VAN HALEN NEWS DESK

‘Guitar Hero: Van Halen’ official trailer

The official trailer for ‘Guitar Hero: Van Halen’ (release date Dec. 22nd, 2009):

  • Kimberly

    OMFG! I am so excited:) Looooove VH. For life!!! <3

  • rick

    no mikey :(

  • Guitar Zero

    Classic VH lineup without MA is so wrong. I can understand if they wanted to showcase Ed’s kid in the current incarnation of the band, but to try and rewrite 30 years of history through this game is just sad.

  • Jim

    Looks awesome.
    Pretty soon, all the idots will post stupid responses on this that will sound like this:

    “mike should be there”
    “poor mikey”
    “i’ll boycott this since mike isn’t there”
    “ed is such a prick because mikey quit the band”
    “how could they faze out anthony like that”
    “wolfgang isn’t the same”
    “i have a man crush on mikey”
    “mikey is so great,how could the do that”
    “mike belongs there”
    “i won’t go to a concert until they get mike back”

    and

    “sammy was such a big part of the band. why isn’t he there”
    “can’t believe ed left out sammy (even though ed didn’t make the game)”
    “sammy’s songs were better (even though about none of his songs would fit a guitar hero game)”
    “vh are jerks for fazing out sammy and mike”
    “i won’t play until they put out a new record”
    ____
    Fact is: This is who van halen is. They are legends. They owe us nothing. Wolfgang is here to stay and carry on the name. These songs chosen for this pretty much defines van halen. If you don’t like the current lineup, you are in the minority. Van Halen is all about loud defining guitars and drums with the bass being important but the least of importance. If you aren’t 100% with this lineup, leave and go somewhere else if you can find anyone that compares.

  • CrashDavis

    I just got goosebumps … COOL!

  • Skutch

    Anything that gets youngsters into classic VH is fine by me.

  • Dawg1981

    Not much time before Christmas to get it though.
    can you imagine the lines at the game stores!

  • SWADE

    Ok I’m going to start. is the Van Halen’s way of releasing new music. Or just another paycheck? Its a joke that Wolfie is in the game. Now thats integrity.

  • Eric Upfold

    22nd December can’t come quick enough, then hopefully new album then tour.Edward make it happen!Maybe even a European tour.

  • ben

    looks amazing!
    loved the EDDIE EDDIE EDDIE!! chants!

  • Bluesbro

    I’ll drop my money on a Chickenfoot show, and listen to new, live music featuring a contempory guitar master.

  • Rodney

    Ahmen Bluesbro….Ahmen

  • http://none Ducky / Dirty Duck

    JIM:

    I feel like i should never post my views again.
    You just summed up everything I’ve always wanted to say.
    You fucking rock brother.

    Happy hour on me!

  • Corey

    In a small way I think vh sold out by doing this. And I hardly doubt it will get younger generations to like vh. To them this just another guitar hero game. I fucking hate it.

  • justin

    Jim… i could not agree with you anymore! you pretty much nailed this one… and im excited for this game to come out.. i don’t own guitar hero (i play REAL guitar) but this is a great way to expose Van Halen to a new audiance!

  • TIM MCKENNA

    Just another example of how the greatest hard rock band in history screws everything up.Why mot put Wolfie in the Rock Hall of fame as well.

  • Don

    personally, i think they should have added mikey to this! sorry folks. but you got to remember, he was one of the original members and really deserves this as well.

  • Kimberly

    Whateverrr lol. Then I will be selfish and say I am glad they did this because my generation literally gets NOTHING out of VH. At least most of you got to experience the thrill of them in the old days. I am happy I have a game I can sit back and rock out with anytime I want with my favorite band. Mikey or no Mikey, I am in it for the music. So I am pumped!! <3
    But as always everyone is entitled to their own opinion!! And yeah I agree Mike should be there. But, I have no beef with Wolfie.
    VAN HALEN RULES! <3

  • Paul

    C’mon people…You guys can’t be that blind right?!?
    I LOVE Michael Anthony’s contributions to Van Halen as much as everyone else. But this is solely about the $$$$. It has nothing to do with pleasing the hardcore original fans.
    If anything, this is, like Eddie says, a new band that’s trying to establish a NEW audience. It’s why Wolfgang is in the band…To reach the younger generation(also why they included “modern” rock bands), and for Eddie to avoid being just another nostalgic 80s band.
    It’s eerily similar to what George Lucas did with the Star Wars saga…And we all know how that turned out.

