Rock Band release date confirmed for Europe, also confirmed to be pricey
| Date Posted | Author |
|---|---|
| 8th April 2008 | Matt Bailey |
EA, Harmonix and MTV have finally allowed Europe to sample of their Rock Band, with a release date for this territory finally announced for the companies' highly-anticipated game. Curiously the game will start off an Xbox 360-exclusive over here, with only that version getting a date of May 23rd, with the PS2, PS3, and Wii versions not likely to hit until at least the summer. It will also, however, come with a rather hefty price tag, with the full instrument set (guitar, drums, microphone) carrying an RRP of £129, and that's without the £50 game. Guitars are £60 seperately, and the drum kit is £70. A basic guitar and game set will be £110 as a result, making it considerably more expensive than rival Guitar Hero III which carries an RRP of £70 for the same package. If you want the full experience - that's the "full instrument set", game, and an extra guitar for bass, it's going to cost you £240, though at £60 per person that's not so bad. The pricing does compare extremely unfairly with the US prices, which sees the £129 pack available for under £85; a difference that even VAT can't account for.
However, for the extra time you've waited, and the extra money you'll spend, you do get seven European-exclusive tracks to enjoy:
• Blur “Beetlebum” (English)
• Oasis “Rock ‘n’ Roll Star” (English)
• Tokio Hotel “Monsoon” (English)
• Muse “Hysteria” (English)
• Les Wampas “Manu Chao” (French)
• Playmo “New Wave” (French)
• Die Toten Hosen “Hier Kommt Alex” (German)
• Juli “Perfekte Welle” (German)
• H-Block X “Countdown to Insanity” (German)
On top of thise, all 70+ songs that are currently available for purchase and download in the US will be made available in Europe from the Tuesday after launch (May 27th), with each track available for the same 160 Microsoft Points price. Also, in future, EA is aiming to release tracks simultaneously across both regions, though expect a few licensing issues to get in the way now and then.
