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Preparing for season six tomorrow is "still the plan"
Zarhym has reaffirmed a comment that Blizzard made in the past telling players they should expect season six to start as early as tomorrow, and that "this [statement] is still the plan."Given the lack of solid statements made by Blizzard in saying anything is or will definitively happen with the game, this is about as much confirmation as we can hope for in hearing that season six begins tomorrow. About a month ago there was it was reported that when Season Six went live all ratings would start at 0 and work their way up, instead of beginning at 1500. Today's news, combined with the fact that there will be a talent reset in a client side patch very soon, probably means there'll be a small patch tomorrow morning. While we're not going to wave flags and say there will be one, no one here at WoW Insider will be surprised if there is. And hopefully now, you shouldn't be either.Of course, stay tuned throughout the evening and tomorrow morning. We'll bring you the latest.
Massively's guide to LotRO's Yule Festival
Now that the Yule Festival in Lord of the Rings Online is in full swing, you may find yourself in need of a proper guide nudging you in the right direction. Well, that's why we're here! Whether you haven't had a chance to try the festival yet, or you're just stuck in a quest, this guide will help you get the most out of the event.This year's Yulemath has many features that are identical to other events we've seen previously. You can head on over to any Town Crier for a complete list of events going on around Middle-earth. Because of so many similarities, I will refer to a previous guide we've done for this year's Summer Festival and explain only the differences. Plus, you can visit our Yule Festival gallery for a visual aid to this guide. It all starts just after the cut below.%Gallery-39170%
Arena season 4 over, season 5 to begin December 17th
Gnorog on the EU forums posted notice a while ago that Season 4 is over. That means that all arena teams and ratings have been cleared, and arena charter NPCs have been disabled.Your arena points will stay with you until you reach level 71 however.But the end of Season 4 isn't the news.Season 5 will begin on December 17th for those players that have reached level 80. That's just a few days away. For those that haven't, the skirmish brackets of 71-75 and 76-80 are available. The time is now to start organizing your arena teams and get them in gear for the upcoming events.With all the changes in Wrath the next arena season promises to be interesting. Here's to bigger and better weapons! /cheers
What to get the person with everything - Holiday Gift Guide
If your diamond-encrusted iPod case is wearing out, or you simply must coat your new MacBook in gold, this list is for you. Presenting the most expensive, ridiculous and sublime gifts for the Apple fan in your life. 18-karat gold iPod shuffleIt isn't enough to have a gold shuffle. How about a gold shuffle that cost you more than $10,000? Or even twice that? Well, here you go -- this coating will cost you plenty but it does come with a wooden box and a certificate.Casa Gi Diamond EarbudsThere's an entire industry around diamond-and-gold audio headgear. Just check out this gallery over at Luxist. The Casa Gi set (from Italy, of course) wins points because I think they look like I would have seen them on "Falcon Crest," had earbuds been around in the 80's.Beatles Collector's BoxEven though we may not see the Beatles in iTunes any time soon, you can still cram them into your iPod the old fashioned way: rip them. Yes, even this $795 set makes you put the music into iTunes yourself. It comes with 13 of the fab four's CD's, however and a 120GB iPod classic, but still... I guess you could throw in a Ripstyles offer?The Ultimate Minimalist DeskIf you didn't already know, Steve Jobs doesn't like cords and clutter. If I bought him a gift, I'd send him this desk. In steel, definitely.Keep reading for more diamonds, a fridge that acts as an iPhone accessory, and more.%Gallery-38013%
Season 4 does not begin June 17th
There has been a rumor going around for a few days that arena season 4 will begin on June 17th. I actually heard this in Alterac Valley this weekend when I was plowing through the place with a few friends and tanking Drek and two of his generals.While lots of folks wish it was different, season 4 will not be starting on the 17th. Drysc said as much today in a blue post, and went on to reiterate that they will still be giving a two week notice of any upcoming season.Personally, I expect season 4 to start sometime in late July or early August. That gives it about four months of activity until the supposed release of Wrath of the Lich King in November. But even the release of WotLK in November is unconfirmed, and that's just my guess which is no better than any rumor you hear in a battleground. The only official word will come from Blizzard, which we'll have carried here as soon as we hear it.
Battlestar Galactica: Season 1 HD DVD arriving sans quality?
It's not like we haven't seen a high-profile HD title released without the expected level of quality, but it seems the QA lapse is bugging the HD DVD camp this go 'round. Apparently, hordes of angry Battlestar Galactica: Season 1 HD DVD buyers are flocking to message boards to grumble about the shoddy packaging, scratched up discs and other picture / audio niggles that certainly should not be appearing on a $70 (or more) box set. As the above image illustrates, it seems that some buyers are receiving the set only to find a plethora of unwanted scratches (presumably due to misaligned packaging), and if the stuttering playback wasn't bad enough, some customers are also finding image quality / audio sync issues with the included mini series. So, dear readers, have any of you experienced similar headaches? And if so, what's your plan of action?[Image courtesy of Amazon / J. Ryder, thanks Robert P.]
