One of two things need to happen to these themed discs – either they need to be priced cheaper, similar to a SingStar disc, or they need to offer a little more value than a bunch of songs, some new characters which are supposed to resemble the band, and some random pieces of information about said band that you only get to see if you “watch” a song from beginning to end.

After The Beatles: Rock Band, my expectations for band-themed discs for modern music games are much higher. I expect to know a lot more about the band – their beginnings, their progression, their various stages of dress, hairdos and style, maybe even their ideals. In Guitar Hero: Van Halen, Neversoft have just thrown together some songs, ordered them in a seemingly random way, stuck them on a disc and sent it out the door. Like I said – this needs to be cheaper, or better.

Continue reading El33tonline’s review of Guitar Hero: Van Halen.