Got iTunes? Like Diablo? Excited about Diablo III? Enjoy soundtrack music?

If you answered yes to at least one of these questions, then you need to head on over to iTunes and download the “Diablo III Overture” from Emmy-winning sound designer Russell Brower and The Eminence Symphony Orchestra. If not only because it is FREE, but because it is highly cool as well.

Not only does it sound very epic, has interesting vocals that are a bit creepy and is totally worthy of a really cool sci-fi or fantasy movie, it is just really good music. Plus, it just got me even more excited for the game. If this music is any indication of what the soundtrack to the game is going to be like, then we will hopefully have a game not only full of eye popping graphics and great gameplay but glorious sound as well. Great music and sound always add to the experience.

Oh, did I also mention that it was free?

For more on Diablo III, check out some of our previous posts. To add to the experience, listen to 3:46 long track while you read over them.

*** UPDATE: Please note that this is for the United States. This site is in the United States. Sorry if iTunes screwed the rest of the world, but we have no way of knowing what is free and what is not via iTunes in other countries.  If anyone else eventually gets it free please drop us a line.***

It’s not difficult to find any number of MMORPGs that look better than World of Warcraft from a technical standpoint. You could argue looking “better” is a subjective matter and I’d agree as someone who is a big fan of WoW’s art style, but that doesn’t change the fact that the game absolutely has room for improvement. The concept of updating a game’s graphics engine isn’t completely unheard of (see: EverQuest), and WoW is actually receiving a facelift (to an extent) in the upcoming Wrath of Lich King expansion.

Surprisingly enough, that’s not all Blizzard has in store for graphical improvements, but we shouldn’t count on being blown away by a single gargantuan upgrade. Lead producer J Allen Brack clarified some recent comments on the subject:

First off, we do have some graphics updates coming with Wrath of the Lich King, namely in three areas: shadow system, shader technology, and view distance. The shadow system will greatly improve the look of existing shadows, and players will be able to display both character and structure shadows. The new shader technology we’ve implemented enables the team to create even better looking terrain, as well as some cool ice effects. And, the view distance has been increased, so players will be able to see farther than ever before in Northrend.

Right now our focus is on collecting beta feedback and getting Wrath of the Lich King ready to go for launch, so we’re not ready at this point to talk about specific plans for future expansions. However, it’s important to note that in general we’re taking an iterative, organic approach to graphics upgrades, going feature by feature as opposed to thinking in terms of an overall “new graphics engine.” For example, we’ve discussed plans for new visuals for water, but this would be for a future content update or expansion. We also have other ideas for technical and visual improvements, but these would be for future updates/expansions as well.

So there you have it. I’ll be very happy to have greater draw distance once Lich King releases, and the prospect of seeing further graphical improvements is absolutely something I’m looking forward to.

But to you, dear World of Warcraft fan/Gaming Today reader, I ask: would you welcome graphical updates to the game or do you consider yourself a purist who doesn’t want to see the game touched?

I think many an innocent childhood ended about the same time Bambi’s mother was shot in the classic Disney film. Well now it looks like the tables have turned, and Bambi…er, “Bambina” may get a chance for revenge in the upcoming Wrath of the Lich King. WoW has always been known for it’s humorous pop culture references, and it looks like the new expansion may bring even more to the table; including this homage to a certain orphaned deer. But instead of going off and crying when her mother is killed, Bambina will strike back at the hunter. If “Mother of Bambina” is killed, then Bambina transforms into “Vengeful Bambina,” and apparently goes all Steven Seagal on you. No word yet on what sort of stats or loot this new NPC may possess, but rumors are already swirling that it may be a pretty powerful foe. Now if they can just include a battle where I can fight the giant-sized Ursula from The Little Mermaid, then they’ll have covered all my childhood scars marked by Disney movies.

Via WoW Insider

Sometimes a video surfaces that makes me question the direction that humanity is headed. Granted, there are wars, famine, and species going extinct daily, over population, and high gas prices causing devastation and economical stress across the globe. So if you look at the world in that respect, two strange men donning wigs and attaching a treadmill to WoW in order to race across Azeroth is inconsequential. But sometimes, I just do not understand what compels people to broadcast their silly antics online and pretty much guarantee that they will never get a date again as long as they live.

