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DoubleAgent attack can use anti-virus apps to hijack your PC
Security researchers from Cybellum have discovered another technique cyber criminals can use to take over your computer. The zero-day attack called DoubleAgent exploits Microsoft's Application Verifier tool, which developers use to detect and fix bugs in their apps. Developers have to load a DLL into their applications to check them, and Cybellum's researchers found that hackers can use the tool to inject their own DLLs instead of the one Microsoft provides. In fact, the team proved that the technique can be used to hijack anti-virus applications and turn them into malware. The corrupted app can then be used to take control of computers running any version of Windows from XP to the latest release of Windows 10.
World of Warcraft player hits 90 without leaving Pandaren starting zone
The curious saga of World of Warcraft player Doubleagent has hit its pinnacle (for now) as the faction-neutral Pandaren character has maxed out his level at 90 this weekend. But why is this such a big deal, you ask? He did it without picking a faction, staying in the Pandaren starting zone, and mostly by picking herbs at 20-30 XP a pop. You can read more about Doubleagent's journey to 90 in this unique way over at the official forums, and be sure to check out WoW Insider's interview with him from earlier this year.
Neutral pandaren Doubleagent hits level 90
World of Warcraft may not have a third faction, but there is one player out there who has managed what seemed like a nigh-impossible feat. Doubleagent, the neutral pandaren who refused to choose a faction and leave the Wandering Isle, hit level 90 yesterday amid a crowd of cheering pandaren. Because he was stuck on the Wandering Isle, he had to obtain all those levels by picking herbs for a measly 20-30XP per node. Nonetheless, Doubleagent's patience won out, and now he has obtained the highest level he can currently get in game -- at about 174 days played on the account. What's in store for Doubleagent now? Waiting until Warlords, of course, at which point he can theoretically begin the long trek to 100. I highly doubt that anyone at Blizzard really expected a player to accomplish this feat, but one hopes that perhaps his perseverance will be acknowledged in some way. If nothing else, they could re-name the Herbalism trainer on the Wandering Isle after him, considering he's long since proved his prowess when it comes to picking posies. For more information from Doubleagent himself on the process of leveling sans-faction, check the thread on the official forums, and take a look at our interview with Doubleagent from earlier this year.
15 Minutes of Fame: Flower power pollinates leveling for true neutral pandaren
Crazy metagaming projects are among my favorite topics here at 15 Minutes of Fame. It's impossible not to catch the excitement of someone who's figured out a new way to spin Azeroth. Take for instance the curious case of Doubleagent , the "neutral" pandaren who's managed to make it to level 80 and still climbing without ever leaving the pandaren starting zone. In his case, staying put also means never having chosen a faction; Doubleagent is neither Horde nor Alliance but instead remains a neutral party. And the method to his madness? Flowers. Lots and lots of herbalism and flowers. Ticking through level 83 when this article was posted, Doubleagent continues to drift through the gentle fields leading to level 90 and beyond -- because oh yes, this is one player who plans to take his leveling project all the way to the top in the coming expansion as well.
World of Warcraft player hits level 80 without picking a faction
World of Warcraft player Doubleagent is going strong on his quest to level his Pandaren as a truly neutral character, recently hitting level 80 for his efforts. When last we saw Doubleagent in August 2013, he had reached level 60 by engaging in herbalism and inscription as his sole source of XP. WoW Insider reports that he just recently crossed the level 80 barrier and hopes to reach level 81 within two weeks. Doubleagent started his quest to level a true neutral Pandaran back in September 2012. You can check out the moment of level 80 glory in his video after the break!
Neutral pandaren Doubleagent hits level 80
You might think that WoW doesn't have a neutral faction -- every player, even the once-neutral pandaren, must pick a faction before advancing very far in the game. And while that's technically true, Blizzard clearly didn't count on the patience of Doubleagent, who just hit level 80 without selecting a faction. What makes this difficult is the fact that panadaren can't leave their starting zone without deciding to join the Alliance or Horde -- so Doubleagent has worked his way through the levels by picking herbs for experience. If you think this sounds particularly tedious, that's because it is: Doubleagent started this trek back in September 2012. So will Doubleagent eventually reach level 90? And will he ever be able to escape the Wandering Isle? And shouldn't there be some kind of achievement for this? We'll have to stay tuned to find out. In the meanwhile, read up on Doubleagent's quest on Reddit or watch his leveling video, which gives you an idea of how he's managed the trip to 80.
