Having previously vowed that Guitar Hero Van Halen would arrive in "the second half of this year," publisher Activision today confirmed to Shacknews that the Roth-tastic music game is slated to rock-slide into North American retailers on December 22.

In addition, MTV Multiplayer got its hands on a track list for the game, which includes tunes from Foreigner, Deep Purple, Weezer, The Clash, Third Eye Blind and Yellowcard, among others. Look for the title to hit PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii.

Van Halen Songs
• "Ain't Talkin Bout Love"
• "And The Cradle Will Rock"
• "Atomic Punk"
• "Beautiful Girls"... Read more

Activision Publishing has announced its fall lineup will include new titles DJ Hero, Guitar Hero 5 and Band Hero, and confirmed the oft-rumoured Guitar Hero Van Halen.

When wielding DJ Hero's special turntable controller, players are transformed into world-class DJs spinning hip-hop, R&B, electronica, Motown and dance music.

Guitar Hero 5 brings drop-in drop-out play to the franchise, as well as the ability to change instruments and difficulty on the fly. The E10+-rated Band Hero intends to deliver Hero fun for the whole family with Top-40 hits and presumably no cussin' or sexy talk.

Guitar Hero Van Halen was confirmed in a separate mailing for release "the second half of this year", bringing a bevvy of Van Halen hits and music from a number of guest acts including Queen, Weezer, blink-182, The Offspring and Queens of the Stone Age.

No platforms were announced for any of the games, but history and rumours suggest the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PS2 and Wii are likely to be bopping hard this fall.

The full scoop from Activision's pillowy musical lips follows below... Read more

The rumored Guitar Hero Van Halen game has been rated by the German Voluntary Monitoring Organization of Entertainment Software, though publisher Activision has yet to announce it.

The listing first began attracting attention over the weekend, and has since been removed. Fortunately, 1UP snapped a shot before then.

The rating specified the title "Guitar Hero headlining Van Halen," which could be a result of Activision's plans for "major re-stage" of the franchise with "all new differentiated Guitar Hero products" in the second half of this year.

According to earlier rumors, the Van Halen music game is due on PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii in August. No official word yet, but we'll let you know.