News Roundup UPDATED

Today (November 16) has extended maintenance, probably for them to add Patch 4.0.3 and all its changes in preparation for next week's The Shattering patch (4.0.3a).
http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/11/16/tuesday-morning-post-elemental-extended-maintenance-edition/

A bit about Patch 4.0.3
http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/11/16/4-0-3-released-no-patch-notes-no-game-changes-yet/

http://www.wowhead.com/blog=173983

Amazon is throwing in Burning Crusade free if you buy WOW.  This is a limited offer, just good during the day after Thanksgiving "Black Friday" sales.  Details here.
http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/11/15/pre-black-friday-amazon-offering-burning-crusade-free-with-wow/

Blizzard is giving 7 free days of game play to folks who have unsubscribed.
http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/11/15/blizzard-giving-7-days-of-free-play-to-lapsed-accounts/

Part four of the Elemental Invasion is live.
http://www.wowhead.com/blog=173902

The old forums are going read-only November 17.  Blizzard is opening the new forums.
http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/11/16/official-wow-forums-going-read-only-on-wednesday-new-community/

UPDATE:  Blizzard has released a preview of another new area, Tol Barad.
http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/11/16/blizzard-releases-new-cataclysm-preview-tol-barad/

UPDATE #2: Patch 4.0.3a is up on the public test realm.
http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/11/17/patch-4-0-3a-the-shattering-is-up-on-the-ptr/

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Copyright Solo MMO Player at http://solommo.blogspot.com

Microsoft's Games for Windows Site Opens

First impressions of the Games for Windows website.
http://kotaku.com/5690925/can-microsofts-new-online-store-compete-with-steam

Here is the direct link to Microsoft's new PC game download marketplace.
http://www.gamesforwindows.com/en-US/

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Copyright Solo MMO Player at http://solommo.blogspot.com

Starcraft 2 Pirated Big Time (Part 2 Leaked?)

Starcraft 2 sold 3 million copies the first month it was released (and Blizzard gave away untold copies in Korea).  Now it looks like there over two million copies were pirated through BitTorrent.  Looks like there are more unpaid copies available than ones folks paid for.
http://kotaku.com/5690866/pirates-are-all-over-starcraft-ii

In other Starcraft 2 news, Kotaku has a video that supposedly leaks the ending of next year's Starcraft 2 expansion.
http://kotaku.com/5709838/ending-leaked-for-starcraft-iis-next-chapter

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Copyright Solo MMO Player at http://solommo.blogspot.com