🔗 Share this article

Following the recent cost hike for Game Pass Ultimate, the earlier uproar has subsided. While it may not be seen as the top offer in gaming anymore, the service has introduced a number of high-profile day-one releases recently, such as Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. Those titles further enrich a vast collection of numerous games perfect for weekend marathon sessions.

Our current picks include a therapeutic shooter, an award-winning independent masterpiece, and a must-play HD-2D RPG.

Resistance: Sniper Elite

Every so often, everyone needs a bit of catharsis. Over two decades, the Sniper Elite series has delivered precisely that. Rebellion Developments' enduring shooter line presents players ultraviolent carnage against Nazi targets. This year, Rebellion launched Sniper Elite: Resistance, a well-timed new entry to the franchise. While it doesn't revolutionize the gameplay, Resistance is a polished serving of simulation World War II open environments filled with enemy objectives. The long-range combat is as brutal and satisfying as ever, with the game's signature killcam displaying each shot's impact in graphic, testicle-crunching detail. It's a bloody excitement for every peace-lover looking to unwind in the safety of a virtual world.

1000xResist

1000xResist tells an critically acclaimed story exploring post-pandemic existence, generational pain, and other deep themes. It approaches these subjects through a sci-fi lens; 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 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 isn't all that she seems, and the plot unfolds from that point. Should all that mystery fails to hook you, the game indeed begin with a murder. Is there a more compelling opening than that?

Octopath Traveler 2

Yes, completing a gazillion-hour RPG in just nine days is a tall order, but if any game worth trying the grind for, it's Octopath Traveler 2. Square Enix's visually striking masterpiece is leaving Game Pass at the close of the month (as is the original game, which is also included). But, with a holiday in the midst, at least for players in the U.S., it's technically doable. Octopath Traveler 2 follows 8 protagonists, every one embodying a distinct genre. There's a procedural story about a priest investigating the murder of his church's head priest. A merchant aiming to solve destitution through the power of commerce headlines a western-themed adventure. There's even a mystery about an apothecary with memory loss (because all great RPGs need a character with an mysterious past, naturally). A few of these stories intertwine in surprising, intriguing ways, while you progress through a gorgeous Industrial Revolution inspired world. And the battle system is superb — stat-focused gameplay distilled to its purest form.