🔗 Share this article

After the latest price increase for Game Pass Ultimate, the earlier commotion has calmed down. Although it might not be seen as the top deal in gaming now, the service has welcomed a number of big-name launch day games lately, such as Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. Those additions further enrich a vast library of hundreds games ideal for weekend-long gaming binges.

Our current recommendations include a therapeutic shooter, an prize-winning independent gem, and a must-play HD-2D RPG.

Sniper Elite: Resistance

From time to time, we all require a little release. Over two decades, the Sniper Elite series has provided precisely that. Rebellion Developments' long-running shooter line presents players ultraviolent mayhem targeting enemy forces. This year, the studio launched Sniper Elite: Resistance, a timely addition to the franchise. While it doesn't revolutionize the formula, Resistance remains a polished dose of immersive sim World War II open environments filled with Nazi targets. The long-range combat is as visceral and satisfying as ever, with the game's trademark killcam showing each shot's impact in graphic, explicit detail. It's a bloody thrill for every pacifist looking to unwind in the security of a virtual world.

Resist 1000x

1000xResist tells an critically acclaimed story touching on post-pandemic existence, generational trauma, and much more. It examines these subjects through a science fiction perspective; you play as Watcher, one of several clones of Iris, the only person left of a pandemic that wiped out human life. Watcher and her sister clones delve into Iris's recollections from the time Earth was ravaged by that horrific disease, along with experiences of her school and family life, neither of which were easy for a young person. Watcher learns Iris isn't all that she seems, and the plot unfolds from there. If all that mystery isn't enough to hook you, the game indeed begin with a killing. Is there a more gripping opening than that?

Octopath Traveler 2

Admittedly, finishing a extremely long RPG in just over a week is a tall order, but if there's any game deserving attempting the effort 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 first game, which is also included). However, due to a holiday in the midst, at least for players in the U.S., it's technically achievable. Octopath Traveler 2 features eight characters, every one embodying a different story style. There's a procedural tale about a priest investigating the murder of his church's head priest. A trader aiming to solve destitution through the force of commerce headlines a frontier-inspired narrative. There's even a enigma about an herbalist with amnesia (because all great RPGs need a hero with an mysterious past, of course). Some of these plots intertwine in unexpected, fascinating ways, while you progress through a stunning 19th-century inspired world. And the battle system is excellent — stat-focused gameplay distilled to its essence.