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Following the latest cost hike for Game Pass Ultimate, the initial uproar has calmed down. Although it might not be seen as the top offer in gaming now, the service has welcomed several high-profile launch day games lately, such as Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. Those additions further enrich a vast collection of numerous games perfect for weekend marathon sessions.

Our current recommendations feature a therapeutic action game, an award-winning independent masterpiece, and a must-play HD-2D RPG.

Sniper Elite: Resistance

From time to time, everyone needs a little release. Over two decades, the Sniper Elite franchise has provided exactly that. Rebellion Developments' enduring shooter series presents players intensely graphic carnage targeting enemy forces. Recently, the studio launched Sniper Elite: Resistance, a timely new entry to the franchise. While it doesn't revolutionize the formula, Resistance is a well-constructed dose of simulation World War II open environments filled with enemy targets. The long-range combat is as brutal and satisfying as ever, featuring the game's signature killcam displaying each shot's impact in gory, testicle-crunching detail. It's a bloody excitement for any pacifist wanting to let off steam in the security of a virtual space.

Resist 1000x

1000xResist tells an award-winning narrative touching on life after a pandemic life, family pain, and much more. It approaches these themes through a science fiction lens; you play as Watcher, a member of multiple clones of Iris, the only person left of a pandemic that wiped out human life. Watcher and her fellow clones delve into Iris's recollections from when Earth was beset by that terrible disease, along with memories of her education and family life, both of which were bearable for a young person. Watcher learns Iris isn't what she appears, and the story develops from there. If all that mystery isn't enough to grab your interest, the game indeed begin with a murder. Is there a more compelling start than that?

Octopath Traveler 2

Admittedly, completing a extremely long RPG in just nine days is a challenging task, but if any game worth attempting the grind for, it's Octopath Traveler 2. Square Enix's HD-2D masterpiece is departing Game Pass at the end of November (along with the original game, also available). However, with a holiday in the middle, at least for players in the States, it's technically doable. Octopath Traveler 2 follows 8 characters, every one embodying a different genre. There's a procedural tale about a cleric investigating the murder of his church's head priest. A merchant aiming to solve poverty through the power of capitalism stars in a frontier-inspired narrative. There's even a enigma about an apothecary with memory loss (because every good RPGs require a hero with an mysterious background, of course). Some of these stories intertwine in surprising, intriguing ways, as you play through a gorgeous 19th-century inspired setting. And the battle system is excellent — “number go up” boiled to its essence.