Source: videogamesblogger.com

The Music of Blizzard: Echoes of War will be released on November 22nd and is a 2-disc album and DVD package that contains orchestral arrangements of a slew of Blizzard songs and themes from nearly one of their biggest hits.

Included on the set is music from Warcraft, World of Warcraft (including the World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King expansion), Diablo, Diablo II, Diablo III, Starcraft, Starcraft II and even the canceled StarCraft: Ghost!

Performing the music on the disc is The Eminence Symphony Orchestra, who is most well known for their renditions of popular video game and anime titles over the last five years.

The Echoes of War package will feature 15 unique arrangements from Blizzard Entertainment’s catalog and includes 90 minutes of music in all, with bonus tracks arranged by special guests including the critically-acclaimed composer Kow Otani (Shadow of the Colossus). It is available in both a normal (two-CD set) and a limited edition set.

The Legendary Edition will be available only on a limited, first-print basis. In addition to the music CD, it will also include an Echoes of War DVD, featuring exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of the recording sessions - held at Sydney’s FOX Studios EQ: Trackdown Scoring Stage - as well as interviews with the composers and a comprehensive 32-page commemorative tome filled with additional photos, artwork, art cards and additional information.

For much more on the package, check out Kotaku’s in-depth article and interview with the producers.

Source: videogamesblogger.com

To celebrate the release of The Killers third album, Day & Age, they will be debuting two songs off the upcoming album as downloadable content for Guitar Hero World Tour.

These songs will be released on November 25th, day and date with the CD. And joining them for the DLC is Mr. Brightside, which will all be part of the three song The Killers Track Pack.

To recap, the three songs from The Killers Track Pack are: (click to see videos)

1. The Killers - Human
2. The Killers - Losing Touch
3. The Killers - Mr. Brightside

The Killers Track Pack will be available on Xbox Live Marketplace for Xbox 360 at a price of 440 Microsoft Points, on the PlayStation Store for PS3 at a price of $5.49. Additionally, these three songs will be released as singles on the above download services at a price of 160 Microsoft Points or $1.99 respectively, as well as for download with the Nintendo Wii version of the game for 200 Wii Points, or $2.00.

Source: videogamesblogger.com

The Fable 2 Original Soundtrack will be released on November 25th, 2008 by Sumthing Else Music Works, Inc. through it’s licensing partnership with Microsoft Game Studios.

You can pre-order the soundtrack by clicking the pic above, or buy heading to the official web-site of Nile Rodger’s Sumthing Else Music Works as well as buying it digitally at either sumthingdigital.com (where you can download three Fable 2 tracks from Russel Shaw free) as well as on iTunes.

The Fable 2 Original Soundtrack features the rich and musically diverse Fable II score composed by Russell Shaw (Fable, Black & White) as well as the Fable Theme by GRAMMY award-winner Danny Elfman (Spider-Man, The Simpsons, Big Fish.) The Fable 2 score was recorded with 90 musicians including the Slovak National Symphony Orchestra at the Slovak Radio Concert Hall in Bratislava, as well as celtic instrumentalists with the Tiffin School Boys Choir and Pinewood Singers Adult Choir at Pinewood Film Studios in London, England.

Here is the full track list for the Fable 2 - Original Soundtrack

1. Fable Theme - Russell Shaw (Music Box Theme – Danny Elfman)
2. Old Town - Russell Shaw
3. Bowerstone Cemetery - Russell Shaw
4. Bowerlake - Russell Shaw
5. Wraithmarsh - Russell Shaw (Music Box Theme – Danny Elfman)
6. Fairfax Castle - Russell Shaw
7. Westcliff - Russell Shaw
8. Oakfield - Russell Shaw
9. Bowerstone Market - Russell Shaw
10. Shadow of Evil - Russell Shaw
11. Howling Halls - Russell Shaw
12. Marcus Memorial - Russell Shaw

Source: videogamesblogger.com

DICE, the makers of Mirror’s Edge, have announced a remix album that will be digitally released worldwide this November 11th in conjunction with the launch of the game. Although they didn’t announce exactly where they will release it.

