OK are there any other Europeans out there getting severely hacked off with game developers i mean this applies to other country's e.g Australia as well but I'm getting hacked off with getting a second class service from people like Sony and Microsoft for instance fable (British game developed in England) come out 2 days earlier in America and as for Xbox live we don't get half the content the US does WTF.

Well venting felt nice...

It's all about regional marketing, although it's not like it's overly hard to secure an import copy of a game you're really dying to play.

And you really can't wait two days for a game? I can understand being irate over a month or even a few weeks difference, but it's only two days...

Actually we are third class, as I see it Japan is most often the main market, then it's the US as the secondary market and then it's Europe, and after that it's everyone else.

As a lesser market europeans are treated shoddily, we don't even get a third of all the exciting merchandise and a lot of games are released late or never here.

I'm still not over that whole "Rock Band is twice as expensive in the UK as in the US" ordeal. And I don't mind waiting two days, but waiting months and occasionally for the universe to implode before we get to play some games is ridiculous!

Volucer:
I'm still not over that whole "Rock Band is twice as expensive in the UK as in the US" ordeal. And I don't mind waiting two days, but waiting months and occasionally for the universe to implode before we get to play some games is ridiculous!

the euro and the british pound are worth more.

Volucer:
I'm still not over that whole "Rock Band is twice as expensive in the UK as in the US" ordeal.

And you can't order a copy from a US website because it won't run a PAL system. Sheesh.

Maet:
It's all about regional marketing, although it's not like it's overly hard to secure an import copy of a game you're really dying to play.

And you really can't wait two days for a game? I can understand being irate over a month or even a few weeks difference, but it's only two days...

I wouldn't be except its constant and sometimes its so much worse *rock band* cough cough

Yep. I'm sick of it too...

I'm actually sick of posting and ranting about it.

We get games last, even games produced in europe. We miss out on stuff such as events and tours and conventions, and even game things like downloadable movies on PSN (for the moment anyway.)

We get literally no extras. Such as americans who pre-ordered Test Drive Unlimited was treated with 3 downloadable cars, a keyring and some other stuff... Europe got ONE car... thats it.

Urgh! And don't even get me started on prices and stuff, like the guy who said about Rock Band. Americans moan about paying $60 for a game. WE PAY FIFTY POUNDS!! Which is $100!!

Kahuna-Kurt:

Volucer:
I'm still not over that whole "Rock Band is twice as expensive in the UK as in the US" ordeal. And I don't mind waiting two days, but waiting months and occasionally for the universe to implode before we get to play some games is ridiculous!

the euro and the british pound are worth more.

What's your point?
When you convert the currencies, it turns we pay a fair bit more for games.

And to the guy above, I saw it cost £80 in GAME when it came out. Probably about $150.

To Europeans whining about game prices: Australians pay $120 for new releases. And we aren't even getting Rock Band!

Free speech country is a free speech country.

Leonax:
To Europeans whining about game prices: Australians pay $120 for new releases.

We pay 113,40 Australian Dollar (65 Euro's). Not that big of a difference.

It's as follows.

Japan
U.S
Canada
Europe
Pluto
The forgotten places under the earth where the ancient ones dwell
Australia

yup, it's so bad here in AU the Dream cast did not even make it in the market!
part due to the HUNG delay in release date and part in due to the fact that they handed 200k to one company that ran one set of TV add's and pocketed the rest of the cash.

We once where the smart country, and well the fact that we are in the same DVD region as halve of Africa gives you an idea of where we place in the global IT market.
Enjoy
PS: Save Au from the Great Firewall of China:
www.nocleanfeed.com

Haha, Decoy's comment was funny.

Anyway, a lot of the delays have too do with legal checks and media complaints. In the US we have freedom of speech which means no game can be banned here unless it is proven too directly cause harm too someone or some people, since it's viewed as an art form.

ThePlasmatizer:
Actually we are third class, as I see it Japan is most often the main market, then it's the US as the secondary market and then it's Europe, and after that it's everyone else.

Actually it's the other way around. Japan is now the secondary market and the US is the main market now. A majority of video game titles (by which I mean games that aren't made in Japan), never see a place in Japan. The Japanese aren't fans of Western games and as such, Western developers almost never focus on selling their games in Japan. The Western developers focus on America first, Europe second, and Japan last.

Now, if we consider games made in Japan, then Japan is generally the main market for those games. However, many Japanese game companies have put more and more focus on the West. Capcom now releases games that are created to specifically please Western audiences over Japanese audiences (see Dead Rising and Lost Planet). Square-Enix knows that the income they get from the West now represents a sizable chunk of their profits and are working more and more on appealing to the West. The Last Remnant is one example of this.

Now that's not to say that the Japanese companies aren't still primarily focused on the Japanese market, because they are, but more and more Japanese companies see great profits abroad and have started to put more focus on the West.

This is why America is #1, Japan is #2, and Europe is still #3.

