The final phase of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm is almost upon us! You've probably already experienced the amazing transformations in the world of Azeroth since the recent patch changes, but until the expansion is released, we're all anticipating December 7.

Monday, December 6, GameSpot will be broadcasting live on location from Blizzard’s World of Warcraft: Cataclysm launch event being held here in the United States.

While Blizzard hasn't shared all the details about what to expect from the event, it has said to expect live performances by Blizzard's in-house and in-game band, The Artist Formerly Known As Level 80 Elite Tauren Chieftain, a dance contest, and a World of Warcraft developer meet-up and autograph signing! We'll also have trivia questions and special prize packs supplied by Blizzard for viewers watching from home.

So be sure to check back tomorrow for more details on the event and our coverage, which starts late Monday night, December 6, and count down to midnight with us live!

Update: Watch the replay!

For nearly a decade, GameSpot has had a censor bypass policy that has not always made sense to newcomers. Once the ropes were learned, things became easier for some users, but we often noticed confusion about two things: GameSpot news didn’t use the same censor bypass policy and the way we allowed a letter dash word format.

How come GameSpot’s news articles could censor bypass but the community had a different rule set? The logic here never made much sense, but once it’s made concrete in the Terms of Use agreement, the mods and staff over the years pretty much followed. Additionally, GameSpot content found in the news, videos, features, and reviews does not need to comply with the Terms of Use agreement because it’s intended for registered user content, although that’s another story you don’t need to be reminded about right now.

The other question was how come a user could use s-word or S, but they were moderated if they used s***. Well, as much as I would like to avoid ridiculing the Terms of Use of the past, the idea that there might have been logic at the time isn’t clearly understood.

What we have here is a change to GameSpot’s ever-growing community, and it’s about time for an update to censor bypass content, which will be similar to the way our editorial news staff deals with profanity.

Here are some basics about the changes:

- GameSpot members that have been moderated for censor bypassing will not have their moderations reversed.
- GameSpot members should heavily rely on the censor bypass system, which often alerts users about a censored word and automatically masks it.
- If GameSpot members would like to go through the trouble to use the first letter and mask the rest of the word format, they can do this based on the new rules.
- The rule about allowing acronyms (WTF and other related ones) has been added, but this has been a policy we have used over the past few years if the acronym was not offensive, flaming, or trolling.
- GameSpot members may now use some phrases that might have been moderated for censor bypassing over the years. For instance, what the frack (widely used among Battlestar Galactic fans) will be overlooked, but if the replacement word looks like the actual censored word, the content may likely be moderated.
- We have also added some additional examples about what kinds of words are not allowed; these include but are not limited to: g-r-i-s, gr*s, g**s, -grizzle, 9|-1$, gr1s, ***s, girs, gryeeeas.

If you report abuse, please make sure you understand the following:

- If you make a mistake, we won’t mark you for falsely reporting to the queue. The rules will take some time for everyone to figure out.
- If a GameSpot moderator or admin moderates you for the old rules, it means that they are at fault and the moderation is eligible to be reversed. Make sure you let the mods know by politely asking what you did wrong in the Ask the Moderators forum.
- If an admin believes that an acronym or phrase is inappropriate for the site, don’t be too surprised that the content is removed. You can also ask about why it was moderated for clarification.

Actual changes to the Terms of Use page have been outlined in the Ask the Moderator forum. Feel free to share if you appreciate the changes!

As you might recall, I don't have time to set aside to add a weekly report, but I did take some time today to read through nearly 100 GameSpotter blogs. Here are the ones that stood out!

Consoles, Handhelds, Mobile

- 24 hours with Kinect buft
- A Slice of Apple Pie Pierst179
- Kinect Will be in your House Setho10
- Justin Calvert's Kinect JusticeCovert
- Should Nintendo be worried? CrimsonMaher
- 25 years ago there was NES Opnotikis
- Kinect the Dots AK_the_Twilight
- Virtual Boy and the 3DS -Wheels-

Games, Games, Games

- Chocobo Crystal Tower Beta Impressions benleslie5
- Dumbed down first person shooters subyman
- Those Magical Mystery Games Eldramesha
- The Saboteur SmallMafia
- Gears of War poetry Polybren
- Left 4 Dead Series FermiParadox
- A closer look at Stalker 2 DraugenCP

GameSpotter's Perspective

- Is gaming changing us? TroubleMaker411
- CoD: Black Ops Game Night GunnyHath

Off the Wall

- SackBoy's Adventure 2 benleslie5
- There's something about zombies Allicrombie
- Kirby Carved Pumpkin gruntpocalypse
- Game Manuals of the Past Seiryuu-
- The Walking Dead television series kejigoto
- Top Video Game Soundtracks DraugenCP
- The Social Network - Film Review biggest_loser
- Long time, no blurb Asagea_888
- Video game characters' famous counter-parts 2k_fish
- R.A.T.7. Mouse M3ran
- Pretty Graphics Card xboxrulze

On a related note, this week's member spotlight goes to Allicrombie for the editorial about zombies! She received the member spotlight achievement and her name is featured on the forums page.