Thanks: VG247

I do not play World of Warcraft, although I have had many gamer friends try and talk me into playing it. While I do like to look at the screens, trailers, and the funny images posted online, I just have no desire to immerse myself in another MMORPG at this time. Today, however, Blizzard released the new Wrath of the Lich King Intro Trailer from Games Con ‘08; and to say that it got me pretty excited for an expansion that I would not normally bat a well-groomed eyelash at is an understatement.

However, that being said, that is the purpose of any great trailer and this one is no exception – gave me goosebumps actually. Plus, it is probably one of the coolest trailers I have ever seen.

Blizzard is pulling out all the stops with their new expansion, what with the necromantic Death Knight as a new character class; the added Northrend map which is the domain of  the Lich King; level caps of 80 with new powers and talents; destructible environments; the new “Inscription” profession and many more goodies.

Wrath of the Lich King is expected to be made available for both the PC and Mac on November 3, and if this trailer shows us anything, it’s that gamers are in for one hell of a ride.

A friendly reminder from Activision-Blizzard arrived in our inboxes this morning regarding the new Dragonforce Track Pack for Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock.

As you may recall, DragonForce will ascend the virtual stage once again to unleash “Heroes of Our Time” – the debut single off their new album “Ultra Beatdown” – in a three-song track pack which will be available on August 21 (Thursday) giving gamers the opportunity to download and play “Heroes of Our Time” in advance of the album release.

Included in the track pack is  “Revolution Deathsquad” and “Operation Ground and Pound” from their third album “Inhuman Rampage”. The three-song DragonForce Track Pack will be available for download on Xbox LIVE Marketplace and PSN.

We will let you know when it is up and ready to make your fingers bleed.

Despite music executives and the labels they work for commending the recent popularity of music games giving sluggish music sales a boost, Warner Music Group’s Chief Executive Edgar Bronfman recently spoke out against what he feels is “far too small” of an amount to license songs for the ever growing content included within the games.

In defense of the music game genre, and Guitar Hero in general, Activision-Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick fired back at Warner Music stating that the record companies are getting compensated very well, and that Warner Music is failing to see the bigger picture. Kotick also hinted that because of this slam from Edgar Bronfman, the record company may never get the opportunity to have their music featured in future Guitar Hero games again.

Kotick feels that the label’s “one-sided comments” fail to acknowledge the benefit of having songs from their catalog featured in the games. Bands that would not have reached certain audiences through the radio or other forms of media are now being showcased not only within an entirely new demographic, but within the industry as a whole.

According to MCV, during a recent interview with The Financial Times Kotick mused that Bronfman may think that the company should be compensated the same way they are when a song is downloaded via iTunes, but that with games, the technology is vastly complex and different.

Due to these growing tensions, Kotick went on to say that only record companies that appreciate the opportunity that the games provide will be courted in the future:

“We’re going to favor those publishers that recognize and appreciate how much we can add value to their artists.  We’re introducing a whole new group of artists to new audiences that is resulting in their iTunes downloads being exponentially higher than they would otherwise be, [as well as] new album sales and new merchandising opportunities.

We hope that our partners in the gaming space appreciate not only the value of their own contributions but also those of the recording artists, songwriters, record labels and music publishers on which their games are significantly based.”

Considering the fact that Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock has sold approximately 20 million units and has raked in over $1billion in sales, it would stand to reason that these sales would also have generated more revenue for the artists featured within the game as well as the downloadable content.  Many record companies have recently commended both Rock Band and the Guitar Hero franchise for boosting sales, and the proof, as they say, is in the pudding.

For example: during the week that Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock was released in October 2007, digital sales of The Strokes’ track “Reptilia” sold 127 percent more than the week before the game was released. Add to this the following week which saw sales for the track leap another 96 percent. Likewise, Slipknot’s “Before I Forget” soared to 75 percent the week the game debuted and took a 140 percent turn the following week.

Large record labels have been reputed in the past to be greedy, soulless, fat-cats, what with the horror stories told over the years of bands getting shafted by the big bad wolves of the music industry. Therefore it is no wonder that this latest comment from Warner’s CEO is being perceived as nothing more than a greedy record executive wanting a bigger piece of the pie. If they want more royalties for the benefit of the artists they represent, the public and even the gaming companies, would most likely be more understanding and supportive of the measures they were taking to protect their clients. However, with the negative publicity that the labels have gotten over the past few years, post Napster, it makes you wonder if they truly want more residuals for the right purpose or just to line their own pockets.