  • Shayne

    Jim , thanks man! To the point of fact, I don’t see Duke’s 2 bit comments so he must now be heading Milli Vanilli’s website as president of the thier fan club. LMFAO!!!!

    Rock on brother Jim and VH!!!

  • Finding Core Guitar

    That’s my birthday and I’ll be waiting in line the night before for this thing man! I can’t even play these games, but Van Halen is my life. I can’t wait for it!

  • Rog

    I think the consensus from the writings I have seen, is that this is an injustice. I love Van Halen and have been a big fan for many, many years. I have their albums, then cassettes, then cd’s over the years. I have purchased my share of concert tickets as well, but this is just plain wrong. I have heard all about the rift between the different band members, so please do not remind me in a post. I really hope this is just a smart marketing ploy for a future Van Halen Guitar Hero featuring the songs from the Hagar era, but I doubt it. The whole thing with leaving Mike out, is really disturbing to me and others from what I have read. Mike was always the silent hero in the band and as much as like the idea of this new Van Halen Guitar Hero, it just won’t be the same. Just my opinion and I hope others feel the same.

  • Big AL

    “Plain and simple: The only reason there is a GH Van Halen is because of 1 person, “Eddie,Eddie,Eddie”! ”

    Hey Rog, were you DISTURBED when Mike started a new band called Planet Us with Sam? Did you consider that an INJUSTICE? Just curious!

  • vhpac

    longtime van halen fan(dave, sam, and even like “without you” from van halen 3). in the game you play as the current lineup of the band in modern times. “classic” skins of the bandmembers are unlocked when achievements are completed. that is why you see wolfie rocking daddy’s look from the 1984 album. sammy and mike are part of the “great” van halen alumni. however they are not in the current incarnation of the band. to quote dave, “this is a new band.”

  • http://none Ducky / Dirty Duck

    Rog:

    It’s called life man. It never goes the way you want it to go. Change is inevitable. How do you think “I” felt when sammy joined VH?
    I love mikey as much as the next fan, but anyone who knows their rock n roll knows: there’s always gonna be drama.
    I’m sure die hard metallica fans werent happy with the guitar hero version without cliff….but they got over it.
    I think its time to realize there is more to life than worrying about petty stuff like this and find something in life that DOES make you happy. Ya think?

  • Atomic Pete

    MA should definitely have been in there out of respect
    to what the band was and achieved with the classic lineup.
    They could maybe have put Wolfie in also to show what the band is today.(like when the trailer shows them “morphing” into how they look today).
    My Van Halen died after Dave left in 1985. I still liked
    the Sammy stuff but it wasn’t the same.
    I doubt we will ever hear anything new from them as
    I’m sure we would have heard at least one new song buy now
    if the creative juices were flowing.I just don’t see Dave
    sticking around. Maybe I’m wrong . Time will tell. Cheers!

  • Jor-L5150

    yep….

    gonna have to get this ….

  • Randy

    Van Halen has been at the top of my music list since day one. I believe the pre-keyboard Dave era is timeless rock, due to Eddie’s playing, sound, unusual structures to the songwriting, & Dave’s ability to phrase over it. Image & stage antics of course were a big part of it. However, my primary focus has always been Eddie & I love their whole library, regardless of front man. It’s just human to long for the past, especially for something that had such a profound impact on the soundtrack of our lives.

    That being said, it is really hard to see what’s gone down with Mike. Nothing at all against Wolfgang, he seems like a good kid & very talented. Like all of us, Eddie’s got to live his life his way, & do what he thinks is right for himself, but Mike is getting treated like dirt. Mike supposedly leaving the band, was the equivalent of a sitcom co-star doing a movie over the summer & then being told he was no longer on the show because he left to do the movie. We all know Mike would have dropped anything if Eddie said he was ready to go, & anybody Mike was playing with would have said, “Hell, yeah, get outta here!”. How can you be considered as deserting a band that’s not doing anything? Was Mike supposed to sit in 5150 & watch Eddie noodle all day to be considered “in the band”?

