The Art of Blizzard Entertainment Hardcover – February 12, 2013

I have been collecting art books for well over 10+ years and gaming is definitely one of my favorite genre's for art books, probably due to the fact that gaming has played such a large role in my life. Unfortunately, many of the art books released in this genre are really mediocre at best, especially the smaller art books that get included with many special edition games. I really wish the gaming market in general would become far more serious about the overall quality of these books. That being said, there have been a small handful of releases that have been exemplary in every way possible and The Art of Blizzard Entertainment sits at the top of that small handful. this art book is epic in every sense of the word.First and foremost, the book itself measures roughly 10x13, which is bit larger than most gaming art books. That of course is a very good thing! If there is any market where the saying "the bigger the better" holds true, its the art market (books, prints, etc.) and this book certainly doesn't disappoint in this regard. When you combine the overall size and the overall length, which is 376 pages....well, you ultimately wind up with one massive tome dedicated to Blizzard's artwork for Diablo, Starcraft, and Warcraft. It should really come as no surprise to Blizzard fans that they have some of the most talented artists in the entire gaming industry. Their in game cinematics have continually pushed the boundaries for in game cut scenes and are renowned the world over. I still watch the original World of Warcraft video from time to time and even 10+ years after initially seeing it....well, its still as breathtaking today as it was when it was first released.Again, the titles covered in this art book are Blizzards 3 main IP's, those being Diablo, Starcraft, and Warcraft. For those familiar with these games, you know there is just a massive amount of artwork with which to choose from with these series and thankfully, Blizzard did an absolutely brilliant job choosing which artwork to include in this book. For those that have purchased previous art books, you will recognize a lot of artwork from previous books, but don't let that deter you as there is also a lot of new content in here, enough to make this a worthwhile purchase even for people that purchased previous art books. One could really think of this as the definitive edition. If you really have a problem with this, I would recommend selling your older copies and buying this version.The book Itself is really quite beautiful. It has a nice quality cover and binding and the paper is actually nicer than I was expecting. Its just a quality art book all the way around. I really like the cover picture as well. They could have easily gone which a much more dynamic piece for the cover, but I actually really like this more basic approach. In my opinion, it really is a perfect cover piece. I usually put more stock in covers than I should, but thats just how I am. I just love beautiful covers and this one certainly doesn't disappoint. All in all, there are over 700 pieces of art in here including paintings, concept pieces and sketches. It also has invaluable insight and commentary by Nick Carpenter, Sam Didier, and Chris Metzenary all of whom have played an important role in making Blizzard the studio it is today.The bottom line - The Art of Blizzard Entertainment is without question one of the best video game related art books I have ever purchased. Its just massive in scope and is definitely the one Blizzard art book you don't want to miss. Its chock full of beautiful paintings, sketches and concept work and has extremely entertaining insight from the people that have made Blizzard what it is today. Again, if owning previous volumes bothers you, due to much of the same artwork being used, sell your previous books and buy this one. I myself own all of the previous art books and while those are still amazing in their own right, this book trumps them all. If your a Blizzard fan, an art book fan, or just an avid gamer that enjoys looking at amazing video game artwork, you really owe it to yourself to add this to your collection. This is really the pinnacle of video game art books. It simply doesn't get any better than this.5 Stars!

This is my first review for anything, so that alone should say something...Let me start off by saying I own all of the blizzard art books that are available. From The Art of Warcraft to the Art of Pandaria, art of the TCG, Diablo3, SC2, Behind the cinematic process, and now this one.Quality: This book is great quality, better than any of the previous publishings. Its big. Like text book big. Except instead of math, or biology, its full of badassery from the minds of the artists that shape the worlds made at blizzard. Although its only 375 pages, it still feels like a mighty tome. The pages are nice and thick. The binding is tight and feels like it can take some abuse. The dust jacket fits perfect and doesnt slip as im looking through the book, which annoys me about a lot of art books. The pages are full of vibrant glossy pictures, most of the paintings are nice and big and really show off the detail.Content: I was pretty hesitant to order this book originally. I think 45 bucks is a great deal since the base price is 75, but since i own all of the other art books i was concerned i was going to spend that 45 bucks on a shiny new book with all the old artwork. Which it essentially is. However, Im glad i ended up purchasing it because there is actually a lot of previously unreleased art along with a some additions of old art i had seen before but had not been previously published. For example, there is some old artwork i have seen on box coveres, or free trial disks, or free trial flyers, that ive never seen published in another book. The majority of those pieces are actually blown up to a nice size you can take the time to appreciate. There is old artwork that i recognize from the original game play instruction books, especailly from star craft and diablo. Which is awesome because those instructions are long gone and forgotten, but the art is now available in this book. I read some of the other reviews and people were complaining about how there was no new art and screw blizz for not adding anything new. They clearly didnt even take the time to look at the book. Besides the stuff i just mentioned, there is a section entitled, Fallen Games, which includes 17 pages full of concept art for games that never went into production. 17 pages of Metzen and Samwise sketches. Amazing. Theres also a chunky section of art that was done for company holiday cards. Ive seen some before, but most are new to me and are pretty hilarious. These pieces are some of the best because you really see the character and personality of the artist coming through the paintings. Additionally, there is a handful of random sketches and paintings added to each of the other sections. Layout is pretty good with most pages. I also enjoyed that there are some comments from the artists on a good majority of the pages. Its cool to read their thoughts about the artwork and the company, especially reading stories about their experiences through the early days of Blizzard. There is a chapter in here for all the major blizzard franchises, so for someone who doesnt own any of the other art books, you get a broad range of the best art work.Overview: This is an awesome book. Its big, Vibrant, and Detailed. It includes a decent amount of unreleased and unpublished artwork, at least enough to satisfy a customer like myself who already has the previous art books. The commentary is great, and gives good insight on the creative minds that forged Blizzard. Books like this always make me appreciate the thought and effot that went into making these games. its also very inspiring for an aspiring artist. I have no complaints, and am very happy with the purchase.

Es un libro bastante grande y de pasta dura, además de muchas páginas de todo el arte que se ha hecho de varias franquicias de blizzard, yo lo compré aprox en 1000, así que si lo ves en ese precio o menos es una gran oferta.

My artist daughter was absolutely thrilled with the quality and detail of this book.

Um excelente livro para aqueles que admiram os trabalhos da Blizzard. Material de alta qualidade. Impressão impecável, papel que valoriza as ilustrações, e a arte simplesmente sensacional. O livro também conta um pouco da trajetória dos principais jogos da empresa, e das soluções encontradas pelos autores/artistas para a popularização destes jogos, dos personagens e do universo Blizzard como um todo. Sensacional.

Me llego en el día indicado, ademas de que en buen estado, contiene ilustraciones que en algunos libros de arte de las ediciones de coleccionista no vienen, pero son pocas, si tienen ya los libros de arte no se pierden de mucho, pero aun así están en una excelente calidad de impresión con comentarios de los artistas.

This was a Christmas present for my boyfriend last year, but I was as excited as he was to look inside (I still do sometimes)! It's a well structured book with just enough writing to inform but not to impede the awesome pictures. Has a bit of something from their three franchises at the time, adequate for all-round Blizzard fans but the most focus was obviously on WoW (the Lich King pages...phoar!!). The creator commentary was often pretty funny which gave all the more personality to this book. Last but not least, the art is incredible and unique - really motivates you to up your artistic prowess if you're into that.Set me back about £35 but I don't regret it one bit, both for the quality hardback I received and the way my boyfriend's face lit up in response.