The album features several remixes of the Mirror Edge title theme called “Still Alive” which is performed by a Swedish rock/pop star Lisa Miskovsky, and the remixes are done by some of the today’s hottest artists and DJs, including Benny Benassi, Paul van Dyk, Junkie XL, Teddybears, and Armand Van Helden.

Here is the complete track listing for the Mirror’s Edge Remix album:

Lisa Miskovsky Still Alive – Mirror’s Edge Theme Song
Benny Benassi Still Alive – Remix
Junkie XL Still Alive – Remix
Paul van Dyk Still Alive – Remix
Teddybears Still Alive – Remix
Armand Van Helden Still Alive – Remix

DICE also announced that those who pre-order Mirror’s Edge at Best Buy will receive an extra music CD that contains the theme song above along with another remix that’s exclusive to that disc by Benny Benassi.

The song Still Alive was written and recorded exclusively for Mirror’s Edge by producers Rami Yacoub and Arnthor Birgisson who were behind some of the world’s biggest chart-topping artists including Britney Spears, Pink and Kelis. Lisa Miskovsky on the other hand earned her international acclaim for her #1 self-titled debut album and it’s #1 Platinum follow-up called Fallingwater. She won Sweden’s top music award for Best New Artist, Best Female Artist and Artist of the Year!

And now for the marketing quotes!

“A groundbreaking videogame demands an equally provocative theme song,” said Steve Schnur, Worldwide Executive of Music and Marketing for EA. “We’ve taken an unprecedented approach to this track, bringing together several of the world’s top remixers to create an album that will not only cross genres and borders, but also redefine how great new music can be delivered to the world.”

“When given the opportunity to work with Lisa, Rami and Arnthor, who are all avid gamers, we knew we had something very special on our hands,” added Magnus Walterstad, Audio Director at DICE. “With ‘Still Alive,’ we created a Mirror’s Edge theme song that is able to stand on its own two feet as well as accurately representing the emotional experience of playing the game.”

“This is a terrific song from a tremendous new artist,” said Terry McBride, CEO of EA label partners Nettwerk Music Group. “And every one of these remixers responded not only to the power of the track itself, but also to what this project will mean to the continued convergence of music and gaming. Our entire worldwide marketing team is committed to making this a landmark digital release.”

Source: videogamesblogger.com

The puzzle/rhythm/racing hybrid PC game Audiosurf has been given a free update and patch. In the game you select your favorite song(s) and race across several lanes collecting colored blocks that appear in sync with the music. It can only be bought online via the digital download service Steam.

Most notable about this news is the Audiosurf FM update (just connect to Steam to automatically receive it), which adds last.fm audioscrobbling, the ability to run Audiosurf as a music visualizer, scoreboard comments and more are listed below.

New features:
* Comments tab on every song’s scoreboard
* Customized player news on the song loading screen (when friends last played, songs you’re champion of, etc…)
* Command interface for 3rd party mod apps (extensions)
* New hover vehicle for Eraser Elite
* Added Vegas ability: generate a random powerup every 60 seconds
* You can play freeride as a music visualizer on your desktop while other applications are running, and it will automatically advance to the next song in your current folder or current m3u playlist
* Improved Strategy Guide look
* Eraser Elite now has 8 rows of tiles (like Pusher Elite)
* Score browser now refreshes popular songs when you first open it
* Added blending to top and bottom black frame in gameplay
* Add a graphic to display your chain reaction multiplier at the bottom of the screen
* Longer-lasting fireworks on enhanced detail
* Maximum song length extended to 60 minutes
* Made additional texture mods possible (tiles, tileflyups, cliff)
* If you put a traffic.png file in the textures folder it will be used for traffic instead of blocks
* Going back in song browser remembers mousewheel scroll position
* Sound effect theme is saved between play sessions
* Checkbox added to stop being shown character videos
* Added OK button to the loading/news page. Gives you more time to read the news on the loading page if you want it
* No longer automatically goes fullscreen when maximizing
* The Xbox 360 controller can now pause/resume play with the Start button
* Don’t forget to check out available Audiosurf extentions.