Patch 2.3: Let's play Gladiator Mix-n-match!
Tom Chilton is pretty busy this weekend talking with players about all the updated PvP items in Patch 2.3, and he's revealed another interesting new tidbit of information about coming changes to the Gladiator PvP sets earned from fighting in the arenas:As of patch 2.3 all items in the gladiator season 1, 2, and 3 sets will be part of the same set, so you can use those items interchangeably and keep the set bonuses (ie: you can wear the season 2 shoulders along with the season 3 helm, chest, legs) and retain the 4 piece set bonus.The separate sets for separate specs are going to stay the same, but now the set bonuses for each spec will be upgraded to work the same as the new 2 and 4-piece bonuses that are coming out, regardless of season. So for example, your class and spec's dps set bonus will work no matter which season your arena dps gear comes from. If I were an arena gladiator, I would be jumping up and down for joy right now. As it is, I still think that's pretty neat.[edited for clarity -- the set bonuses will work between seasons, but not between different specs, so healing sets and dps sets won't combine together. Also, the arena season 1 gear will still be moved into the honor system once season 3 comes out]
Battlestar Galactica: Season 1 coming to HD DVD
If you were amped up to find that Star Trek: The Original Series was headed to HD DVD, this tidbit could result in copious amounts of celebrating. Universal Studios has just announced that it will be bringing the complete first season of Battlestar Galactica to HD DVD this winter "in one elaborate box set." Reportedly, the set will be "presented in 1.78:1 widescreen anamorphic video and include a pair of audio options: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless and Dolby Digital Plus 5.1." Additionally, the package will be brimming with extras including a "picture-in-picture video commentary on the entire mini-series, more than a half-dozen featurettes, multiple deleted scenes," and the tantalizing "Encyclopedia Galactica." Mark your calendars, folks, as the set is slated to land on December 4th for $99.98.[Via HighDefDigest]
End of Arena season clarifications
A few people seem to be confused about what exactly the vaguely impending end of the arena season entails. Drysc is here to clear things up: Team ratings will not reset or decay after the season ends. Neither will arena points. New items may be introduced, but they may not, "depending on progression on the PvE front as well as what PvE content is available." I suppose this is because they don't want there to be a big gap between PvE and PvP gear. The sole purpose of the arena season is to give out the titles and armored nether drakes that go with being in the top 0.5% in your battlegroup. As far as I'm aware, an end date to the season has yet to be announced. April 15th is the cut-off for qualifiers for the tournament, but that's not necessarily the end of the season.The context of this blue post, by the way, was a thread entitled "Arena Season 2 is gonna suck bad." The argument is that after season one, everyone will have all their PvP gear, and there will be no more incentive to play. This argument seems to have two flaws: Not everyone will have all their gear at the end of the season. People will still play even if they have nothing to spend their points on -- yet. As Drysc points out, It wouldn't be very smart to quit playing just because there's nothing to buy, you're still making 'arena money". Full blue post copied after the cut.
A few Touch Detective Season 2 1/2 screens, and one creepy wallpaper
More news from Success today! Famitsu posted a few screens of Touch Detective Season 2 1/2 (Osawari Tantei Ozawa Rina Season 2/12). It turns out that the "Season" appelation is not just being clever; the game looks identical to its predecessor, meaning that the new content is limited to story, rather than graphics or gameplay. This is fine! We can appreciate restraint.Also, over at the Japanese home page, a "download" section has popped up with a weird, weird March calendar wallpaper. Feel free to browse around the home page and read the developer blog if you can. Just in case you don't feel like messing around with kanji or Flash, we've provided the wallpaper, and the Famitsu screens, after the break.
Ubisale at Toys R Us
There have been a lot of sales to report lately! If you picked up a Wii at Toys R Us yesterday, you now have an opportunity to get some relatively good games for a decent price, from now until the 10th.Toys R Us is offering three Ubisoft-published Wii games for the price of two. Your choices are GT Pro Series, Open Season, Rayman: Raving Rabbids, Red Steel, and Monster 4x4: World Circuit. This offer is valid online, but we aren't sure about its status in TRU stores. If there are three games in that list you're interested in, or two games you're interested in and one you think you could get a decent price for on eBay, then you are in luck![Via QJ.net]
HDTV Listings for October 31, 2006
What we're watching: Sure Dancing with the Stars, NCIS, Standoff and Gilmore Girls are all on tonight, but we know what we're watching. The NBA regular season is back, with a doubleheader of Heat vs. Bulls and Lakers vs. Suns. Sure it's not an all-skycam broadcast but Shaq, the real Big Ben, D-Wade, the reigning two-time MVP Steve Nash and (maybe) Kobe in 1080i? We're there, new ball and all.Our traditional high-def listings continue below.
