Innehållsförteckning för January 2015 från New Age Gaming

Hi, welcome. Please come in and take a seat. Let’s chat about the magazine you’re holding in your hands. By now I’m sure you’ve noticed that this issue of NAG is saddle-stitched, or “stapled” as normal people call it. We used to be perfect-bound, which gave us a nice little spine to hold together the magazine (and write silly messages on, more importantly). This change is based on a few things, but ultimately it comes down to the fact that perfect-binding an 84-page magazine (like this month’s issue) was causing issues for our printing company due to how thin the magazine is at this page count. So we made the call to change to saddle-stitching for the foreseeable future. Sure, we could go back to perfect-binding for the times when…

@nagcoza Nico @nagcoza hi guys #excellent Dec issue of NAG. I love the secret poster and I hope u wil put one in the next issue also please. :) Marquard @nagcoza well played with the secret kover edition Warrior You often hear that magazine publication is a dying art. NAG throws that myth in the dirt... Brilliant read @nagcoza PoisonMule63103 @nagcoza do u think subzero ever used his powers to cool a beer on a hot day Alex Judeel @nagcoza can’t wait for my prize that (supposed to get 1 month ago) who do I blame? Me for not living in Jo’burg and the dreaded Post Office Nahuel Graziani @nagcoza used to have funny videos on their discs. This was my Youtube before internet. God bless you, NAG.…

Let’s have a discussion about sex, shall we? Well now, that got your attention, you salacious little minx you. Video games and sex have always had a tumultuous relationship. Sex and video games go back as far as the early 1980s to text-based adventure games like the imaginatively named Softporn Adventure. However, it was the alleged rape scene in the 1982 Atari 2600 title Custer’s Revenge that thrust gaming and fornication’s coupling into a decidedly negative limelight. That was with good reason too: the game’s very crude graphics depicted General Custer supposedly raping a Native American woman. Later iterations made the Native American woman beckon Custer to come closer, thereby obviating the accusations of rape. Still, the game set the tone for how many people would perceive sex in video…

ever since The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim completely devoured hundreds of hours of my life, I’ve been hankering for another open-world RPG to reawaken the feelings of awe and excitement I felt when first looking out over the tundra of Whiterun. BioWare has given that to me in Dragon Age: Inquisition, and I absolutely adore them for doing so. Picking up almost exactly where Dragon Age 2 left off, Inquisition begins with an explosion that tears a hole in the veil separating the physical world of Thedas and the demon world beyond. In case you cannot infer, that’s a bad thing. Luckily your character is the sole survivor of the cataclysmic explosion, but when you awaken you discover a mark on your hand and onlookers proclaiming you the Herald of…

assassin’s Creed Rogue is a weird filler game that is a direct sequel to Black Flag, however it still contains links to Assassin’s Creed III and features appearances by Haytham Kenway and Adewale. It ties up the loose ends that fell between the cracks in these games, and although it was released at the same time as its big brother Unity, it links only loosely to it in terms of story. You play as Shay Patrick Cormac, a younger member of the Brotherhood who, after making some startling discoveries, defects and joins the Templars. He then proceeds to hunt down and destroy his former Assassin brothers, becoming an “Assassin Hunter”. Although there is a period specific character, in the modern day portion of this game you play as a new…

with an epic graphics update and 5,000 new animations, this next instalment in the series really earns a spot on your shelf. The gameplay itself has also seen some key improvements as motion, spacing on the court and reactions are all more natural. Defence can feel a little too much like hard work, but offence is mad fun. You get to feel super slick; faking here, cutting there, shooting like the pro you’re pretending to be. What’s cool about this game is that the different modes really cater to different playing styles. As a player in MyCAREER, you can really get into the personality of the dude as you look for sponsors and market yourself on social media. You also get to customise your player through the face scan feature…

