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Rock Band - Australia - Fuck you EA
mooshoepork
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Seriously, what the fuck?
I cannot believe this. I'm absolutely astounded at the big "Fuck you" to Australia. Sure, we've put up with this shit for ages, but this is beyond ridiculous.
How can they have the nerve to sell a game that is nearly a year old, for over double the price US consumers pay? A month before Rock Band 2 comes out.
So, fellow Australians, will you be buying Rock band? What do you think of this?
I don't think we have ever been fucked over so bad, this has topped my list.
Kotaku
Europe's Rock Band pricing didn't go down too well, but at least they've got Rock Band pricing. Australia have so far been left out altogether, with only a "later this year" release timeframe hinted at. Well, according to a number of sources across the local retail sector, that timeframe is going to be October. You know, a month after Rock Band 2 is released in the US. But wait! That's bad, but things get worse. Employees at a couple of the nation's largest specialist games retailers have tipped us off as to what the game's going to cost would-be Aussie rock fiends, and the news is not good.
Firstly, as in Europe, there'll be no all-in-one bundle. You'll have to buy the game separately, and the game is going to retail for AUD$120 (USD$115). For instruments, you've got two options. All will be available individually (guitars are priced at AUD$110/USD$105, with drums at AUD$160 and mics TBA) , but you'll also have the option of buying a "hardware kit" that includes one guitar, drums and one mic. That'll cost you AUD$290 (USD$277). So to buy the game and the hardware bundle (ie what you get in the $169 American bundle), you'll be paying AUD$400. That's USD$380.
Thanks, but no.
I cannot believe this. I'm absolutely astounded at the big "Fuck you" to Australia. Sure, we've put up with this shit for ages, but this is beyond ridiculous.
How can they have the nerve to sell a game that is nearly a year old, for over double the price US consumers pay? A month before Rock Band 2 comes out.
So, fellow Australians, will you be buying Rock band? What do you think of this?
I don't think we have ever been fucked over so bad, this has topped my list.
mooshoepork on
0
Posts
The european region, actually. So yeah. Fuck EA.
Selling the box full of instruments without the game inside?
What the fuck were they thinking? "Hey, I'm not sure if Guitar Hero 4: Totally Not Rock Band is going to fuck our shit up or not, let's make sure it does"?
We are PAL. America is NTSC.
To get the game shipped here costs a ridiculous amount. Usually more than 100 dollars. It still is cheaper than it is here, but the whole situation is still frustrating.
What really annoys me is the other consumers such as parents and those who aren't as net savvy who are being taken advantage of.
FUCK. YOU. EA. AND. MTV. AND. PROBABLY. HARMONIX.
I'll just have to import Rock Band 2 now. Why do you make it so hard for me to give you money?
on a more serious note,
EA... we are ahead of america in *time* we are, in fact, not three months behind in april.
PS3 is region-free I'm pretty sure.
But yeah, importing is alot of fucking hassle. But it seems like the best thing to do now.
Aargh.
Yeah, but you forget every videogame publisher's motto: "Fuck Australia."
You know, maybe they're purposely releasing it after Rock Band 2 just as a giant slap in the face?
Uh... they do realise that Guitar Hero 3 with a guitar for 360 is $170 right? Guess they decided they didn't want to sell any copies of rock band here huh?
It's okay guys, it's right there in their mission statement. It's all good.
This is glorious.
To contribute... well, I'm not really big on Rock Band and the fact that they're willing to completely fuck Australia over when our currency is close to parity with the USD is just pure money grubbing at this point.
I would honestly love to hear the justification of the guy/guys/girls who made the decision that Australia wouldn't get it until just before Rock Band 2 is released, and also that Australia would pay more than double what the US does when you do the currency conversion.
How can an ass sodomize something?
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/30-Turok
I have little interest in Rock Band Personally. But serriously. Is there marketing department run by a Chimpanzee?
nope. they're donating the rest to charity.
clearly.
Are you going to argue that having more than double the effective price is somehow explained by extra shipping costs? That Australia has a massively ridiculous standard of living? That local distributors are the ones sitting on money thrones wearing money hats?
Europe got the bundles so I don't see why Australia won't.
obviously. rudd and his cronies are taking the musical video game riches to finance their regime of moderate taxes and reasonable immigration policies
that somehow shipping the box full of instruments without a game disc inside costs so much less that it becomes economically necessary?
That's the real problem here. If they put the damn game in the box full of instruments this would still be kidna bad but it wouldn't be so terrible.
Well, The full price for the european version is €240/£180 which is around $375 USD so I can see the game having that price.
At least they are fucking us all equally.
Bundles don't help anyone who already own an Xbox. And the price does line up with what we paid here in Europe. Given that Australia as a rule is horribly over priced when it comes to video games, I'd say that's a pretty good estimate at the final price. The only thing that surprises me is the whole "released one month after Rock Band 2 comes out in the US" thing. That is truly just taking the piss. You'd think they would just skip forward and release Rock Band 2 straight away.
I dunno, maybe its just me but after all of these horrible occurenses, I would maybe guess that getting video games from the states outside of the country probably involves some horrible exporting bullshit.
Also, The game by itself makes perfect sense to me. Why force people to buy instruments they might not use? Better let them buy the standalone and the instruments they know they'll play.
Of course, its not my country so maybe theres thing I'm not aware of here...
Pokemon Safari - Sneasel, Pawniard, ????
It's really not. When I fly to America next month I am going to be buying Rock Band instruments and sending them to the UK via UPS. Because it's cheaper than buying them over here.
Really, it's the publisher saying 'okay, they already pay this much for games, and the peripherals are required, so how much can we get away with charging for these on top of it?'
@gamefacts - Totally and utterly true gaming facts on the regular!
American PAers that own Rock Band should start leasing their garages out to Aussies who want to play Rock Band. Said aussies can fly in and play -- the ticket is probably only a bit more expensive than RB + instruments, and they'd actually get to play RB2.
They can do that. But if they play GG&HT on drums and score 481516 with a 2342 note streak, I would advise them to NOT get on the plane back to Sydney.
I have 549 Rock Band Drum and 305 Pro Drum FC's
REFS REFS REFS REFS REFS REFS REFS REFS
the game by itself makes perfect sense.
The box with every instrument, by itself, does not.
Here, the game was sold by itself, or in a pack with guitar, drums, and microphone.
You guys, on the other hand, have the game by itself and then also need to buy the pack with guitar, drums, and microphone.
Imagine if Guitar Hero never came with the guitar; it always had to be bought separately. Think of how well that would go over. Now extend it for the other instruments.
So this would make perfect sense... if it was RB2.
Pokemon Safari - Sneasel, Pawniard, ????
People somehow expect it to be different because they speak English there, I guess.
Our own country hates the gamers and it looks like the word is spreading and catching on...
Even though it isn't exactly confirmed by EA, we all know it's going to happen.
At least we're getting it.
Right, explain Europe then.
VAT? Lots of medium-sized markets? Everything is expensive in Europe?
I'm hardly an economist but the fact that you have to go to market in five different languages probably doesn't help either.