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If you have a PS3 and Guitar Hero 5, you might have noticed that, well, you don't have your free copy of Guitar Hero: Van Halen. While copies of the freebie are shipping out for the other systems, all PS3 owners are getting right now is an apologetic email.

"Unfortunately, we made a printing error on the package of Guitar Hero Van Halen," the email explains. "Fortunately, we caught and remedied the error prior to sending your disc. Our effort to ensure a completely positive customer experience has resulted in a slight delay in shipping your copy of the game."

Activision promises to begin mailing the game out this week. The good news, we suppose, is that everyone affected by this delay has Guitar Hero 5 to play in the meantime. If you're an insider and can tell us what the printing error was, we have to know. Did the title say "Guitar Hero: Van Helen?" Was it rated "E" for "Eddie"?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

Here's our big, greedy idea: Buy one of the 140 PlayStation 3 titles being offered in the current BestBuy.com deal for a lucky friend's future Christmas present, and get one for ourselves in the process for half the price! Dealzon spotted the sale we're selfishly taking advantage of over the weekend, which also offers free shipping until the end of Labor Day (that's tonight, folks!).

Thankfully, the deal offers more than just clearance titles -- last week's Guitar Hero 5 and system-selling Metal Gear Solid 4 are among a the handful of good stuff on the list (if you buy GH5, you could technically get a free copy of Guitar Hero: Van Halen as well, upping the value even more). According to the folks at Dealzon, the offer ends on Saturday, September 12, so you may want to get while the gettin's good.

[Via Dealzon]

Even if you're experiencing some music game overload, you have to take notice of something like this: Those who buy Guitar Hero 5 during the month of September will be able to send away for a free copy of Guitar Hero: Van Halen, which will be sent to them before it arrives in stores.

OK, it's not quite enough to cure our Beatlemania, but damn it if it doesn't make picking up GH5 considerably more appealing. [Update: This offer is good only in the USA.]

Though Guitar Hero spin-off games have already set a precedent for low expectations in terms of playable songs, Guitar Hero: Van Halen will be arriving at retail with only 48 songs available to play (three of which are guitar solos, mind you). We think it's fair to be disappointed, as the $60 Activision is likely charging only nets you 25 Van Halen songs to try your best and keep up with.

Sure, yes, we do want to play "Panama." And yes, fine, we would be all for jumping around to "Hot for Teacher." But as this thing stands (and as the trailer dictates above) we will absolutely be rocking out with some of the "biggest hits" from "one of the most legendary bands of all time" -- it's just going to be The Beatles instead.

We bring you sad tidings of yet another game's delay into 2010 -- but two elements of this particular delay may soothe your frayed nerves. First, the title in question will only be delayed in Europe, where a good number of you do not live. Second, the delayed title is Guitar Hero: Van Halen, which a good number of you apparently could not care less about.

Activision recently told Eurogamer that the PAL version of the "Jump"-infused rhythm title would not hit store shelves later this year. The game has since undergone a release date bump to "TBD 2010" -- not the "Q1 2010" window we've become so accustomed to seeing this year's titles pushed to. The publisher didn't explain the reason for the delay, but we're pretty certain it didn't want Van Halen competing with the other 58 rhythm titles it's releasing this holiday season.

Activision finally got around to confirming Guitar Hero: Van Halen in May and, while our question regarding which singer will be featured in the game has been answered, the featured tracks and release date have been a mystery ... until now! MTV Multiplayer managed to get the info straight from Activision and, if you're a Van Halen fan, we're fairly certain you won't be disappointed with the selections. Essential tracks like "Jump" and "Ain't Talkin' Bout Love" have made the cut, along with a few of Eddie's scorching solos. In keeping with the Guitar Hero spin-off tradition, there will also be some music from bands other than Van Halen in the game, so head past the break for the full list of finger-bleeding tunes.

Additionally, Guitar Hero: Van Halen has been dated for release on December 22.