SkullCandy shows off MP3-playing Double Agent headphones
It's not like we haven't seen MP3-playing headphones before -- heck, we've even seen 'em from SkullCandy itself -- but the latest pair from the aforementioned firm simplifies things quite a bit. Quietly showcased at CES, the Double Agent cans sport a built-in SD slot and the typical assortment of controls on one earcup in order to take the external DAP / PMP out of the equation entirely. 'Course, we wouldn't recommend this to those who aren't fond of just shuffling through their tracks, but if you're aiming to consolidate, you can get one step closer to doing just that when this ships in March / April for a currently undisclosed price.[Via Gadgetell]
Double the fun with free Double Agent DLC
Today, Splinter Cell: Double Agent came down with a case of free downloadable content syndrome and as everyone knows, the only cure for such sickness is for you to give it a download. The free downloadable content includes two new multiplayer maps (Kinshasa and Secret Base), four new challenges, and a new Spy Girl character with three different outfits. And did we mention these goodies are free?Hopefully this new Double Agent content will satisfy Splinter Cell fans' appetite until the recently delayed Conviction releases in 2008. It'll be a long wait, but you'll survive.
Crime and punishment: Thieves make off with Sonic the Hedgehog
Though the choices that lead one down a path of crime are rarely considered to be wise, the weekend actions of an unknown number of thieves seem to imply that one bad turn often leads to another. The Argus reports that UK police were called to "Currys" after £1,700 worth of PlayStation 3 games were discovered to have illegally departed the store, presumably tucked inside someone's jacket, pants or some other article of clothing that would result in awkward movements. Police expect the kleptomaniacs to cash in on current PS3 euphoria and either attempt to gain refunds elsewhere or sell the game to unsuspecting folks. Sadly, it looks like crime might not fully pay on this occasion, as the robbers' loot included three copies of Splinter Cell: Double Agent, two copies of Ridge Racer 7, four copies of World Snooker Championship 2007 and, err... four copies of Sonic the Hedgehog. Being unable to sell those to any normal human beings, said ne'er-do-wells will likely attempt to play the game and then promptly turn themselves in. You get what you pay for, lads. [Via PSX Extreme]
Double Agent and Vegas for $39.99
Major Nelson brings word that Best Buy has Rainbow Six: Vegas on sale for $39.99. We checked it out and found out that Splinter Cell: Double Agent is available for $39.99 as well. If you've been waiting to pick up either one of these games, you could do a lot worse than a $20 discount. While you're at it, you may want to pick up a copy of Project 8 or Madden 07, which are on sale for the slightly less attractive price of $49.99. As an added bonus, you can get an additional $10 off of any of these titles if you pre-order Lost Planet. Vegas for $29? Not bad. Anyone else find any good deals today?[Via Major Nelson]
Double Agent single player sneaks to XBLM
For those of you who missed Splinter Cell: Double Agent -- or simply haven't had the time -- a single player demo is now available* on Xbox Live Marketplace (it looks like a College Hoops 2K7 demo is up as well).. I am loth to admit that I am one of those who have not played Double Agent at all. I think I had Enchanted Arms on my rental queue at the time (oh, if I had only known!). Still, if you haven't had a chance to play, or if you're just the kind of person who needs a demo to make purchasing decisions, now is your chance. The demo clocks in at about half a gig, so find something else to play while you're downloading. Here's a suggestion: just watch the Halo 3 ad over and over again until the download completes.*As usual, we are informed that this content will be available for Silver members in about a week.
