Diablo III

Game Music, Reviews

To Hell and Back: Diablo 15 Year Anniversary (Review)

December 5, 2011 | Jayson Napolitano | 1 Comment Share this

Blizzard Entertainment has some of the biggest franchises in the business under its belt, but none has spoken to me more over the years than the Diablo series. It’s always been one of my favorite game franchises, and the scores Matt Uelmen crafted for the first two games in the series are among my favorite soundtracks of all time.

While Uelmen left Blizzard Entertainment in 2007, we were able to glean some details about how the Diablo III soundtrack and this special BlizzCon 2011 exclusive album have drawn from the musical legacy of the series, and we were impressed with what we heard in the Diablo III Beta that was released earlier this year which showed us that the team is on the right track with sticking to the franchise’s musical roots.

Is this album a worthy celebration of the 15th anniversary of the Diablo series? Find out in our review. (more…)
Featured, Game Music

BlizzCon 2011: Our Annual Interview With Russell Brower

October 25, 2011 | Jayson Napolitano | 2 Comments Share this

BlizzCon 2011 took place this past weekend, and while the biggest announcement coming out of the two-day event was the World of Warcraft expansion titled Mists of Pandaria, Diablo III and StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm were also on hand for attendees. There was the annual audio panel where the audio team shared their experience and a couple performances related to Diablo III, and of course we were able to sit down with audio director Russell Brower to discuss some of their upcoming projects.

Hit the jump for updates on all three of Blizzard Entertainment’s upcoming titles. (more…)
Game Music

Diablo III Beta Audio Impressions

September 29, 2011 | Jayson Napolitano | 1 Comment Share this Diablo III Beta Audio Impressions

We’ve been covering the little snippets of music we’ve been hearing from Diablo III at past BlizzCon events since all the way back in 2008. We enjoyed what we were hearing, but it was somewhat of a tease to only hear one or two new pieces per demo build. Only now, however, are people really getting their hands on a meaty portion of the game with the recently-released beta, which explores Act I of the Diablo III.

There are a handful of new tracks featured, and I have to say that I like what I’ve been hearing. With Joseph Lawrence handling the majority of interiors with support from the rest of the audio team at Blizzard Entertainment, the Diablo III soundtrack is shaping up to be exactly what fans have been waiting for.

Hit the jump for our full impressions. (more…)
Game Music

BlizzCon 2010: All Aboard for New Music From Diablo III

October 26, 2010 | Jayson Napolitano | 1 Comment Share this

The biggest news regarding Diablo III at BlizzCon 2010 was the new Demon Hunter class reveal. Not huge news, I know, but we did get some hands-on with the class (It was a blast!), and heard a new piece of music in the lengthy demo. What we heard was an emotional cue with swelling strings and plucked guitar in the background. This is apparently the work of Joseph Lawrence, who has been handling many of the game’s interiors, creating what Audio Director Russell Brower has been calling “amazing ambient experiences” for the dungeons, and also writing some music.

I noted that there was some silence in the game when talking to Brower, to which he commented, “I still firmly believe that silence is one of our best tools. It’s all a game of contrasts. Music is an art and a craft of contrasts. Light versus dark. Heavy versus light. And sound versus silence.” Well said, and the silence does work quite well in the game.

So, who’s all working on the game? Brower himself had teamed up with Laurence Juber to create the powerful Diablo III “Overture” reveal piece, but since that time, Juber has been inspired, creating several cues for the game itself. Joseph Lawrence has been handling the lion’s share of in-game music as far as we can tell, while Glenn Stafford scored the Demon Hunter trailer shown above and Derek Duke handled the PVP Arena trailer that was also released at BlizzCon 2010.

I’m definitely looking forward to hearing more. How about you?
Game Music

BlizzCon 2009: Audio Director Russell Brower Digs Deep With StarCraft II Details and Career History

August 24, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | Comments Off on BlizzCon 2009: Audio Director Russell Brower Digs Deep With StarCraft II Details and Career History Share this

A trip to BlizzCon wouldn’t be complete without a chat with Russell Brower, the Director of Audio at Blizzard Entertainment. We checked in with him to get an update on the progress of all the titles that are currently being developed at Blizzard, and he has some interesting information regarding the score for StarCraft II in particular.

Later in the interview, we touch on his background, digging into his history at Disney and how his work there was helpful in working on World of Warcraft. We also find out what his favorite Disney ride is as well as his favorite track that he’s created for Blizzard Entertainment over the years.

It’s definitely an interesting discussion with lots of juicy details, so join us for our interview after the jump. (more…)
Game Music

BlizzCon 2009: Diablo III’s Monk Class Comes With Two New Songs

August 24, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 2 Comments Share this

I’m sure if you’re following Diablo III’s development, you already know that they announced the monk class at BlizzCon. Well, with this announcement came a new build of the game with some new areas, and of course, some new music. I got some play time with the monk, and enjoyed his combo-driven attacks and awesome special moves. It almost felt as though I was playing a fighting game despite only clicking on creatures once to unleash a series of devastating attacks.

The main area this year was a blistering desert, which was accompanied by a cool, glassy ambient sound. Glass-like pads and plucked ethnic stringed instruments were in the foreground with some very distant tribal percussion, which lent the piece a very desolate sound. When I ventured into an underground cave, however, I was warned that it was ready to collapse, and that I needed to collect as much treasure as I could and get out before time ran out. The music reflected this sense of urgency with its tense string stabs and occasional Tristram guitar chords (all live!). This was a pretty sweet track.

Overall, I’m impressed with what the Blizzard sound team is doing with Diablo III. I will miss Matt Uelmen’s contributions, but I’m confident that the team is being careful retain the series’ signature sound.

Are you excited about the announcement of the monk class for Diablo III? Any thoughts regarding the music that we’ve been hearing from the game so far?
Game Music, Reviews

Easily the Best of East and West With Echoes of War: The Music of Blizzard Entertainment (Review)

December 4, 2008 | Patrick Gann | 6 Comments Share this

Well ladies and gentlemen, it’s here. Performed by the Eminence Symphony Orchestra (and other musicians) from Australia, the fully arranged album for Blizzard’s top-selling franchises finally comes to eager fans. And I am one of those eager fans.

Whether you choose to go with the bare-bones standard edition or the “all the bells and whistles attached” legendary edition, you are in for quite a treat. We’ve told you about Echoes of War before, and brought you director Hiroaki Yura’s comments, but now it’s time for a full, comprehensive review.

After the jump, you can read about the guest arrangers, the song selections, the frills that come with the legendary edition, and the excellence of the performances found on this two disc set. (more…)