    I couldn’t care less about Guitar Hero myself, but it is supposed to represent the band. Since the reunion tour was all classic tunes, they could have done the thing entirely based on those images, & I wouldn’t have a problem with it. What really irks me is the “classic” images of the band & stage with Wolfgang on bass in Eddie’s old dice shirt. To me this is the equivalent of putting out a DVD documentary of the original band, & having Industrial Light & Magic CG Wolfgang in Mike’s place. Really sad. Mike has kept his chin up since not being wanted for the ’04 reunion till now, & you’ve got to admire him for it. This has got to be the worst though. I can choke down the fact that he was replaced in the present. HOW IN A RIGHT MIND CAN YOU REPLACE SOMEONE IN HISTORY?!

    I don’t feel Eddie owes me anything. I’ve got all the music which I will always enjoy. I enjoyed many of their concerts & have great memories. I’ve given up all expectation for the future even when they say something’s happening, but look forward to being surprised with some new music eventually. I also continue to visit the VHND frequently for a fix. Unfortunately my cynicism has gotten so bad that I questioned whether the issues of Eddie’s hand problems are real, or just another way to put things off! Couldn’t believe that I was thinking that way, but hey, driven to it.

    One last thing. Maybe it’s my longtime focus on Eddie, but I don’t understand the discussion & comparisons of Van Halen with Chickenfoot. It’s such a good variety of rockin’ music that us “classic” guys have been missing. Satriani is Eddie influenced, but he’s taken it his own direction & with everyone always so focused on Dave’s role in VH, why is Sammy’s voice used in comparison? He was solo a hell of a lot longer. Four great musicians came together naturally as friends, because thy wanted to (wouldn’t we like that for another band?). I think it stands on it’s own.

  • rawkdude

    To any of the negative comments relax guys its just a video game. Even though this is weird its a hell of a lot better for VH legacy than Mike and Sammy at the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame! I have to admit the classic VH animation does look a bit out of place with Wolfie.

    Hopefully there will be some new music

  • John

    zzzzzzzzzzzzzz… wake me up when there is a new album.

  • Hairygerman

    Dave sucks live. I hope these aren’t live tracks. I figured they were, if li’l Wolfie was part of this.

  • Luther

    When was their last friggin’ album!!?!?! Rewriting history without Michael Anthony doesn’t get much lower. What a bunch of crap.

  • John

    I love both eras of Van Halen equally, but all of those that cliam the Roth period is so superior should put in a video of the US Festival.

  • mjc

    if wolf was’nt featured,ed would’nt allow this to see the light of day,ever!

  • ace5150

    I deep down really hate this whole VH GH thing and think the Mikey snub really sucks but my 12 year old son wants this game bad.

    I’ll buy it and me and him will spend a lot of quality time together jamming out to some good VH tunes so I guess it can’t be all bad.

  • http://www.myspace.com/aarxn aarxn82

    people. its a video game. who cares who is or isnt in it!? , get over it. Mike was a cool guy and all but bands split all the time. whos ever side you are on or what you think, its a fact that Wolfgang is the bassist now and thats what this video features: Simlish versions of the CURRENT line up. no sam, no gary, no mike. the ‘retro look’ skins are just bonus unlockables and is in no way ‘rewriting’ history.

    oh and by the way, having man crushes is so gay

  • Karl

    Looks even more crap than I’d imagined it would be.

  • Matt from Australia

    Kimberly – I totally agree with u.
    BTW – love all your posts ;)

  • Ryan

    I think the game looks awesome…even though I am bummed out they left out some of my favorite guitar songs that I grew up on, like “Sucker in a 3 Piece” and “Source of Infection”; I love the guitar and drums for those songs. I guess what I’m trying to say is I really love all the different line-ups of Van Halen. For the David Lee Roth period, the songs were more groove-oriented (although there were still some great melodies in songs like “Dance the Night Away”), but I consider the songs from the Sammy Hagar more melodic, overall. Therefore, I would appreciate the game much more if they highlighted those different sides instead of trying to hide certain points of Van Halen’s past. I know there has always been a David VS Sammy battle since the beginning of time, but some of us came to age with 5150 and 0U812 just like others came to age with Van Halen I and II ten years earlier. So why not include every era to make the game a more complete representation of the band’s history? I’m sad to say this, but I guess it’s like Paul said, money and royality issues had something to do with this. But I just don’t think I can ever forget songs like “5150″; the guitar on that sounds awesome!!

