Rock Band European Tour Delayed

[NassosT]

For months music game fans in the US have argued over which of the two big titles out recently, Rock Band or Guitar Hero, is the better game. Both were reviewed well at their respective releases last year and each of the two games has built a rabid fanbase.

Rock Band, which was also developed by Guitar Hero creator Harmonix, now at MTV, was released in late November in the US and has been one of the most popular games there since then.

Differences in the timing of game releases have come down dramatically when compared with the situation just five years ago. But for whatever reason, things have been different for Rock Band.

In a conference to discuss its third-quarter financial results this week, transcribed by Seeking Alpha, EA hinted that it is still months away from releasing the Rock Band in Europe.

Speaking during the call, EA's Warren Jenson said that "we now expect Rock Band to ship in Europe in Q109", which would put the release of the game sometime between April and June. Until now EA had suggested that the game would be out by the end of March.

A release during the spring would put Rock Band up against what many are considering the biggest game of 2008 - Grand Theft Auto IV. Rockstar recently confirmed that its new game would be out worldwide on 29 April.

Is the delay of Rock Band in Europe down to hardware? The package sold in stores includes not only the game and a guitar but also a microphone and an electronic drum kit. There have been reports of broken guitars in the US, but EA's John Riccitiello said that the defect rate was in the "single digits".

Riccitiello did not directly address a question from an analyst during the conference call that the delay in Europe was down to the problems seen in the US. Representatives for the company contacted for this story did not offer any comments.

In recent months, EA has also turned its attention to other versions of the game. A PlayStation 2 edition was added to the Playstation and Xbox 360 versions in November, and this week the company said that it was working on a fourth version, this one for the Wii.​

Πήζω... Ακου Απρίλιο με Ιούνιο... Μας δουλεύουν;

 

[NassosT]

Απάντηση: Rock Band European Tour Delayed

Όχι μόνο θα κυκλοφορήσει τελικά στις 23 Μαΐου, αλλά θα κοστίζει (το bundle) και 240€, όταν οι Αμερικάνοι το πληρώνουν 169$ (107€) :141:

When Rock Band was released in the US, it cost $169, and came with the game, guitar, microphone and drums. Not a bad deal. But in Europe, on May 23? Good heavens. The game won't come in a single bundle. Instead, there's two products available at lauch. One is called the "Instrument Edition", which costs £130/€170. It comes with a guitar, drums, and mic. That's it. No game. No, if you want the game as well, it'll cost you another £50/€70. That brings the cost of the game and three instruments to £180/€240. Or, USD$378. Three hundred and seventy-eight dollars. I know, things are always more expensive in Europe, but...damn. Whether it's MTV or EA behind this price, you can take that price, and you can stick it up your arse.

Εν τω μεταξύ τα παραπάνω αφορούν μόνο την έκδοση για το X360, καθώς "PS3, PS2 and Wii versions will follow later this summer".



Και η εξήγηση της Harmonix για τη "μετατροπή" σε ευρώ:

A Harmonix spokesperson has responded to the mild outrage that has been brewing over the extremely high price for Rock Band in Europe. Probably just in time too as the over doubled price of entrance versus the US bundle has a few Europeans a little on edge. It is put very nicely into perspective when you realise that to buy simply the Rock Band bundle plus game will actually run you more that a price of an Xbox 360 arcade. If you’ve doubted up until this point that Rock Band was its own platform, doubt no longer.

So what’s up with the high price tag, other than corporate greed? Blame taxes, “It is more expensive, when you just straight to straight convert the prices you see on the website for the US version, but there’s a myriad of these little differences that all add up. One thing is VAT, which is included in all the UK prices, 17.5%. There’s no tax included in the US prices because tax is different per state. There’s a bunch of little reasons that add up to make the price difference.”

Ρε δεν πάω να γραφτώ στο Νάκα καλύτερα;;

 

[DIMITRIS K.]

Καλά...μποϋκοτάρουμε το συγκεκριμένο παιχνίδι, αλλά ΟΛΟΙ, να δείς μετά πως θα πέσει η τιμή του. Μην μας περνάν και για ηλίθιους...

 

[NassosT]

Και το σχετικό petition.

http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?RockBand