Diablo III

Game Music

The Best of Blizzard: Echoes of War Arrange Album Tracklist and Interview

October 27, 2008 | Jayson Napolitano | 12 Comments Share this

It’s a big day in the world of game music. The Eminence Symphony Orchestra has just announced that it has recorded an entire album of arranged music from the classic Blizzard catalogue. The album, titled Echoes of War: The Music of Blizzard Entertainment, will feature music from Warcraft III, World of Warcraft (including music from the upcoming Wrath of the Lich King), StarCraft, StarCraft II, Diablo II, Diablo III, and even StarCraft: Ghost.

We’ve been fortunate to get an interview with Eminence director Hiroaki Yura, who we spoke with a few months back, regarding the project. We learn about the exclusive arrangements that will be featured on the album, including an appearance by Kow Otani, as well as Eminence’s close collaboration with the original composers of the music and the possibility of a second Echoes of War album in the future. Pre-orders are available now, so I recommend heading over to the official Echoes of War website to get your hands on this… after you read our interview, that is.

Hit the jump for the complete track list and for the down low on what’s looking to be one of the biggest game music albums of the year. (more…)
Game Music

BlizzCon 08: Interview with Audio/Video Director Russell Brower

October 21, 2008 | Jayson Napolitano | 2 Comments Share this

Yeah, I know, BlizzCon ended over a week ago, but we’re still not done! We were able to get some time with Russell Brower, the audio and video director at Blizzard Entertainment whose name you may recognize from the “Diablo III Overture” that was released for free last month.

Well, we talk about that particular piece along with a number of other topics. We get confirmation that Wrath of the Lich King will feature over 7 hours of new music, and we also get an idea of who will be handling the music for the individual races in StarCraft II. Finally we discuss how the “Diablo III Overture” will appear in the completed game.

Which of Blizzard’s upcoming titles are you most looking forward to? Would you buy a 20-volume soundtrack for World of Warcraft?

Read our BlizzCon interview after the jump! (more…)
Game Music

BlizzCon 08: Closing Ceremonies Feature Comedy, Rock ‘n’ Roll, and Video Games Live

October 12, 2008 | Jayson Napolitano | Comments Off on BlizzCon 08: Closing Ceremonies Feature Comedy, Rock ‘n’ Roll, and Video Games Live Share this

Well, it began two days ago, and it’s already over. Gamers attending this year’s BlizzCon were not only treated to StarCraft II, Wrath of the Lich King, and Diablo III this year, but a slew of developer panels, in-game events, and merchandise made BlizzCon a complete experience. There was even a retro arcade featuring two of my Blizzard titles, Lost Vikings and Rock ‘n’ Roll Racing.

The closing ceremonies began last night with two comedians, followed by Level 80 Elite Tauren Chieftain who perfromed a combination of old and new tracks, and finally a special Blizzard edition of Video Games Live with three new segments. Needless to say, there was a lot for music enthusiasts to enjoy at the show.

Hit the jump for a complete account of the closing ceremonies. (more…)
Game Music

BlizzCon 08: New Diablo III Tunes, New Co-Composer Announced

October 12, 2008 | Jayson Napolitano | 6 Comments Share this

I am really excited about Diablo III. I’ve been looking forward to the game for years, and now that it’s officially on the way, I’ve been dying to get my hands on it. Although many guessed that Diablo III would be playable at BlizzCon, I was pretty skeptical given that the game had previously only been shown by Blizzard staff.

Well, I was wrong, and the game was playable on the show floor at BlizzCon this weekend. Four playable classes, including the newly announced wizard were playable, and gamers had the choice of engaging in a single or multiplayer campaign through Tristram and three layers of the catacombs in the approximately 30-minute long demo. It was a great chance to hear some of the music in the game, which is sounding quite good.

Read about the three tracks featured in the demo after the jump. (more…)
Game Music

Diablo III: Free Music From Russell Brower and the Eminence Symphony Orchestra

September 2, 2008 | Jayson Napolitano | 8 Comments Share this

You heard me right. Blizzard has posted the “Diablo III Overture” we mentioned a couple months back at the Worldwide Invitational on iTunes for free. This is quite an unexpected surprise for fans, and is an awesome promotional move if I may say so myself.

Also note the credits here. Our good friends at the Eminence Symphony Orchestra appear to be involved with the recording, although it’s unannounced as to whether they’ll be involved with other tracks from the game. Doesn’t Russell Brower and the Eminence Symphony Orchestra sound like a pretty nifty band name?

So go and get it. It’s got the acclaimed Tristram theme included, although the epic orchestral approach may or may not be your thing. Do I smell a “more ambient music” petition brewing? Do you think it’s good to see a game company finally using music to promote their game?

[via Kotaku]
Game Music

Diablo 3 Main Theme Performed at Video Games Live

June 29, 2008 | Jayson Napolitano | 3 Comments Share this

It appears as though the predictions I made yesterday regarding the Diablo 3 soundtrack were correct. At the Blizzard 2008 WWI in Paris, Video Games Live had the pleasure of presenting the world premiere of the “Main Theme” from Diablo 3. The track is indeed the orchestral piece I assumed to be the main theme yesterday featuring hints of the popular Tristram theme from previous Diablo titles. I was also right about Russell Brower being responsible for the composition.

Check out a video of the performance after the jump. Are you impressed? (more…)
Game Music

Diablo 3: Tristram Anyone?

June 28, 2008 | Jayson Napolitano | 4 Comments Share this Diablo 3: Tristram Anyone?

Unless you’ve been living in cave for the past 12 hours, you likely know that Blizzard has announced Diablo 3 at the 2008 Worldwide Invitational in Paris. This has been one of my most anticipated titles for the last five or so years, so I am quite ecstatic about the announcement. I was curious as to how the audio direction would unfold with the absence of series veteran Matt Uelmen, but from the sounds of things, Diablo 3 is in capable hands.

View gameplay footage along with our initial impressions of the audio after the jump. (more…)