenge will enjoy the additional solos that appear at the end of the career (Eruption and Spanish Fly, namely,) which also have to be beaten before the achievement unlocks. Have fun with Eruption on Expert. I managed to beat it with 3 stars.
The track list has been widely available and, as far as my tastes go, quite enjoyable. Van Halen isn’t a band you’d see on my list of favorites, but they’re not terrible, and some of the other songs are enjoyable. The Third Eye Blind song is actually one I enjoyed back in middle school, and still do in a cheesy way. There are quite a few tracks repeated from other music game: White Wedding by Billy Idol, Painkiller by Judas Priest, Master Exploder by Tenacious D, and of course Hot For Teacher by Van Halen which was in World Tour.
The graphics appear to hearken back to GH: World Tour style graphics, rather than the more realistic looking GH5 character models. Frankly, I don’t care. If you’re the type of person who thinks of Stacy’s Mom when you think of Van Halen and who cares about the graphics in a Guitar Hero game, you MIGHT just be my exact opposite– the anti-John.
One major flaw for some people is that if you’ve sent away for your free copy of GH:VH after buying GH5, you’re probably going to get the game without a case, shipped only in a sleeve. I guess it’s too late to have buyer’s remorse, and really, you’re not paying for it, so who cares?
There honestly isn’t much to talk about with GH:VH. If you love Guitar Hero, you’ll enjoy this game. If you love Van Halen, you’ll enjoy this game. If you are considering getting your first fake instrument music game and you’re not the world’s biggest Van Halen fan, I’d suggest picking up a used copy of Rock Band before you make the jump in with GH:VH.
I’ll admit, I’m a sucker for Guitar Hero and Rockband, but honestly? A Van Halen game? Next thing you know, bands like My Chemical Romance or Paramore are going to get their own Guitar Hero games. (No offense)
So wait, you’re comparing a band that’s been around for like 20 years that has arguably one of the most innovative guitarist of their time to some 15 mins of fame pop punk bands? I’m not a huge fan of VH, but saying that’s like kicking the hair metal genre in the face.
Spanish Fly would be so hard omfg
I’ll definately be getting this game because Van Halen is my favorite band
too many damn Guitar Hero GAMES!
Hmm Just another GH game with different song and some different polygon characters jumping around in the back ground that nobody really cares about. Everybody is so excited TO PLAY AS SLASH OR SANTANA! But no you dont play them you just look as they jump around.
But they do have a good series and future series because they can keep remaking the same game over and over with different bands and people will buy them.. I’m personally waiting for GH Korn
I figured it would be just another Guitar Hero. As long as they keep making money, they’ll keep pumping these out. I just stick with Harmonix, personally.
The only way i would have gotten this is if i got it free with Guitar Hero 5. And as for what deadstretch said about people thinking they are a guitar master, these games actually inspired me to learn to play cause i felt like a tool only being able to play a piece of plastic
I have been playing guitar since I was about 14 and I’m 24 now. Needless to say all these Guitar Hero games disgust me. I could careless if these are your “types” of games, just don’t go acting like you’re a guitar master now. lol
Most of the songs in GH games I can play on actual guitar but, give me the game I can barley 100% games on easy.
Good Review, Nonetheless!
Another great review John!
Theres so many guitar hero games coming out nowadays i didnt even hear about this one until now! why do they keep charging us 60$ for these one band games, that use almost EVERYTHING that they put in the last game?
Guitar Hero has gotten quite old to me now, so im not gonna be buying another one for a while i think.
Just a clone of guitar hero metallica with van halen in it I got it to lol wouldent pay 60 for this either lol
Not interested in this game. I just think at this point, it feels like their milking everything they can out of the series. I don’t know.
Once again, great review John. I’m telling you right now, this is the place I’m coming too for my reviews.
*facepalm* nuff said like can they get it through the heads we get it enough version pokemon is about the only new version up 2 a certain point
Im not into guitar hero and rockband stuff, but nice review……..ok I lied I just looked at the score and the Stacy’s Mom pic…hotness!!
i stopped buying GH with GH3
I don’t think anybody expected much other than just another Guitar Hero added to series.
Meh, It’s another Guitar Hero game, can’t they just come with ONE game that has all of these? I’d be willing to pay around 100-150 for such a game, but not 60 for each individually.
Yeah i got burned out of the band games quick, I suppose if you were into these games it would make it 1 more to the collection
They need to stop pumping these out so rapidly and just think about what they are trying to achieve. It’s not like these games are selling amazingly well to warrant them making so many.
Welp, as I said a few days ago “too many hero’s” This just adds to the steamy pile of them
this is next
Now that’s what I’m sayin… LOL
Dude, now that is one Epic Shit Stamp!
hahaha awesome
Yeah, I didn’t expect much from this game. Just another Guitar Hero amirite? Great review John.