PSU Corsair AX1500i PSU R5,799 / www.corsair.com GRAPHICS EVGA GTX 980 Classified R11,999 / www.evga.com OS DRIVE OCZ Vector 150 R2,808 / www.ocz.com STORAGE DRIVE WD Black 4TB FZEX R3,099 / www.wdc.com CHASSIS Corsair Obsidian 900D R4,299 / www.corsair.com DISPLAY ASUS VG248QE R5,999 / www.asus.com KEYBOARD Razer BlackWidow Ultimate R1,700 / www.razerzone.com COOLER Cooler Master Nepton 280L R1,499 / www.coolermaster.com MOUSE GAMDIAS Zeus gaming mouse R869 / www.gamdias.com MOUSE MAT Razer Ironclad R599 / www.razerzone.com SOUND Creative Sound Blaster ZxR R3,599 / www.soundblaster.com HEADPHONES HyperX Cloud R1,099 / www.kingston.com INTEL INTEL CORE I7 5960X R13,999 / www.intel.com MSI X99S XPOWER AC R6,069 / www.msi.com CORSAIR VENGEANCE LPX DDR4 2,800MHZ 16GB KIT R5,799 / www.corsair.com INTEL DREAM MACHINE R69,265 AMD AMD FX 8350 R2,999 / www.amd.com ASUS CROSSHAIR V FORMULA-Z R3,699…

DEEPCOOL STEAM CASTLE Supplier / Rebel Tech Website / www.rebeltech.co.za RRP / R1,669 The apparently steampunkinspired (it says so on the box, so it must be true) Steam Castle is a pretty unique-looking PC chassis. Its bold, curvy aesthetic is sure to garner attention. It supports microATX and mini-ITX motherboards, and can cater for dual installations of GPUs up to 320mm long, and it comes pre-installed with a 200mm fan on the front panel and a 120mm fan in the back. You’re free to install a 240mm fan or radiator on the top of the chassis as well. The tools-free design means you can quickly mount 2.5-inch/3.5-inch SSDs and HDDs (two of the former, three of the latter). There’s also one 5.25-inch drive bay. You’ll find four expansion slots…

Letter of the Month January 2015 From: Dillon Birns Subject: Gaming Police For the past year and a half, I’ve somewhat disregarded my studies and been engrossed in my favourite pass-time of Dota. There’s nothing like playing with 4 mates until the sun comes up, crushing noobs and getting the critically-acclaimed title of ‘God-like!’ that brings a smile to my face. However, recently my smile has turned into rage. Not because I’m “mad cause bad”, but because of this newish breed of steam-cyber-stealers who hack into people’s accounts, emptying them of their hard-earned items. I was recently the victim of one of these ‘attacks’. Needless to say, I almost flipped a table. Not only have I lost all my items, but with Dota’s new item drop system, I knew I…

Why so serious? I decided that this month’s column could take a dose of the good ol’ first-person narrative, mainly because I internally cringe at the prospect of even accidentally hiding myself from a conversation about people I’m actively working with (this being the lovely crew at Formula D, who I’ll come to in a moment). It’s also because this piece scratches an itch I’ve had since realising that Desktop Dungeons was a great game which didn’t matter as much as I originally thought it did. By this, I mean that working as a game developer is a satisfying, dangerous, interesting, artsy kind of profession, yet occasionally subject to a hollow feeling of bourgeois indulgence. There’s the unshakeable feeling that within the broader social context, we’re just gathering crews of…

