Rock Band 2 drums up Euro release date

European gamers may be forgiven for thinking that multi-instrument music games are taking on some bus-like characteristics; having waited years for one, several are now coming along at once.

Rock Band was released in the region for the Xbox 360 in May, several months after its US release (nearly a year later in the case of the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3 and Wii versions, which belatedly became available in September). Guitar Hero: World Tour launches on November 7, and after some confusion yesterday, it has now been confirmed that the Xbox 360 version of Rock Band 2 will be shipping in Europe a week later on November 14. The game will be available in the UK from November 21.

The Xbox 360 will have an "exclusive launch window" for Harmonix' latest offering, but the length of this period has not been specified. The software will launch with a recommended retail price tag of £49.99 in the UK, and €69.99 for continental Europe. According to a statement from MTV Games, Harmonix, and EA, the "stand-alone hardware" will make its way to shops in early December. No pricing for the Rock Band 2-specific hardware was announced, but is likely to be more than the original Rock Band hardware bundle, which still has an RRP of £130 in the UK.

Rock Band 2 adds features, such as a no-fail mode, a drum trainer, and a fill trainer, as well as over 80 tracks. The game is also compatible with most songs from the Rock Band soundtrack. For more information on Rock Band 2, and to listen to many of the featured songs, see GameSpot's launch centre.