Double Agent patch is hiding
According to the official Splinter Cell: Double Agent website, a patch for the game was released yesterday, but we're receiving reports that it is not yet available. The patch was set to fix multiple issues with the game, including lag issues, connection issues, and a few miscellaneous issues. We aren't familiar with these issues (I still haven't played the game) but we can only assume the fixes would be welcome. In fact, reading through the fix list makes it look like there are quite a few problems with the lobby system.Has anyone spotted the update yet, or is it still MIA?[Thanks, Bountyhunterinc]
Splinter Cell: Dynamic Advertising Agent
Concerned reader and avid Splinter Cell fan, Carlos Birdsong, shares some interesting info about Double Agent."I was playing SCDA with some friends as a Merc and I saw a spy run under a truck that had a Comcast ad on it. I was out of grenades and told one of my teammates to toss a grenade under the comcast truck, only he didn't see it. Why? He saw what was by default a Hong Kong truck instead of the Comcast truck.While I think in game ads are cool when in context, I saw some Comcast signage as well, but this dynamic ad rendering can affect gameplay--subtle but interesting side effect."Dynamic ad placement in games is starting to become commonplace, and situations like this could be an unfortunate byproduct. Have any of you experienced similar problems? Do you think dynamic ads should be removed from multiplayer games where positioning is important, or at least made so every player sees the same thing?[Image via Mega64]
New Wii hands-ons, plus Phoenix Wright import
Game|Life has scored some precious hands-ons with Ubisoft's Wii launch titles and also managed some time with the Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Justice For All (DS) import while traveling to and from the Ubisoft offices. Check out the coverage: Monster Truck 4x4 and GT Pro - "...just old games with Wii controls shoehorned in, and how do you really get excited about that?" Red Steel - "I didn't play Red Steel at E3 ... So I had no firsthand knowledge of the game until today. And what I played was great. Apparently they've made great strides between E3 and today, because the controls ... were spot-on..." Rayman Raving Rabbids - "...this might be the best non-Zelda game of the launch, and easily a great showpiece for the controller's abilities." Splinter Cell: Double Agent - "After spending a half an hour struggling to complete the first level of Double Agent on Wii, I went home, popped in the PS2 version, and blasted through it unscathed in minutes." Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Justice For All (DS import) - "Not only is the game bilingual, it's actually a global product. When plugged into an American DS system, the title bar on the console's menu screen reads -- instead of Gyakuten Saiban 2 -- 'Phoenix Wright: Justice For All.'"
How to get Double Agent for $48
After doing the post about the Assassin's Creed collector's edition, we couldn't help but notice this little tidbit. It looks like Play-Asia is offering the region free version of Splinter Cell: Double Agent for a measly $44.90. Add $3.10 shipping and you've got your own copy for $48. That's $12 dollars of the retail price. Not bad at all. We've done a story or two on region free Xbox 360 games in the past. For the uninitiated, 360 games released in Asia are often region free. Not only that, but they are usually completely identical to their English counterparts, right down to the manual. We haven't confirmed whether or not this is the case with Splinter Cell, but it's a fairly safe bet. Did anybody here get their copy from Play-Asia? For future reference, Play-Asia maintains a list of its region free 360 games. You might want to bookmark it if you enjoy saving money.
What are you playing: sneaky edition
It's time once again for that all important question, what are you playing? This week marks the release of Splinter Cell: Double Agent so, we imagine quite a few of you will be spending your weekend snapping necks and being all sneaky-like. Me, I've still got to wrap up Dead Rising, Lego Star Wars II is staring me in the face, and I have yet to crack into Enchanted Arms. And let's not forget that the Phantasy Star beta is still running. Oh, and that the Project 8 demo should hit today -- still not out as of this posting. On the Live Arcade front, there's Lumines and 3 more episodes of DOOM to clear up (on Ultra Violent difficulty, of course).Put simply, there's just too damned much to play. How 'bout you? What will you be playing this weekend?
Nivea and Sam Fisher want you to shave that beard!
