🔗 Share this article

After the recent price increase for Game Pass Ultimate, the initial uproar has calmed down. Although it may not be considered the absolute best offer in gaming now, the service has welcomed several big-name day-one releases lately, including Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. These titles only enhance a massive library of hundreds games perfect for weekend gaming binges.

Our current picks feature a cathartic action game, an award-winning indie gem, and a must-play HD-2D RPG.

Sniper Elite: Resistance

From time to time, we all require a bit of release. Over two decades, the Sniper Elite series has delivered precisely that. Rebellion Developments' enduring shooter series presents players ultraviolent mayhem targeting Nazi forces. Recently, Rebellion launched Sniper Elite: Resistance, a well-timed addition to the series. While it doesn't revolutionize the gameplay, Resistance remains a well-constructed serving of simulation World War II open environments packed with enemy targets. The long-range combat is as visceral and gratifying as ever, with the game's trademark killcam displaying every bullet's impact in gory, explicit clarity. It's a violent excitement for any peace-lover wanting to let off steam in the security of a virtual world.

Resist 1000x

1000xResist presents an award-winning story exploring post-pandemic life, generational pain, and other deep themes. It examines these subjects through a science fiction perspective; you play as Watcher, one of multiple clones of Iris, the only survivor of a pandemic that wiped out human life. Watcher and her fellow clones delve into Iris's memories from the time Earth was ravaged by that terrible plague, along with memories of her education and home life, neither of which were easy for a teenager. Watcher learns Iris isn't what she appears, and the plot unfolds from that point. Should all that intrigue isn't enough to hook you, the game indeed begin with a killing. What could be a more compelling start than that?

Octopath Traveler 2

Admittedly, completing a extremely long RPG in just over a week is a challenging task, but if there's any game worth trying the effort for, it's Octopath Traveler 2. Square Enix's visually striking masterpiece is departing Game Pass at the end of November (as is the first game, also available). However, with a break in the middle, at least for those in the States, it's theoretically doable. Octopath Traveler 2 follows eight protagonists, every one representing a distinct story style. There's a investigative story about a priest looking into the death of his cathedral's head priest. A trader aiming to eradicate destitution through the force of commerce stars in a western-themed narrative. There's even a enigma about an apothecary with amnesia (because every good RPGs require a character with an mysterious past, of course). Some of these plots connect in unexpected, fascinating ways, while you progress through a stunning 19th-century themed setting. And the battle system is superb — stat-focused gameplay distilled to its essence.