What each record company receives as far as licensing fees for songs contained in these games is not known. Yet, if they end up wanting an exorbitant amount of money to include the bands they represent within the games, it will only hurt the consumer in the long run. You cannot expect a company like Activison-Blizzard to pay out the nose in royalties and not try and recoup that investment from gamers. The price of the initial game disc could go up, and we could be paying larger amounts of money for downloadable content. If such a scenario should happen, not only will the games suffer, but in turn the gamer as well.

An optimistic look at the effects of videogames on players has been offered by the American Psychological Association via the Associated Press. The APA goes as far as to refer to videogames as “powerful learning tools.”

Researchers gathering in Boston for the American Psychological Association convention detailed a series of studies suggesting that video games can be powerful learning tools — from increasing the problem solving potential of younger students to improving the suturing skills of laparoscopic surgeons.

Evidence that playing videogames improves surgical skills is so strong, surgeons may just want to start listing their playtime experience on their resumes.

“The single best predictor of their skills is how much they had played video games in the past and how much they played now,” said Iowa State University psychologist Douglas Gentile. “Those were better predictors of surgical skills than years of training and number of surgeries performed,” Gentile said. “So the first question you might ask your surgeon is how many of these [surgeries] have you done and the second question is, ‘Are you a gamer?’”

However, the APA isn’t just talking about edutainment and simulators put purely entertaining videogames as well. The article cites studies on players of MMOs, particularly World of Warcraft.

Researchers looked at a random sample of 2,000 discussion posts about the popular multiplayer online game World of Warcraft to see what the players were talking about. The game is set in a fantasy world where players hunt, gather and battle to move their characters to higher levels. Players who work together succeed faster.

The study found the game encouraged scientific thinking, like using systems and models for understanding situations and using math and testing to investigate a problem.

Not all of the studies show videogames in such a positive light. Behavioral studies on subjects who played violent videogames are still grim.

Other studies confirmed earlier research that found students who played violent games tended to be more hostile, less forgiving and believed violence to be normal compared to those who played nonviolent games.

Still I wonder if the studies in question prove that violent videogames make players more aggressive, or that people with more aggressive personalities chose to play violent videogames. I would like to see personality profiles of the subjects before and after exposure to violent videogames. that would be more convincing proof that these games are actually changing the players’ natural tendencies.

Gamers who were saddened over tickets for BlizzCon 2008 selling out so quickly due to both the overwhelming response and technical difficulties encountered when trying to order them can rejoice. Blizzard is now offering another 3,000 tickets up for fans wanting to attend the event at the Anaheim Convention Center from October 10-11.

In the wake of all the gamers left out in the cold, company boss Mike Morhaime has issued a public apology over on the official BlizzCon site where he states that Blizzard has reevaluated the space within the convention hall and feels confident that another 3,000 rabid fans can be packed into it.

“Due to these circumstances, we’ve reevaluated our convention hall space and come up with some solutions that will allow us to offer 3,000 more tickets for sale. We know this will not be enough to satisfy the very high level of demand for tickets this year, but we want to ensure that BlizzCon remains a great experience for those of you who are able to attend.”

These extra tickets will be sold via a lottery which is only open to those who created a Blizzard account before 9:00 p.m. PDT on August 12, which is when the “Sold Out” notice crushed the hopes and dreams of many.

While it is obvious that and extra 3,000 tickets will not help curb the demand for such a popular event, it is comforting to know that the folks at Blizzard are doing all they can to try make everyone happy. Don’t you wish that all gaming companies were this thoughtful and appreciative of their fans?

There’s a debate on Video Gamer Examiner on whether Diablo III can persevere where its spiritual successor Hellgate: London failed. The author starts off by saying he found Guild Wars and Hellgate, both products of various branches of former Diablo designers, disappointing.

The author cites replaybility as the key to Diablo’s popularity and Diablo III’s success.

In fact, the developers hinted that not only would we get our random dungeons, but we also might be seeing some random quests and/or events. This is way overdue! Dynamic quests are something I’ve been wanting to see for a long time and could really add a whole new level to the idea of replayability.