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Following the recent cost hike for Game Pass Ultimate, the earlier uproar has subsided. While it may not be seen as the top deal in gaming now, the service has welcomed several big-name launch day releases recently, including Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. Those titles only enhance a massive collection of numerous games ideal for weekend marathon sessions.

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

Resistance: Sniper Elite

From time to time, everyone needs a bit of release. Over two decades, the Sniper Elite franchise has delivered precisely that. Rebellion Developments' long-running shooter series presents players intensely graphic carnage targeting enemy forces. This year, Rebellion released Sniper Elite: Resistance, a timely new entry to the series. While it doesn't revolutionize the gameplay, Resistance is a polished serving of simulation World War II open environments packed with Nazi targets. The long-range combat is as visceral and gratifying as ever, featuring the game's trademark killcam displaying every bullet's impact in gory, explicit detail. It's a violent excitement for any pacifist looking to let off steam in the safety of a virtual world.

1000xResist

1000xResist presents an critically acclaimed narrative touching on life after a pandemic existence, family trauma, and much more. It examines these themes through a science fiction lens; you assume the role of Watcher, one of several clones of Iris, the sole survivor of a global outbreak that wiped out humanity. Watcher and her sister clones explore Iris's memories from the time Earth was beset by that terrible disease, as well as memories of her education and home life, neither of which were bearable for a teenager. Watcher learns Iris is not what she appears, and the story unfolds from there. If all that intrigue isn't enough to grab your interest, the game indeed begin with a killing. What could be a more gripping opening than that?

Octopath Traveler 2

Yes, finishing a extremely long RPG in only nine days 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 gem is departing Game Pass at the end of November (as is the first game, also available). But, due to a holiday in the midst, at least for players in the U.S., it's theoretically doable. Octopath Traveler 2 follows eight protagonists, every one representing a distinct genre. You'll find a procedural story about a cleric looking into the murder of his cathedral's head priest. A trader striving to solve poverty through the power of capitalism stars in a western-themed narrative. Additionally, there's a enigma about an apothecary with amnesia (because all great RPGs need a hero with an mysterious background, of course). Some of these stories connect in unexpected, fascinating ways, while you progress through a gorgeous 19th-century inspired setting. And the battle system is excellent — “number go up” boiled to its essence.