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Following the recent cost hike for Game Pass Ultimate, the initial uproar has subsided. Although it may not be considered the absolute best offer in gaming anymore, the platform has introduced a number of high-profile day-one releases recently, including Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. Those additions further enrich a vast library of numerous games ideal for weekend-long gaming binges.

Our current recommendations include a cathartic shooter, an prize-winning independent gem, and a essential HD-2D RPG.

Resistance: Sniper Elite

Every so often, everyone needs a little catharsis. For 20 years, the Sniper Elite franchise has delivered precisely that. Rebellion Developments' long-running shooter series presents players ultraviolent carnage against Nazi forces. Recently, the studio launched Sniper Elite: Resistance, a well-timed new entry to the franchise. While it doesn't revolutionize the formula, Resistance is a polished dose of immersive sim World War II open environments packed with enemy objectives. The sniping is as visceral and satisfying as always, with the series' signature killcam showing every bullet's effect in graphic, explicit detail. It's a violent excitement for any pacifist looking to let off steam in the security of a digital space.

Resist 1000x

1000xResist presents an award-winning narrative exploring post-pandemic life, family trauma, and other deep themes. It examines these themes through a science fiction perspective; you play as Watcher, one of multiple clones of Iris, the only survivor of a global outbreak that wiped out humanity. Watcher and her sister clones explore Iris's recollections from the time Earth was beset by that terrible plague, along with memories of her education and home life, neither of which were easy for a young person. Watcher discovers Iris is not all that she seems, and the story develops from there. Should all that mystery fails to grab your interest, the game indeed begin with a murder. Is there a more gripping opening than this?

Octopath Traveler 2

Admittedly, completing a gazillion-hour RPG in just over a week is a tall order, but if there's any game worth attempting the effort for, it's Octopath Traveler 2. Square Enix's HD-2D masterpiece is departing Game Pass at the close of the month (along with the first game, which is also included). However, due to a holiday in the midst, at least for those in the States, it's theoretically doable. Octopath Traveler 2 follows 8 protagonists, every one embodying a different story style. You'll find a investigative tale about a cleric investigating the murder of his cathedral's head priest. A trader striving to solve poverty through the power of commerce headlines a frontier-inspired adventure. Additionally, there's a enigma about an herbalist with amnesia (since every good RPGs require a character with an mysterious past, naturally). A few of these plots intertwine in surprising, intriguing ways, as you play through a gorgeous Industrial Revolution inspired world. And the battle system is superb — “number go up” distilled to its essence.