  • Ryan

    Oh, and “Judgement Day”, that song is incredible? Why shouldn’t it be there? I know a lot of people bring Mike getting fired from the band, but I really think it’s Eddie’s loss on this one. It’s like he’s forgetting about some of his sweetest riffs: Poundcake, Runaround, The Dream is Over, Baluchiterium….alright, I’ve said what I had to say!! good night guys.

  • Kimberly

    Matt– Thanks! ;)
    VH for liife! Lol

  • rawkdude

    Look I agree Mike got shafted and he doesn’t deserve all this but why is everyone so quick to forget that when VH was with Sammy and Gary, Mike was slightly riding the VH coattails. Even on the Sam and Dave tour Mike talked smack about Dave which is ironic because if anyone here remembers correctly for quite a while Dave was very vocal in the press saying that some of the vocal harmonies that Mike did with him were part of the classic Van Halen sound and were a big part of their originality of the band. The one guy who got slammed consistently by the band actual gave Mike some props. I will say Mike was very cool in his brief comments of Dave at the rock n roll hall of fame. Again Mike doesn’t deserve all this but in the past he has slammed Dave…and whether you want to admit it or not Dave is a big part of VH. The re-write of history is BS but it is just a video game. I also saw reunion tour and Wolfie is no slouch on bass. For people who bashed him remember he is only a young kid playing with one of the greatest bands of all time.

    BTW I own all VH albums, I am partial to Dave but enjoyed all VH and actually thought VH3 was pretty good it might have done better if band didn’t then parade Dave for greatest hits and then release VH3. So I am not necessarily anti-Sam although some of his slams on VH in the press for Chickenfoot are lame. The reunion tour with Sammy and both Dave is proof money talks in a few years when VH is looking for money they will have something with Sammy and Mike again. (ie remasters of Sammy era Van Halen..ect)

  • Dave Bridge

    Ed the corporate machine knows no bounds.
    Produce some new music or retire you has been.

  • Kimberly

    Woahh Dave chill out…lol seriously. That will get us some new music REAL quick.

    I <3 you Eddie.

  • Ludwig

    Hey Jim!! Amen!!!

    You speak VOLUMES!!! All the naysayers and Eddie bashers are eating humble pie right now including Sammy and Mike!!! They too predicted that the Van Halen reunion with Roth will fail!! But it didn’t and as we have heard and seen the latest from King Eddie on Van Halen’s current status, all I got to say is GET READY!!! The mighty Van Halen have been plotting and planning and are ready to unleash some of the greatest new music from one of the all time greatest Rock n Roll bands ever!!! And the bonus thing in all this is it won’t be a nostalgic trip, maybe to the naysayers but for the rest of us (the true and loyal VH fans!) Van Halen has always been about the cutting edge of Rock!!! Yes…it has been a while since new VH music has been delivered, but like it is with a band like Van Halen it’s worth the wait!!!

    Van Halen won’t release new music just for the sake of releasing something!! They care about giving us the fans the best quality and 100% pure Van Halen music!! They will bleed, fight, cry and laugh to give us a masterful Van Halen album!!! “Where have all the good times gone?” It’s back in 2009!! The good times are back…and it took a kid by the name of Wolfgang to put the ‘mighty’ back in the ‘MIGHTY VAN HALEN’

    …and on the 7th day GOD created the mighty Van Halen!! Amen…or ROCK!!!!

  • Anonymous

    I have a man-crush on Michael Anthony.
    His harmonies made VH.

  • Christopher

    Oh. So Wolfgang was in the band in 1978. Ok.

  • http://www.thejohngarrett.com john yuhas

    i love how they try to erase the hagar years– AS IF ALL THOSE SONGS SUCKED– SCREW EDWARD– HE IS PRETENDING THE SONGS HE WROTE WITH SAM DO NOT EXIST– AND TRYING TO ERASE MIKE FROM THE BAND IS JUST AWFUL– JUST PLAIN AWFUL.

  • Gonzalo

    Wolfgang was not even a sperm in 1978 lol :D

  • lucvan50

    Does the famous red guitar with stripes come with the game??