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.
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.
Instead we get decrepit and creepy looking depictions of over-the-hill Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, and David Lee Roth, with Eddie’s son Wolfgang on bass. Now, Wolfgang may be the best young bassist of his generation for all I know, but when the songs he’s shown playing in this game were released, the lad wasn’t even born yet.
Finally, there is Activision’s insistence in muddying the waters of its band-themed games by making nearly half of its tracks (19 in all) those from other artists. Oh, they claim these are tracks that inspired or were inspired by the band, but who’s kidding who? I mean, really, Stacey’s Mom? Semi-Charmed Life? Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)? This is what Activision thinks fans are clamoring to play after divesting their wallets of $60 for this budget-produced Van Halen title?
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 one is all on Activision. It doesn’t take much reading between the lines to see that Underground developed this game with both hands tied behind its proverbial back. There’s simply no way this is the game they wanted to make. This isn’t a game that anyone would want to make. It's a lesson in how to stick a fork in a once proud franchise.
Review by: Todd Brakke
Source: http://www.gameshark.com
1 Comments:
Cool post...
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