🔗 Share this article

After the recent price increase for Game Pass Ultimate, the initial commotion has subsided. While it might not be considered the absolute best deal in gaming anymore, the platform has introduced several high-profile day-one games lately, including Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. Those titles only enhance a massive collection of numerous games perfect for weekend-long gaming binges.

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

Sniper Elite: Resistance

Every so often, we all require a little catharsis. Over two decades, the Sniper Elite series has provided precisely that. Rebellion Developments' long-running shooter line offers players ultraviolent carnage against Nazi targets. Recently, Rebellion launched Sniper Elite: Resistance, a timely new entry to the franchise. Although it doesn't reinvent the formula, Resistance is a well-constructed serving of simulation World War II open environments filled with Nazi targets. The sniping is as brutal and gratifying as ever, featuring the game's trademark killcam showing every bullet's effect in gory, explicit detail. It's a bloody thrill for every pacifist wanting to let off steam in the safety of a digital world.

Resist 1000x

1000xResist presents an critically acclaimed story exploring life after a pandemic life, family pain, and much more. It examines these themes through a science fiction perspective; you assume the role of Watcher, a member of several clones of Iris, the sole survivor of a global outbreak that eradicated humanity. Watcher and her sister clones explore Iris's memories from the time Earth was beset by that horrific disease, along with memories of her school and home life, neither of which were bearable for a young person. Watcher discovers Iris isn't what she appears, and the plot develops from that point. If all that intrigue fails to grab your interest, the game indeed begin with a murder. Is there a more gripping start than that?

Octopath Traveler II

Admittedly, completing a extremely long RPG in only nine days is a challenging task, but if any game deserving trying the grind for, it's Octopath Traveler 2. Square Enix's visually striking masterpiece is leaving Game Pass at the end of November (as is the original game, also available). However, with a holiday in the middle, at least for those in the U.S., it's theoretically doable. Octopath Traveler 2 features 8 characters, every one representing a different genre. You'll find a procedural tale about a cleric investigating the death of his cathedral's archbishop. A trader striving to solve poverty through the power of commerce headlines a western-themed narrative. There's even a mystery about an apothecary with memory loss (since every good RPGs require a hero with an unknown past, naturally). A few of these plots connect in surprising, fascinating ways, while you progress through a stunning Industrial Revolution themed world. And the combat is superb — “number go up” boiled to its essence.