Game Music Central announced today that it would be releasing a compilation album, called “Best of the Best: A Tribute to Game Music.” The CD will feature music from composers that have worked on such games as God of War, Prince of Persia, World of Warcraft, and many others. The music will be all new performances of music inspired by some of the greatest games ever. Here’s the track list: Read the full article

A few weeks back, Sony distributed their ” SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT AMERICA PREVIEWS ROBUST SOFTWARE LINE UP FOR PLAYSTATION® PLATFORMS” . Although most of the news included is out there, I haven’t seen the full word for word document many places. The full statement in it’s entirety is listed below after the break. I think the PS3 is definitely headed for some good times in the future. Many critics have been extremely tough on the system, but only time will tell. They are obviously behind the curve right now, but I feel like the Nintendo Wii will eventually lose it’s hype and it will just be Sony and Microsoft on the field at that point.

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Christophe Gans, who brought us such esthetically if not mentally pleasing films like Brotherhood of the Wolf, and Silent Hill – will be producing a $70 million adaptation of the beloved video game series Onimusha. Rumors and confirmations have been circling the net for a year or so about Gans, but it is finally confirmed. Production will start in Feb 2008, and hit theaters in December 2009. That is a long wait.

According to Gans: “I have loved the Onimusha story for years and am overjoyed to have the opportunity now to bring it to life for worldwide film audiences and to access the unparalleled film resources of China to do so on the scale that the story demands”. Master And Commander screenwriter John Collee and Leslie Kruger are the screenwriters, and it is said that Gans turned down the opportunity to film the Silent Hill sequel to do Onimusha instead. Here’s hoping that the dialogue is more engaging than in his previous work – and hopefully no cuddly-wuddlys get slaughtered in this one.

Its a big day for World of Warcraft players as Blizzard finally releases the 2.1 update to the game. Here is the link to the full downloadable patch and the incremental patch (2.0.12 to 2.1 US). There are a huge number of enhancements and fixes included in this release but here are the main points players may want to know:

The Black Temple: The Temple of Karabor was the center of draenei worship until its priests were slaughtered by demonically corrupted orcs. In the massacre’s aftermath the warlocks of the Shadow Council seized the structure and gave it a new name: the Black Temple.

When the Alliance invaded Draenor after the Second War, the orc shaman Ner’zhul hastily opened several dimensional portals in order to escape. The resulting magical backlash ripped the world apart. Drawn by these portals, the pit lord Magtheridon arrived in what had come to be known as Outland and took the temple as his seat of power.

His dominion over Outland remained unchallenged until the arrival of Illidan the Betrayer. The pit lord proved no match for the wielder of the Twin Blades of Azzinoth. Today Illidan occupies the temple, awaiting any and all who would challenge his rule.

Druid Epic Flight Form Introduced: The Druid Epic flight form will be available through a series of quests, similar to the Warlock and Paladin Epic mount quests before it. This quest series will also open up a new boss in Sethekk Halls, and ultimately lead to the epic flight form.

Ethereum Prison: Players in good standing with the Consortium will be tasked to deal with the most recent activities of the nefarious Ethereum. With new quests, items, and content for the solo and small-group level 70 player, the Ethereum Prison will be the proving grounds for many aspiring to greatness.

Skettis: The Skyguard, Sha’tari warriors specializing in their command of the skies above Shattrath, have taken the offensive directly to the Arakkoa capital city, Skettis. Perched high in the mountains of Terrokar, and only accessible with use of a flying mount, Skettis holds new and exciting content for the solo or small-group level 70 player. All new quests, 5-person bosses, rare and epic items, and a new type of flying mount await those willing to lend their sword or stave to the battle.

Nether Drake: The Netherwing faction and quest line continues and the long awaited Nether Drake becomes available. The Nether Drake is a special 280% speed epic flying mount that is obtainable through solo and small-group play. The quest to obtain one will be difficult, but the reward will surely show your dedication to the Netherwing cause as you soar through the skies of Outland on your very own ethereal drake.

Ogri’la: The ogre plateau of enlightenment opens to those who prove their worth in Blade’s Edge Mountains. Level 70 players will be able to help the ogres of Ogri’la battle invading forces and engage in new and exciting quests, such as a repeatable and ever popular bombing-run, this time using your own flying mount but with a dangerous twist! Featuring tons of new quests, the Ogri’la faction, 5-person bosses, and rare and epic items, Ogri’la is a place we’re hoping all will aspire to enter.

The Ruins of Lordaeron Arena: For those combatants engaging in the Steamwheedle Cartel’s gladiatorial combat, an arena nestled within the Ruins of Lordaeron has been added to the mix of venues. Players taking part in either rated battles or skirmishes may now find themselves battling for glory within the new arena.

The complete patch notes are available after the jump.

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Ok, I stated in a previous post that I would never pay full price for a Fatal Frame game. Not because they are not decent games, but I just cannot get the hang of that damn camera. Why can’t you wield a sword or at the very least a pointy stick? The FF games are freaky, and creeped me out more than once, but I think the creepiest part, other than the twins, was that you could make them wear bikinis. They are little girls for crying out loud you perverts. They can’t be more than thirteen. Fatal Frame IV should be out either late this year or next or even 2009, and I am sure there will be unlockable skimpy clothes for the female character(s).

Perversions and aversions aside, here is a list of the Top 25 Survival Horror Games (in no particular order). If you think one should be on the list or you disagree, please feel free to comment so I can delete it! Read the full article

There are many gaming titles in this world that I would like to play, but I refuse to pay $40 or more on something that I am sure I will never play again. Granted, anything Zelda, Morrowind, Silent Hill, Kratos or Mario Cart related, I just hand over my wallet and say thank you very much. Games like Fatal Frame, Condemned, Clock Tower, or The Mark of Kri, well you either rent those or you buy them used. When you finally decide that you have enough coasters and could use some cash or a new game though, you take it down to your local game store and either trade, get credit, or sell it out right. Everyone has done this, and it works well for the consumer. This, however, could change and it already has in some states.

Call it, the Brady Bill of Gaming if you will. What it boils down to is this: a mandatory 15-30-day period before the used game can be resold. WHAAAAA???? Yep. It is already a fact in Florida, Utah, and Toledo, and Ohio – although different cities and areas may vary. It is pending in Rhode Island and Wisconsin. Stores such as Gamestop and EB Games enjoy a 50% profit margin on sales of used video games. What this means for the consumer, is that the impatient (aren’t we all?) will have to pay full price for a new game, and the publishers will no longer miss out on the “used” sale. This puts the gaming stores in the same category as a pawnshop. Maybe some crazy entrepreneur will combine the two one day, and you will able to pawn your wedding bands and used beta and cassette players while purchasing a nice used Commodore 64 or Super NES game. That is all I see at pawnshops around here anyway. Who knows, maybe we will see Kratos sitting next to a display of gold nugget rings someday.

Next Generation is reporting that Sony BMG and Konami are teaming up to release the video game company’s musical library on download services like Apple’s iTunes, Real’s Rhapsody and through various mobile carriers. Games mentioned in the article include Castlevania, Silent Hill and the Dance Dance Revolution series.

Fans of the games and their music will also have an opportunity to download from Konami’s own website. No price or time was given as to when they would become available. After the recent release of Castlevania: SOTN on Xbox Live, there have to be a lot of folks out there dying to get their hands on those songs – the intro alone is hauntingly cool.