I thought it was a nice gesture by Maxis to release Spore 3 days earlier in Australia than America.

Yeah, here in the US we are a very greedy impatient people so our markets try too make it as easy as possible to buy or order something.

However, trying too get a rebate or refund is a real pain.

This was a reply to Indigo Dingo by the way.

Halo 3 Cost as provided by in country retailers.
American Retailer: 59.99 USD
UK Retailer: 49.99 Pound Sterling (88.35 USD)
purchase off of online retailer- 39.99 Pound sterling (70.67 USD)
AUS Retailer: 99.95 AUD (82.01 USD)

So, other countries Do pay more than the United States when it comes to games.

now, the cost diffrence does make sense to an extent as games are natively encoded with NTSC compatability and must be converted to be read on PAL sets. however, this doesn't make up for the some 20-30 USD diffrence between the US cost and the EU/AUS costs.

Piemaster:
I thought it was a nice gesture by Maxis to release Spore 3 days earlier in Australia than America.

Sep 4th in AUS, sep 5th in EU, then sep 7th in US? that is just a tad bit backwords

definatly a ballsy move on EA's part...

maybe because the US consumer base has been increasingly annoyed by the fact that EA game releases are incredably rough and buggy needing to be patched days after its release... in which AUS and EU are effectively being Open beta testers... i wouldn't put such a tactic past EA.

Quit your bitching, Australia is way worse than Europe in terms of games, in Australia games are usually way more expensive and come out months later in my country of America

Daiquere:
Anyway, a lot of the delays have too do with legal checks and media complaints. In the US we have freedom of speech which means no game can be banned here unless it is proven too directly cause harm too someone or some people, since it's viewed as an art form.

With all due respect to yourself and your country, the idea that anyone in any place in any country has freedom of speech is the most bullshit ideal I have ever heard. And no I don't care what the constitution says, it seems to be amended every week anyway.

While I dislike how us her ein Europe have to pay more than Americans for our games (don't get me wrong I really do pity australia) with the world being as it is at the moment when it comes to buying and downloading, most sites/outfits work in dollars anyway so as a PC gamer I am not effected as much.

As for prices, new games in the states are what $70? If so thats already $30 less than we pay in europe, and I ahve a feeling you pay less. The fact the Pound and Euro are stronger than the Dollar means we should be paying on equal, just with smaller numbers rather than whatever justifies these companies actions with pricing.

Like I said I pity Austrailia.

Theo Samaritan:
With all due respect to yourself and your country, the idea that anyone in any place in any country has freedom of speech is the most bullshit ideal I have ever heard. And no I don't care what the constitution says, it seems to be amended every week anyway.

With all due respect to yourself and your country, you sound really butthurt and jealous. Unlike in many parts of Europe and Australia, we don't ban games because we see them as freedom of speech, which is why they cannot be banned from sale. If there is one good thing about the USA government, it's that our courts generally keep shit from getting out of hand.

Also, the last time our constitution was amended was in 1992 and the time prior to that, in 1971. Kind of puts a kink in your whole "amended every week" argument, doesn't it?

It's not all bad - Spore has been out in Aus since Wed 3rd Sept, earlier than the USA. The Witcher also came out a few days earlier. Just 2 examples, I'm sure there's more.

In the end, you'll get over having to wait an extra 48 hours for your LUXURY gaming habit that has no actual impact on solving the problems of the world.

Joeshie:

Theo Samaritan:
With all due respect to yourself and your country, the idea that anyone in any place in any country has freedom of speech is the most bullshit ideal I have ever heard. And no I don't care what the constitution says, it seems to be amended every week anyway.

With all due respect to yourself and your country, you sound really butthurt and jealous. Unlike in many parts of Europe and Australia, we don't ban games because we see them as freedom of speech, which is why they cannot be banned from sale. If there is one good thing about the USA government, it's that our courts generally keep shit from getting out of hand.

Also, the last time our constitution was amended was in 1992 and the time prior to that, in 1971. Kind of puts a kink in your whole "amended every week" argument, doesn't it?

Generally is a key word. They were seriously trying to ban rock music back in the day. They got quite close to succeeding. I sometimes like to think we're a little more enlightened nowadays, but then the little nagging voice in my head beats me with a hammer and says humanity is doomed. There are still a few politicians who don't think videogames count as freedom of speech. And a few politicians can do a lot.

Whatev. Give it a few more years, and I think video games will be cemented in common culture. Then the politicians will go back to doing useful things. Like asking large grants of money used to build useless projects and taking bribes.

I hate governments of any kind.

Joeshie:

Theo Samaritan:
With all due respect to yourself and your country, the idea that anyone in any place in any country has freedom of speech is the most bullshit ideal I have ever heard. And no I don't care what the constitution says, it seems to be amended every week anyway.

