Battlefield 1 They Shall Not Pass DLC Weapons Revealed

They finally announced it! D.I.C.E has finally unveiled what weapons we will be getting in the upcoming They Shall Not Pass DLC for Battlefield 1. Below is a list of these weapons which include 6 guns and 3 melee weapons. In addition to these weapons, 2 new operations will also be included, as well as the maps already announced. Read more on these topics at the official Battlefield 1 DLC page here.

Guns

Ribeyrolles 1918

RSC 1917

Lebel Model 1886

Chauchat

Sjögren Inertial

MLE 1903 Extended

Melee Weapons

Cogwheel Club

Nail Knife

Trench Fleur (2 Variations)

Want more info on the new weapons? Click here for Westie's analysis of the new weapons coming to the game

What Happened to Virtual Reality Gaming?

So here's the thing, virtual reality headsets have been out for some time now so why haven't they blown up? These things are literally technology from the future and yet they aren't really selling like such. Fair warning, I will not be reviewing headsets but instead I will try to figure out why all the VR buzz has stalled.

Problem 1

The number one problem by far is selection of games to play. There are actually quiet a few to my surprise but none are really that popular. You don't see big name games like Call of Duty, Battlefield, ESO... the list goes on. I do believe however that eventually all games will come with VR compatibility. Currently though, the overall trend of VR games are mostly platform games with simple objectives. The few exceptions are games based purely on their ability to show off an environment. Yes, it is very cool to be standing in the Jurassic period watching dinosaurs but when will we see the more popular games adopt VR? Hopefully soon, I would love to be running around the trenches of WWI in Battlefield but no.

Problem 2

The second problem and this is why I haven't purchased any VR headset to date is because of the price. I have and prefer PS4 game play so I'd probably buy Sony's headset for $400. That actually isn't that bad compared to the Oculus Rift - $700 and the HTC Vive - $800. So yeah they're expensive and as mentioned before, the most popular games aren't available so you're gonna be paying all this money to potentially play games you don't want to play. Seems pretty pointless if you ask me. They either need to lower the price or at least make some games compatible so its worth buying.

Where is VR Headed?

I think VR paired with any space game or any game with a good cinematic appeal will do great. I just saw the VR trailer for ace combat 7 and it looks amazing. It will actually feel like you're in the sky flying a jet, shooting down enemies and that to me is amazing. Graphics are always getting better so I have a feeling all of us will soon be able to experience life like activities and environments while sitting at home. The possibilities will be endless on what you can do and where you can go with VR. I don't play Sports games as much as others but I think VR will appeal to this demographic of gamer's too. Instead of simply watching the quarter back you will be the quarterback and have to scan the field like a pro to find open receivers. Now that is cool, that will get me to buy the headset and game. We have only talked about video games thus far and well duh, it's a gaming blog but VR has potential in other places too. This might be a little far in the future but putting on the headset to watch a basketball game live court side would be pretty awesome. I'm not quiet sure how the tech would work but i have this idea of putting a camera near the court and then people could stream it from there. Yeah, that idea might be flawed but its definitely something to think about in the future. So will I buy a VR headset soon? Maybe, as soon as enough games are available and I deem it actually worth it I will grab one ASAP.

To Infinity And Beyond: The Need for Space Exploration Games

Destiny, No Man's Sky, and Star Citizen. All very different games, but all have something in common. Space Exploration. With the urge for human beings to colonize mars and the revitalization of the Star Wars franchise saga, the hype for space exploration games could not be at a higher level.

Personally, the idea of jumping from planet to planet at FTL speeds and interacting with the uniqueness each planet has to offer is the ideal gaming experience for me. I don't even think the appeal for these games is the fact of the setting is in space, but rather that the player gets to discover something new. It's that, "oh look! I found a new planet and its mine and I get to explore every little detail it has to offer" feeling we all get when we play an exploration/adventure type game. These types of games fulfill that natural human curiosity each of us has that pushes us to discover and explore to our minds desire.

In recent years gaming companies have recognized the communities love for science fiction and the curiosity we humans have for space travel and exploration. We see developments like No Man's Sky that introduces an infinite universe of worlds to discover. On the opposite side of the spectrum we see games in development like Star Citizen that gives players the most realistic space exploration game to date. Lastly, we get a more science fiction view of the space genre in a game like Destiny. All of these very different in nature, but all contribute to the space genre of gaming.

We need more games like this. Developers need to explore these types of games with a more open mind. The rave right now is "Open World" environments, but why not expand that to "Open Universe"? Rather than have a huge open landscape, make it infinite so we can as players can fully envelope ourselves into a game with no borders that has endless opportunities for exploration and discovery.

I could definitely see a mass release of these types of exploration games especially with the progressiveness of the virtual reality technology coming into play. Imagine exploring a galaxy with virtual reality technology. Yeah. It would be incredible. You could be flying through an asteroid belt and physically look to your left to see your left wing nearly scrape the side of a hurdling asteroid. The possibilities are endless. Hopefully, we see these types of games make some great advances in the coming years!