Drop back on Wednesday, November 3, to participate in our Medal of Honor game night on the Xbox 360 or PC. Chris Watters and Kevin VanOrd will be participating in this game night.

To participate, visit the game night chatroom on November 3, starting at 5 p.m. PT, and share your in-game name with GameSpot staff. We’ll see you then!

UPDATE: If you have any problems with the chatroom add Riverdogs (Chris) and xpcaligirl (Jody) as a friend for the Xbox 360 and fiddlecub (Kevin) as a friend on the PC version. You can also resolve the chatroom problem by making sure you have the most recent version of java.com

We have three seasonal achievements worthy of your attention! One achievement is no longer up for grabs, but there are two other seasonal achievements available. All you have to do is go to each forum activity page and read the rules. On November 1, staff will gather usernames and grant both of the achievements to eligible participants.

Crypt Crawler
I went game hunting in GameSpot's spooky crypt! In celebration of Halloween, we remembered numerous spooky games in a monthly Box Art guessing activity held in the General Games Discussion forum.

Mind Readers
Imagining that thou hast discovered a name - thou art a mind reader. In celebration of Halloween, this GameSpot member participated in a celebrity costume guessing game held in the Off-Topic forum!

Celebrity Costume Designer [no longer granted]
A celebrity in a costume is the ultimate antidote for laughter. In celebration of Halloween, this GameSpot member designed a costume for a celebrity. The costume was shared in the Off-Topic forum to give everyone the chance to participate in a celebrity guessing game!

Drop by the lastest batch for the guessing game contest and the spooky box hunt activity to check them out.

UPDATE: We have two more achievements up for grabs!

Now Playing Kinect Achievement: The Now Playing Kinect episode was published at midnight, and if you post in the comments you'll receive an achievement for your participation. Do this before Friday at 10am PT! The achievement is still being created, but it is said to be similar to the PlayStation Move achievement we granted.

Tater TOTS Halloween Achievement:Drop back on October 30th to watch the Halloween episode of Today on the Spot. There are also plans to have a Halloween TOTS episode achievement granted to those who provide feedback about the show. We'll give everyone the entire weekend to share your feedback about this special episode. If you liked certain parts of the show, share this. If you don't like certain parts of the show share what you think would have made it even better. We might call this a TOTS feedback achievements more than anything, but it's quite important for us to know what you like and dislike for future special episodes of the show.

I'm a couple of days late with the weekly report due to some Halloween-festive taping that the GameSpot video staff did over the weekend, and then I came down with a cold. More details about our Halloween episode will likely be announced soon enough. In the meantime, I gathered numerous blogs and caught up with majority of the latest user reviews, which means this Friday's report might be a bit on the lighter side.

Announcements

Game Night Quarter Four Suggestions
We’re still looking for your suggestions for upcoming game nights. Right now, there are a variety of games suggested so be sure to share which ones you’d like to participate in and feel free to suggest other games.

Box Art Hunt - Spooky Edition
Test your spooky box art knowledge in the latest edition of GameSpot's Box Art Hunt activity! You all have until November 1 at 12 a.m. to submit your guesses. Make sure you have an answer for each box art (even if they are incorrect). You should try to get at least 15 out of 20 games correct. Please note that some of these games are M for mature.

Off-Topic Celebrity Costume Contest
If you plan on submitting a celebrity in a costume, we have extended the deadline until October 20 at 10 a.m. PT. The costume designers will be granted a special emblem and those who participate in the guessing game that will begin October 22 will receive another type of emblem for participating. Check the rules page for further details.

System Wars Monthly Update
The September edition of System Wars Monthly 2.0 is currently packed with a variety of games along with a buying guide, and reviews.

Game Night: Halo Reach MVP Update
Chris and Shaun will be going through your Halo Reach replay submissions some time this week to select the MVP who will receive this nifty Bungie bag Thanks to those who participated!

GameSpaces Button Additions
You can now buy and sell games directly from the gamespace via Glyde's inline store. We're continuing to refine the experience in the coming days and weeks. To share feedback and view an example please drop by the Site Enhancement forum for details.

Member Spotlight

This week’s member spotlight goes to Gelugon_baat for sharing how he created his entry for TheHotSpot homework emblem. Gelugon_baat shared some notes about the developers. Overall, it's a nice creative and neat blog worthy of your attention.