Dream of playing the upcoming rhythm game Guitar Hero: Van Halen as your favorite Van Halen lead singer Gary Cherone? Well, Rolling Stone is reporting today on the dashing of your dreams, claiming that an Activision/RedOctane representative confirmed to them the game's exclusivity to David Lee Roth as lead singer. This is also to say that the tequila-shilling Sammy Hagar will also be excluded from the band's lineup in the game.

We already kind of sort of knew about the exclusion of Cherone and Hagar from Activision's Senior Vice President of Global Brand Management telling us way back when, "Oh this is definitely Van Halen, not Van Hagar." The RS piece posits that the only Van Halen tracks featuring David Lee Roth will be making it into the game, possibly destroying all hopes of the chance to drunkenly belt "Why Can't This Be Love?" and "Fire In the Hole," though, as of press time, Activision had yet to respond to our inquiry.

Those Van Halen boys are likely happy today, as it marks the end of their need for silence regarding their long-rumored video game: Guitar Hero: Van Halen. Activision has confirmed to Joystiq that the title is in development and will release sometime during the second half of this year. Activision could not confirm any songs, and only said the game will contain Van Halen's "greatest hits," as well as guest acts such as Queen, Weezer, blink-182, The Offspring, Queens of the Stone Age, and more.

We've put in word to Activision to clarify if the game will be all David Lee Roth, or if fans will also get some Sammy Hagar and some Gary Cherone love. Well, okay, maybe not Gary Cherone. Nobody liked that guy.

Update: Activision's Senior Vice President of Global Brand Management (whew!) told us, "Oh this is definitely Van Halen, not Van Hagar," which is a plus since David Lee Roth is back with the band and they just finished a successful tour. There's a very slim chance that the rockers might show up at E3, so keep your eyes and ears peeled.

Several listings at GameStop's site earlier today revealed Guitar Hero: Van Halen. The listings have since been pulled, but we managed to take a screen cap for you, which you can see past the break. It's a game that has been rumored for a little while now, and would be Activision's next logical step following Guitar Hero: Aerosmith and Guitar Hero: Metallica. Each listing at GameStop's site points to an August 4 release for the title on PS2, PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii. So what are you waiting for, Activision? Just announce the thing already!

[Via Kotaku]

Unfortunately, we've got a fairly strict policy against lengthy headlines -- otherwise, we would have given this post the title it properly deserves: "German ratings board Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle (USK) tries to rate Guitar Hero: Van Halen, finds music therein to be far too awesome, spontaneously explodes." Try fitting that into an RSS feed.

Yes, the USK recently reported that it has rated the rumored rhythm title, which it actually calls Guitar Hero headlining Van Halen, for the PS3 and 360. If this rating guarantees the title's existence, we can't wait to hear absolutely everything about the game before Activision decides to formally announce it six months from now.

[Via Kotaku]

You wanna be privy to some exclusive, top secret information? Though it may sound like our usual brand of preposterous, blogger rabble rousing, we have reason to believe that Activision is working on ... another Guitar Hero game. It's true! Sources say that this next Guitar Hero will come out after the next Guitar Hero comes out.

...

Alright, so we have a few more details beyond that evergreen speculation. Let's switch to third-person! Joystiq has been informed that Activision's next artist-oriented Guitar Hero release will be based around Van Halen. According to Joystiq's source, the game is set to arrive sometime after Guitar Hero: Metallica and will include several songs hailin' from the Californian rock band's catalogue, including "Jump," "Panama" and "Hot for Teacher." You can also expect a smattering of songs from other bands, like Judas Priest's "Pain Killer," Tenacious D's "Master Exploder" and Weezer's "Dope Nose."

Activision was unable to lend the leaked information any more credence, saying, "The RedOctane/Guitar Hero team is currently focused on the upcoming release of Guitar Hero Metallica, as well as the recently announced titles Guitar Hero Greatest Hits and Guitar Hero On Tour: Modern Hits, and does not comment on speculation or rumor." We didn't bother asking if Creedence is in it.