Question / It’s the zombie apocalypse! AAAAAHH! What one thing do you grab on your way out the house? CHRIS “SAVAGE” SAVIDES My dogs, undetected by zombies I’ll train them to go on scouting and food runs. CURRENTLY PLAYING Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, StarCraft II DANE “BARKSKIN” REMENDES All the fresh undies I can carry. I don’t expect I’ll survive long, so I’d at least like to know I maintained an adequate level of nether-hygiene until the bitter end. CURRENTLY PLAYING Far Cry 4, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor DELANO “DELANO” CUZZUCOLI Wait, why would I be going OUT the house in the zombie apocalypse? I’ll lock myself inside and live off noodles, thanks. CURRENTLY PLAYING Insurgency GEOFF “GEOMETRIX” BURROWS My copy of John Seymour’s The New Complete Book of…

after a number of years of accepting its place in FIFA’s shadow, PES has stepped forward into a more competitive light once again in its 2015 instalment. The competition between the year’s two biggest soccer games is fierce, but rest assured, they definitely have their differences. FIFA 15 is all about the flash, the big names, the excitement – you get to feel a bit like a hero; while PES is more about the serious side of the sport, the crafting of skill and a greater realism – you get to feel like a professional soccer player. It’s a case of “the game of soccer” versus (the game of) “the sport of soccer.” While some have slated its interface and overall appearance for falling behind its competitor aesthetically, it really…

every time I boot up Driveclub, I feel a strong sense of déjà vu, as if I’ve played this game before. That’s probably because I did play a game that was largely similar – it was called Need for Speed: ProStreet. Though Driveclub seems to have no secret ambition to be a realistic driving simulator, it matches my experiences with ProStreet on almost every level. In Driveclub, players are challenged to win races, complete objectives and beat the challenges that other players have put up for specific tracks. These challenges can require you to beat an average speed, rack up drift points, or hold to a racing line as close as possible. Beating these challenges in single-player gives you more XP to rank up your character, while doing the same…

sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition is a re-release of the 2012 game, and in general adds a great deal more value to the package. The story follows Wei Shen, an undercover cop in Hong Kong as he infiltrates a triad and attempts to bring it down. The plot feels like it was ripped straight from Chinese action cinema, and tells a good story of lies, deceit, and justice delivered by jump-kicks. The Definitive Edition includes numerous DLC items and presentation updates. The voice acting is superb (featuring talents like Emma Stone), and, while the cut-scenes look dated and ugly, the in-game graphics are richly detailed and gorgeous to behold. Three large DLC storylines are also included, and see you entering martial arts tournaments or battling the undead. Gameplay mixes exploration, driving,…

SPECS SENSOR 6,400dpi optical sensor WEIGHT 116g SIZE 126x67x45mm BUTTONS 6 (Omron D2F/Cswitches) The ROG Gladius gaming mouse from ASUS is one more attempt by the vendor to win the hearts of gamers who primarily play FPS games. This isn’t the first mouse to come from ASUS: there have been several others, each met with varying degrees of success. With the Gladius, it appears that ASUS is looking to strike the right cord with gamers by adding this to their ROG family which includes motherboards, gaming monitors, graphics cards etc. The scroll wheel on our review sample was erratic to say the least. One moment it would register presses with but the slightest of touches then the next it would need an excessive amount of force. The scroll function is…

SPECS FREQUENCY RESPONSE 20Hz – 20kHz IMPEDANCE 16 ohms DRIVER UNITS 50mm CABLE LENGTH 2.2m Sades has proven repeatedly that they’re able to deliver top-class gaming headsets at an alluringly low price point, despite what their packaging’s terribly translated English may suggest. The USB-powered, PC-focused A60 isn’t much different – but its slightly higher-than-expected price and a number of design stumbles tarnish what is otherwise an excellent headset. The relatively flashy aesthetic is either going to attract your attention or immediately maim it, largely thanks to the bright blue padding on the cups and headrest, and ear cup LEDs that switch between blue, green and red lighting. While the materials used aren’t of the highest quality, the A60 does feel sturdy enough that it’ll survive many LANs without falling to…

And now for something completely different 1 Okay, so maybe not completely different because it’s not like I’m planning to dump everything and board an experimental spaceship to a supermassive black hole2 , but it’s a new year and that means it’s time to get started on that stuff I was supposed to do in 2014 which I should have done in 2013 because I pinky-promised I’d do it in 2012 after sort of forgetting about it in 2011 even though I was totally going to do it in 2010 already, and you know how it is. Actually, I’m not even sure now what it was, so it probably doesn’t matter. Also, I’m never going to finish Skyrim. There, it’s in print so it’s forever3 . In fact, let’s…