Featured User Videos

The following user videos have been featured on the forums page.
- Community of the Future! LegendofNerd
- Dead Rising 2 - Saving Esther 2 Rheinmetal
We also have some additional videos that have not been featured in this news report.

User Reviews

- DS: Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution GeekyDad | Picross 3D JustPlainLucas |
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass LOLhahaDEAD | Rhythm Heaven Azghouls | Professor Layton and the Unwound Future Pierst179
- GBA: Klonoa: Empire of Dreams e kbaily | Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga c_rake
- GameBoy: Contra: The Alien Wars Gelugon_baat
- PC: Torchlight Azghouls | Batman: Arkham Asylum stephenage
- PS2: Sub Rebellion ebbderelict
- PS3: Madden NFL 11 smithbubbajones | White Knight Chronicles ZanarkandTidus |
Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening AzelKosMos | Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Asagea_888
- PSP: Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker calvinsora
- Wii: Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 kbaily | Bit.Trip Runner c_rake
- X360: Risen celtic1962 | Green Day: Rock Band Domstercool | FIFA Soccer 11 64316431 | Scott Pilgrim vs. the World AK_the_Twilight

Staff Fingerprints

- The worst thing you'll see all day Brendan Sinclair
- Kirby's Epic Yarn War Sophia Tong
- Super Scribblenauts in System Wars Tom McShea
- Assassin's Creed Tattoo: Complete Kevin VanOrd
- Fond memories of Star Raiders John Davison
- I just can't stop digging, okay Jane Douglas
- On the Spot Classics: Don King Stanley Lin

Blog Bunker

Halloween Flavored
- Scary Moments in gaming Opnotikis
- Top Five Favorite Horror Movies macrules_640

Inside the Spot!
- Legolas versus Chris Watters Legolas_Katarn
- Halo: Reach Game Night was good times bowlingotter
- Top 25 GameSpot Bloggers fastesttruck
- 1 Year Anniversary dapman418

The Systems
- Happy Birthday NES! Gen_Warbuff
- Alienware M11x: First Impressions aerobie
- New Laptop Pics! Allicrombie
- Top 5 WiiWare Games Pierst179

Games, Games, Games
- Thoughts on Medal of Honor bowlingotter
- Now Playing #13: Dead Rising 2 JustPlainLucas
- The 2D Platformer Revival Setho10
- 10 Video Game Concepts That Need To Die DraugenCP
- Dangers of 3D and Motion Control Gaming Sukharevskaya
- Repetition in Gaming Transilvanien
- Bioshock Moments ebbderelict
- Mixing Gaming and Religion Can Work TheTrueMagusX1
- DOTA2 Perspective bleigh316
- Castlevania: Lords of Shadow: In Another Castle MC_Bally_Who
- Recently Completed DLC and Games SavoyPrime
- 5 Games I am scared to play ShootumUP26
- Keeping up with the games buft
- The Power-Ups in the Gaming World nachi_lobo

Off the Wall
- Sony: PS3 will no longer be PS3 compatible Egonga
- Insert Coin #1: X-Men The Arcade Game JustPlainLucas
- Halo for Atari 2600 whoozwah
- Let Me In – Swedish Vampire Film Review biggest_loser

Tip of the Week

The latest tip of the week is about how to get around a disruptive moderation for posting in the game boards.

This week’s tip will provide details about how you can avoid getting moderated for a technical problem happening in the game boards.

Now that GameSpot users are notified about game board moderations, we have noticed more reports about difficulties to view any recent posts in the shared game boards. The symptoms consist of a GameSpot member creating or posting in a shared game board discussion, and there are no recent posts displayed for hours or even days later. While viewing the GameFAQs version of the same game board, there are in fact numerous new posts in a discussion. I am uncertain if this bug is related to concerns reported last May or not, but staff is aware of a way to resolve the problem. Unfortunately, this bug is not something that will be fixed right away because there are numerous bugs ahead of it.

While there might be a couple of ways to work around this bug, let me share the problem that frequently has been happening among GameSpot members in particular, which is the reason for this week’s tip. Some GameSpot members tried to find a way to work around this technical problem on their own by posting one period or letter in a post to display the most recent responses made in a discussion thread. GameFAQs and GameSpot users have been reporting these posts for posting disruptive content because a period or a single letter does not provide anything to a discussion.

GameSpot users have asked why they are receiving moderations for a technical problem, but the reality is they are not using the proper workaround. Now that I am aware of the problem happening quite frequently, I contacted the community manager at GameFAQs about deleting the reported disruptive content with a warning instead of karma loss. GameFAQs was unaware of this technical problem and agreed that karma loss wasn’t appropriate as long as the posts are happening by GameSpot users. While any reported disruptive content will continue to be removed with a warning mark, it is best to avoid posting disruptively in the game boards.