Fixes:
* Restored view track shapes and report button on scoreboard
* Fixed unknown song text showing over strategy guide
* Chosen fullscreen resolution is now remembered between sessions
* Fixed Pusher Elite bonus text from 25% to 100% on loading screen
* Moved the “Drill” away from the track (would sometimes overlap)
* Fixed “Next Song” button when used with Recently Played Songs list
* Fixed Resizing window could make the track temporarily disappear
* Fixed being able to click buttons on the scoreboard screen before getting there
* Block captures that force an early match collection are no longer lost
* Greatly reduced delay after resuming from a pause
* Fixed menu background animation getting stuck
* Personal best is now stored correctly when playing from an m3u playlist
* Playlist files (m3u) now correctly ignore all comments and http paths
* Adjusted mouse sensitivity scaler
* Restored single-cursor on menu screens

Source: videogamesblogger.com

AudioSurf is a music-adapting puzzle racer where you use your own CD or MP3 music to create your own experience. The shape, the speed, and the mood of each ride is determined by the song you choose. You earn points for clustering together blocks of the same color on the highway, and compete with others on the internet for the high score on your favorite songs.

The latest issue of GamesTM magazine has claimed that the PC music/racing game AudioSurf will be speeding its way to the Xbox Live Arcade “soon”. No word on a possible release date though.

Source: videogamesblogger.com

The Child’s Play Charity drive in 2007 raised over 1.1 million dollars! No doubt this number will rise as 2008 moves on, since the children’s hospital wish lists stay online all year and sometimes see donations past July. To quote:

“Not only did we break the million dollar mark, but we decimated it with our new total of $1,135,000! This significant achievement made this holiday season a happier, brighter one in our fifty partner hospitals. To everyone who has contributed to this amazing milestone, thank you!

The hospital wish lists are still online, and some have seen new items added. While we try to get lots of new games and more to the children in time for the holidays, the hospitals have a need for equipment year-round. Likewise, we will continue to accept donations through Amazon, PayPal and the mail until next year’s fundraiser kicks off. Keep your eye out for one final update in January.”

Source: videogamesblogger.com

CBS 46 reported about Penny-Arcade’s Child’s Play charity drive effect on Children’s Healthcare in Atlanta. Let’s join DeAngelis Davis, who’s at the pediatric hospital for heart problems and passes the time playing on a donated PlayStation 2 with Dragon Ball Z game. Remember, you can still join over 100,000 gamers worldwide and donate on top of the already gifted $851,000 this year.

To quote: “Some video games get a bad reputation for being violent and having a negative impact on children. But some video gamers are trying to change that image. Consumer reporter Adam Murphy has the story of how a few good gamers are making a difference.”

CBS 46: Charity Gives Children Something To Play.

Video via Kotaku

Source: videogamesblogger.com

This month you might have noticed Video Games Blogger didn’t have our one or two monthly game prize competition. The reason for this is that we’ll be donating that $100 to Child’s Play charity, who give gamers the chance to donate games, movies, books and toys to sick kids in hospitals everywhere via Amazon wish lists. Please consider donating yourself.

Here’s the stuff we donated to the Arizona Children’s Center at Maricopa in Phoenix, USA. Our donations included the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game, High School Musical 2 CD, Jungle Book DVD, Dora the Explorer Sticker book, Sesame Street Where Is Elmo? book, Aladdin DVD, and a Pocahontas DVD!

In addition to the $600,000 already donated to the Child’s Play charity through the wish lists, independent events, and direct donations, last night’s charity dinner gala brought in an additional $225,000, putting the total donated so far at over $825,000! Let’s hope that, like last year, the annual event will reach $1 million.

Penny-Arcade’s Tycho describes some of the auction events: “During an unbelievable Bungie auction - a USNC issue ordnance bag that contained literally every piece of Halo 3 merchandise ever created - Frankie O’Connor approached the stage to sweeten the deal, offering the high bidder the coveted Recon Armor in addition. Valve approached the stage during their own item, appending the coveted Weighted Companion Cube and a tour of the office. These things happened dynamically, part of no official plan. And the throng responded - fiscally. Offers to bid on my pants were politely declined.â€?

Source: thexboxdomain.com