Guitar Hero: Van Halen Free For Limited Time With Guitar Hero 5

If all the Beatles hullabaloo is fraying your last nerve, perhaps a little (free) Van Halen video game action will make things better. Activision is offering a free copy of Guitar Hero: Van Halen with its latest Guitar Hero 5 game that debuted last week.

The Van Halen freebie deal requires only proof of a GH5 purchase ($59.99) before October 1st, when the free offer ends and the long wait begins for December 22 when Guitar Hero: Van Halen is officially released.

Hard to argue that this isn’t a sweet deal from Activision. And a smart move by the gaming company considering the media hoopla surrounding The Beatles: Rock Band – and along with it the Rock Band franchise.

Wall Street Journal:

The moves illustrate the challenges of building on a maturing genre amid a recession. As they gear up for the holiday shopping season, videogame makers are working doubly hard to grab consumers.

Sadly, there’s nary a tune from the Sammy Hagar era to be found anywhere among the 28 Van Halen songs featured on GH:VH.

Perhaps even more astounding (and egregious) is the exclusion of founding bassist Michael Anthony. Only David Lee Roth and Wolfgang Van Halen (Eddie’s son) will appear in GH:VH alongside Eddie and Alex Van Halen.

But that shouldn’t diminish the kick-ass freebie deal Activision is bundling with Guitar Hero 5.

Here’s BeatCrave’s Guitar Hero 5 Review Roundup if you need coaxing to get that free copy of GH:VH.

Guitar Hero: Van Halen Songs

• “Ain’t Talkin Bout Love”
• “And The Cradle Will Rock”
• “Atomic Punk”
• “Beautiful Girls”
• “Cathedral” (solo)
• “Dance The Night Away”
• “Eruption” (solo)
• “Everybody Wants Some”
• “Feel Your Love Tonight”
• “Hang ‘Em High”
• “Hear About It Later”
• “Hot For Teacher”
• “Ice Cream Man”
• “I’m The One”
• “Jamie’s Cryin”
• “Jump”
• “Little Guitars”
• “Loss Of Control”
• “Mean Street”
• “Panama”
• “Pretty Woman”
• “Romeo Delight”
• “Running With The Devil”
• “So This Is Love”
• “Somebody Get Me A Doctor”
• “Spanish Fly” (solo)
• “Unchained”
• “You Really Got Me”

Guest Acts:

• Alter Bridge – Come To Life
• Billy Idol – White Wedding
• Blink-182 – First Date
• The Clash – Safe European Home
• Deep Purple – Space Truckin’
• Foo Fighters – Best Of You
• Foreigner – Double Vision
• Fountains of Wayne – Stacy’s Mom
• Jimmy Eat World – Pain
• Judas Priest – Painkiller
• Killswitch Engage – The End Of Heartache
• Lenny Kravitz – Rock And Roll Is Dead
• Queen – I Want It All
• Queens of the Stone Age – Sick, Sick, Sick
• Tenacious D – Master Exploder
• The Offspring – Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)
• Third Eye Blind – Semi-Charmed Life
• Weezer – Dope Nose
• Yellowcard – The Takedown