Until this technical problem gets resolved, the best way to avoid getting moderated is to drop by the GameFAQs version of the game board to read the responses. You can do this by going to the front page of the game board, scrolling down to the bottom of the page, and clicking the GameFAQs link, which will take you to the GameFAQs version of that same game board. Once you are on the GameFAQs version of the game board, scroll to the discussion you would like to read. Now that you know what has been said in the discussion thread, you can go back to the GameSpot version of the game board to post your response.

Announcements

Box Art Hunt - Spooky Edition
Test your spooky box art knowledge in the latest edition of GameSpot's Box Art Hunt activity! Learn more by clicking the link above.

Off-Topic Celebrity Costume Contest
As you might know, we don’t allow any kind of games discussion in this forum because there are numerous forums for games, and the general games discussion forum is good for random gaming topics. We figured it was time to give the off-topic posters a chance to dress up celebrities in costumes. Once the entries have been received, we’ll have a guessing game contest open to everyone who would like to participate.

Game Night: Halo Reach
Chris Watters would love to jump into some games with you all next Wednesday starting at 5 p.m. PT. Drop by the game night discussion if you can attend and share your suggestions about upcoming game nights.

ToU Agreement Updates Coming Soon
We plan to have some edits to the Terms of Use agreement early next week. The changes won’t necessarily be anything new to many of you who understand what will get you moderated. Click the link above for further details

Minor Advertisement Changes
We have made a couple of changes to the appearance of certain areas around the site. Pages were changed with a different-sized advertisement (changed from 160x600 to 300x250) and minor appearance changes include the gamespace forums (game boards linked from a game page), regular forums/UCB discussion pages (known as threads), image index pages, image view, and the search results.

Side Note
I am taking baby steps to return the weekly report back as normal, so the user videos and reviews were not included this week due to having a limited time to view all of them in the past few weeks. I am considering an additional news post some time next week to share a couple months' worth of user videos and the past few weeks of user reviews. We also have information for the Terms of Use agreement to share next week among other little tidbits. Wish me luck!

Member Spotlight

This week’s member spotlight goes to bowlingotter for having an interesting selection of scary game recommendations in his blog. A couple of these scary games were also mentioned by GameSpot editors when I needed their list of scary games for the box hunt activity earlier this week. If you haven’t already submitted your answers for the Spooky Box Art Hunt activity, check his blog for a couple of clues about a couple of games!

Blog Bunker

Holiday Bundle
- It's the Holiday Season. Where are the Games? ErrolJames
- Frightful Gaming 2010 Series - Part 1 TwistedMetalFan
- Games and the deadly winter season Opnotikis

Consoles & Handhelds
- Playstation Move impression otacon645
- What Happened To PC Games? Creigz
- How about that 3DS? AK_the_Twilight

Games! Games! Games!
- 5 Games That Make Me Happy MC_Bally_Who
- Beating Final Fantasy 7 TheMosesMan
- Borderlands 2 Wishful Thinking List BessenStock
- Enslaved: Odyssey to the West Impressions bowlingotter
- Bungie, I salute you! Azghouls
- DLC. My newest enemy 198d
- Remembering Games Past - Volume 2 Asagea_888
- Online-only games really the future? jazzfan4

Player Driven
- Scarcer Resources to a Gamer gdw0908
- The moon is disappointing when we expect the stars GabuEx
- A unique and memorable gaming experience luc11044n
- Why casual gaming is hardcore gaming's best friend Thekiteless
- Designing Games For Girls Setho10
- Seven things that every Gamer shares MrWhite325

Off the Wall
- The Video Game Industry (Poem) crazyluigi199
- Halo And Star wars are brothers? Msteele48
- Top 5 Favorite WWE Superstars YoungMaverick
- Samus is a WOMAN? CrimsonMaher
- Gaming's Greatest: Best Weapons Sukharevskaya

Event Exploration!
- Post-Pax Impressions SymonDezyn
- Eurogamer Expo Experience -INKling-

Tip of the Week

The tip of the week is back, and it's all about writing and reading reviews! [Details]

Test your spooky box art knowledge in the latest edition of GameSpot's Box Art Hunt activity! To participate, drop by the general games discussion forum and follow the instructions about how to participate. Because this is a guessing game, you can get away with having five answers wrong, and you do not have to have the correct spelling for each game. For instance, if someone puts SCARAB when the correct spelling is S.C.A.R.A.B., we will look over the typo. You may also use acronyms. You must have an answer for all 20 game titles and have at least 15 out of 20 games correct to receive the Spooky Box Art achievement.

Here's a sneak peek!

Submit your answers before November 1 and you'll be considered a participant for this fun and spooky activity!