QUESTION / What game surprised you the most? Either in a good way or a bad way. Luftrausers. I hadn’t even heard of it. Next thing I know it’s 2:00AM and I’m alone on the couch. Again. - nukehead Dota 2. I had played the original Dota and hated it, but once I got hooked on Dota 2 my fate was sealed. Have over 4000 hours in it now. - Acinixys Vanquish. The crappiest game I have ever played in my life! :( - Infamous_Killer I am continually surprised that people care about Minecraft. And crafting mechanics in general. - Cleric…

far Cry 4 is great at crafting stories. Not in the traditional narrative sense, but the sort of mini-stories that stay with you long after you’ve forgotten why you were ever in Warzone X in the first place. Like that one time a pack of wild dogs gate-crashed your stealthy hostage rescue. Or when that demon fish bugged out and started dragging people out of boats. In essence, Far Cry 4 is a great big funhouse, a violent theme park carefully designed to never stop giving its visitors exactly what they want, when they want it, delivering a gleeful surprise around every corner. On the surface, it’s not much more than a mindless open-world shooter, in which you point your gun at things and click frantically until they die. But…

when GTA V first launched in 2013, it redefined open-world gaming and multiplayer sandbox. It had a few issues, but the re-release addresses all of those and we are left with a game that is almost perfect. The core of the game remains unchanged both offline and online. The story is still a meticulously told tale of greed and ambition, driven by three strong and varied characters. The online section gets a few updates, most notably more customisation options for character creation and an increased player cap of 30. The game also includes all of the previously released DLC, but the promised Heist missions still haven’t been added yet. The biggest change is the first-person mode. Without a doubt, this is the best reason to re-visit Los Santos, and experiencing…

codemasters’ F1 2014 is another title worthy of the F1 licence and the last hurrah for the PS3 and Xbox 360. This time around, it’s easier to jump into a career. Players now sign up to a team of their choice for a long or short season, instead of climbing the ladder to get to Ferrari or Mercedes AMG. There are also various challenges you can complete out of or in-season and if you’re just looking for a race, that’s still there too. Like most yearly franchises, F1 has legacy roots stretching back multiple games, but it’s not yet past its prime. The graphics are good and the default controls are sensible. The physics engine does make using a controller easier, but unless you’re a purist and turn off all…

Making smarter buying decisions. Chances are by the time you read this, many of us will still be on holiday. Perhaps some of us may even have some money left over from the silly season. Last issue I wrote about making sensible purchases for your gaming machine beyond just “speed”-increasing upgrades. This issue I’m further compelled to speak on this because I’ve read on the web about people planning on SLI setups and gearing themselves up for 4K gaming going into 2015. All these investments are based around the 900 series GeForce GPUs of course. As great as these GPUs are, and I’m a massive advocate for the entire series thus far, it is worth stating that they are not wise purchases in all contexts. This is true for…

SPECS WEIGHT 350g FREQUENCY RESPONSE 15 ~ 25,000 Hz IMPEDANCE 60 ohms NOMINAL SPL 98dB Kingston has come out with their first true gaming peripheral and it is one impressive headset. Impressive isn’t the word really because, despite a few misses here and there, acoustically there hasn’t been a set to produce such a neutral and balanced sound. Coming from the plethora of headsets that are either bass heavy, have harsh high frequencies, narrow sound stages, muffled mids or all the above, the Cloud headset suffers the least in all of these. In fact, for the price there really isn’t a better sounding set of cans. You’ll find no neodymium drivers here, and there’s a relatively “narrow” frequency response range, even the signal to noise ratio by numbers isn’t impressive.…