🔗 Share this article

After the latest price increase for Game Pass Ultimate, the initial uproar has subsided. Although it may not be seen as the top offer in gaming now, the platform has introduced a number of big-name day-one releases recently, such as Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. Those additions further enrich a massive library of numerous games ideal for weekend gaming binges.

Our current picks include a therapeutic shooter, an prize-winning independent masterpiece, and a essential HD-2D RPG.

Sniper Elite: Resistance

From time to time, we all require a bit of release. Over two decades, the Sniper Elite franchise has provided precisely that. Rebellion Developments' long-running shooter series presents players intensely graphic mayhem targeting Nazi forces. This year, Rebellion launched Sniper Elite: Resistance, a well-timed new entry to the series. Although it doesn't reinvent the formula, Resistance remains a well-constructed serving of immersive sim World War II sandboxes filled with Nazi objectives. The long-range combat is as visceral and gratifying as ever, with the game's trademark killcam displaying every bullet's impact in gory, testicle-crunching clarity. It's a bloody thrill for any peace-lover looking to let off steam in the security of a digital space.

1000xResist

1000xResist tells an award-winning narrative touching on life after a pandemic existence, family pain, and other deep themes. It approaches these themes through a science fiction lens; you assume the role of Watcher, one of multiple clones of Iris, the only survivor of a pandemic that wiped out human life. Watcher and her fellow clones explore Iris's memories from when Earth was ravaged by that terrible plague, as well as experiences of her education and family life, neither of which were bearable for a young person. Watcher learns Iris isn't all that she seems, and the plot develops from that point. If all that mystery isn't enough to hook you, the game indeed start with a murder. Is there a more compelling start than this?

Octopath Traveler 2

Admittedly, finishing a extremely long RPG in just over a week is a tall order, but if any game deserving trying the effort for, it's Octopath Traveler 2. Square Enix's HD-2D masterpiece is departing Game Pass at the end of November (as is the first game, which is also included). However, with a holiday in the midst, at least for players in the U.S., it's technically doable. Octopath Traveler 2 follows eight protagonists, every one representing a distinct genre. There's a investigative story about a priest investigating the murder of his cathedral's head priest. A trader aiming to solve destitution through the force of capitalism stars in a frontier-inspired narrative. There's even a mystery about an apothecary with amnesia (because all great RPGs require a character with an unknown past, of course). Some of these plots connect in surprising, intriguing ways, as you play through a stunning 19th-century themed setting. And the battle system is excellent — stat-focused gameplay distilled to its purest form.