BlizzCon 2009

Game Music, Reviews

Another Blizzard Soundtrack You’ll Never Own: World of Warcraft Mosaic Soundtrack (Review)

September 4, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 2 Comments Share this

BlizzCon just wouldn’t be complete without some super-rare CD release to leave all of you who couldn’t attend jealous, right? This year it was the World of Warcraft: Mosaic Soundtrack which we briefly discussed in our interview with Russell Brower at BlizzCon. As he stated, the album contains tracks from the various free updates that occurred between expansions, and were selected by the team as well as by the fans through polls on the Blizzard forums.

So, is it any good? It’s actually quite good (unsurprisingly), with some great production values that put it up there with the Collector’s Edition releases that we’ve seen in the past. Similar to those releases, the tracks here all flow into one another, creating a flowing musical journey that takes you through mostly tense territory. I admit I don’t play the game, but titles like “Black Temple” and “Fury of the Sunwell” definitely jump out at me as I know they were sizable updates.

Hit the jump for our review of the BlizzCon 2009 exclusive World of Warcraft: Mosaic Soundtrack. (more…)
Game Music

BlizzCon 2009: Closing Ceremonies Impressions of Ozzy Osbourne and TAFKAL80ETC

August 24, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 1 Comment Share this

You’re likely asking what the hell a TAFKAL80ETC is. That’s okay, you’re just going to have to read our impressions to find out. But yeah, there were two acts this year, and while I missed the comedy act and VGL performances that they’ve had in recent years, I agree with what Director of Audio and Video Russell Brower’s assessment that doing the same show three years in a row would be lame (my words, not his).

Anyway, Ozzy Osbourne. I suppose that should more than make up for the lack of anything else that they’ve had in previous years. It was a pretty standard set of songs, but it was awesome. It was also kind of hot, loud, and stinky. Oh, and wet.

Hit the jump for our write-up and answers to all the burning questions I’ve likely sparked in your head! (more…)
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

BlizzCon 2009: StarCraft II is Sounding Pretty Good!

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

I can’t believe it’s already been a year since BlizzCon 2008. The Blizzard sound team has certainly accomplished a lot, however, including live rock recording sessions and orchestral sessions at the Skywalker Ranch for the 2010 release of StarCraft II.

We had the opportunity to check out a bit of the single-player campaign and hear one theme from each race in the skirmish mode, and I’m quite impressed with what they’ve done. With Glenn Stafford and a host of live players handling the Terran, Derek Duke on the Zerg, and Russell Brower on the Protoss, I think you should rest assured that they’re on to something here.

Read our impressions of the game and the various themes from the BlizzCon 2009 build after the jump. (more…)