With all due respect to yourself and your country, you sound really butthurt and jealous. Unlike in many parts of Europe and Australia, we don't ban games because we see them as freedom of speech, which is why they cannot be banned from sale. If there is one good thing about the USA government, it's that our courts generally keep shit from getting out of hand.

Also, the last time our constitution was amended was in 1992 and the time prior to that, in 1971. Kind of puts a kink in your whole "amended every week" argument, doesn't it?

Well there is the Scopes Trail http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scopes_Trial .

Well Britain pays more than America for everything from cars, to PCs, to songs, to DVD's to internet access, it is a universal fact that we have to pay more than America for the same services yet we have a slightly lower average income and even lower amount of disposable income.

I have heard many excuses but the big reasons could be that America is a much larger single market and most of the things you are buying are either designed or built in America or compared to another American products to set the price. But for a more substantial answer I asked my Austrian friend who was doing a PHD in business economics and banking and he said it did not make any sense to him how the British economy can function with such a high cost of living (that's essentials and "luxury" items like games/consoles) yet people are not earning enough to justify these high prices.

He says it's not so bad within the Euro but he doesn't know about gaming on mainland Europe. Ultimately, he avoids buying anything in Britain and goes home at every opportunity to buy high value goods.

silentsentinel:

Joeshie:

Theo Samaritan:
With all due respect to yourself and your country, the idea that anyone in any place in any country has freedom of speech is the most bullshit ideal I have ever heard. And no I don't care what the constitution says, it seems to be amended every week anyway.

With all due respect to yourself and your country, you sound really butthurt and jealous. Unlike in many parts of Europe and Australia, we don't ban games because we see them as freedom of speech, which is why they cannot be banned from sale. If there is one good thing about the USA government, it's that our courts generally keep shit from getting out of hand.

Also, the last time our constitution was amended was in 1992 and the time prior to that, in 1971. Kind of puts a kink in your whole "amended every week" argument, doesn't it?

Generally is a key word. They were seriously trying to ban rock music back in the day. They got quite close to succeeding. I sometimes like to think we're a little more enlightened nowadays, but then the little nagging voice in my head beats me with a hammer and says humanity is doomed. There are still a few politicians who don't think videogames count as freedom of speech. And a few politicians can do a lot.

Whatev. Give it a few more years, and I think video games will be cemented in common culture. Then the politicians will go back to doing useful things. Like asking large grants of money used to build useless projects and taking bribes.

I hate governments of any kind.

There is a reason why they couldn't ban it, it's called the bill of rights, something the UK is severely lacking. I get so disheartened when I hear Europeans criticise America for not being free enough as their own governments pass 42 day detentions, allow government censorship of the media and are happy to hand over details to the authorities only for them to abuse them and lose them (into the hands of criminals) as well as restrict and control every tiny aspect of their lives. The idea that "we don't need a constitution, our society is good enough to prevent injustice" well that just doesn't wash with me, not at all.

Theo Samaritan:

With all due respect to yourself and your country, the idea that anyone in any place in any country has freedom of speech is the most bullshit ideal I have ever heard. And no I don't care what the constitution says, it seems to be amended every week anyway.

the devil is in the detail, you can say what you like as long as what you are saying does not directly initiate a crime like a mob boss ordering a hit, just used his speech but he is not free to bring about someone unlawful death, that is covered under murder. Same goes for threats and other crimes that can be committed verbally. But absolute freedom of expression and exchanging of information is a vital right that must be enshrined and protected rather than cast aside for pedantic practical reasons. It is important for the good of society, and important for the individual to not feel the heavy hand of government on their shoulder every time they open their mouth.

Piemaster:
I thought it was a nice gesture by Maxis to release Spore 3 days earlier in Australia than America.

The price difference on the other hand, was not so nice at all. $49.95 @EA Us
$74.95 @ cheap games australia

It's not that bad, usually it's only a couple of days wait. And it works both ways. This month we got Spore 2 days earlier, and Mirror's Edge isn't being released for a good couple of months in America.

Getting Fable 2 later is a kick in the nuts, but it's not the end of the world. It's not about to change either, it's not really worth complaining about.

Decoy Doctorpus:
It's as follows.

Japan
U.S
Canada
Europe
Pluto
The forgotten places under the earth where the ancient ones dwell
Australia

Everything this guy says is genius.

Also dont forget that Rock Band has been out in the US for NEARLY A YEAR and we are yet to see it over our golden, sunny, babe covered, shores.

Im pretty sure that RB2 comes out in the US before we get RB1...

Sorry for the major whinge-fest there. :-\

Just to play devil's advocate for a second, Ubisoft have recently made a statement that Europe was more important than the US.

Look, a link and everything!

A lot of Australia's bias against video games is directly due to the fact our governemt has people over the age of 50 (pre-video game era) deciding what we can play. Until aussie gamers unite as one and demand a better ratings system, we're always going to be behind the times and suffering from stupidly edited gameplay.