Nivea has snuck its way into Sam Fisher's heart. The two have teamed up to bring you in-game advertisements! What better way to escape your everyday dreary and tedious world than to get pelted with ads for real companies while breaking someone's neck in a bathroom? Ubisoft's Splinter Cell: Double Agent will offer a fine array of Nivea and Philips Norelco products set along bathroom sinks in hotel rooms. There are also billboards specifically designed to talk to you, the gamer, not you, the Sam Fisher, saying such game-related teasings as "The 'Good Guy' almost never has a beard," and "There are many faces of evil. Don't let yours be one of them."If you want your ads to be subtle, use real ads. Ads in the real world. Don't make ads that are trying to talk about the game that's being played. That's like a movie stopping suddenly and listening for the audience to laugh, or if something unrealistic happens in a movie, a character cleverly snaps out the one-liner "Only in the movies!" Please. Game advertisements may be lucrative, but they're still lame. As much as the phrase itself irks us, we're tempted to say "sell-out", but it's becoming all too common in the "Realistic Gaming" world. Sam Fisher... you can be pretty stealthy, but you're not too good at dodging corporate advertisement offers. Hmm... it sounded a tad bit better in my mind.
Metareview: Double Agent
Reviews for Splinter Cell: Double Agent are pouring in. The consensus, more of the same, but that's not a bad thing. Most reviews point to the subtle refinements of the series. So far, the streamlined multiplayer seems to be the most controversial aspect of the game. Most critics tend to think it's a step in the right direction, but all of them know that the hardcore SC fans won't like the changes. IGN 90% - "Double Agent digs down into the very role of duality by giving gamers hard choices to make. Whether that means confronting the option of nuking innocents on a cruise ship or betraying Fisher's associates with a gunshot to the head, it's now possible." 1UP 80% - "... the co-op missions are just gussied-up versus matches, and because the versus game doesn't have any variations in objectives (spies simply hack at computer terminals to retrieve files to return to the starting base) or modes, multiplayer may start to wear out more quickly than in previous editions. Gamespot 85% - "Sam Fisher is the star of the Splinter Cell series, so it's odd that the multiplayer portions of these games, which he's in no way a part of, seem to be evolving much more rapidly than the solo campaigns. Double Agent's few keen twists on Splinter Cell's single-player gameplay don't result in a remarkably different experience from the previous games, though that doesn't mean it still isn't some of the best stealth action out there." As of right now, the game has an average of 87% on Metacritic. Not bad. Has anyone picked it up yet?
Splinter Cell: To 1080p or not to p
Has the 1080p console era arrived sooner than expected, courtesy of Ubisoft? The above pic is screen cap from a debug copy of Splinter Cell: Double Agent for the Xbox 360 showing support for "true HD" (to use Sony's patronizing marketing terminology). GamePro says they received confirmation from Ubisoft that the retail version will indeed support 1080p. Elsewhere, 1up says their contact told them "No, it's 1080i" but admits things are pretty hectic at Ubi right now, so who knows? All acknowledge that 1080p support is useless without the necessary update Microsoft, expected some time in the near future (although GamePro theorizes that it could be included on the Double Agent disc). Even then, without an HDMI solution from MS, the much-hyped resolution would be possible only via the rare 1080p HDTV (Sharp?) that supports 1920x1080 via VGA input. Meanwhile, back in standard-def-trying-in-vain-to-read-that -Dead-Rising-text land, the po' folk are snickering because their snooty 720p neighbors now have to go out and buy a new TV if they want to remain on the bleeding edge of the 360 community.How many lucky bastards already have a 1080p HDTV and are just dying to put it to use? How many don't think they'll get a 1080p set for years?Correction: As several readers have pointed out, only 1080p movies using the HD-DVD drive require HDMI. Games will work over both HDMI or VGA.[Thanks Luke]
Michael Ironside talks Sam Fisher
Michael Ironside, perennial badass, talks about his work as the voice of Sam Fisher in these two short videos. He also chimes in on his opinion of gamers in general. His impression: some of the most informed people around. Aw, shucks Michael, you're making us blush. Double Agent is getting closer every day. Anybody excited yet? Check out both videos after the break.
