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After the latest price increase for Game Pass Ultimate, the initial commotion has subsided. While it may not be seen as the absolute best offer in gaming anymore, the platform has introduced a number of high-profile day-one games recently, including Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. Those titles only enhance a vast collection of numerous games ideal for weekend-long marathon sessions.

Our current picks feature a cathartic action game, an prize-winning independent masterpiece, and a essential HD-2D RPG.

Resistance: Sniper Elite

Every so often, we all require a little catharsis. For 20 years, the Sniper Elite franchise has delivered precisely that. Rebellion Developments' enduring shooter series offers players ultraviolent carnage against Nazi targets. Recently, the studio released Sniper Elite: Resistance, a timely addition to the series. While it doesn't reinvent the formula, Resistance is a well-constructed dose of immersive sim World War II sandboxes filled with enemy objectives. The sniping is as visceral and gratifying as ever, featuring the game's signature killcam displaying every bullet's effect in gory, testicle-crunching clarity. It's a violent thrill for any pacifist wanting to unwind in the security of a digital space.

1000xResist

1000xResist presents an critically acclaimed story exploring post-pandemic life, generational pain, and other deep themes. It examines these themes through a sci-fi perspective; you play as Watcher, one of several clones of Iris, the only survivor of a global outbreak that eradicated humanity. Watcher and her fellow clones explore Iris's recollections from the time Earth was beset by that horrific plague, as well as experiences of her school and home life, both of which were bearable for a teenager. Watcher discovers Iris is not all that she seems, and the plot unfolds from there. If all that mystery isn't enough to grab your interest, the game indeed start with a murder. Is there a more gripping start than this?

Octopath Traveler 2

Admittedly, completing a gazillion-hour RPG in only nine days is a challenging task, but if any game worth attempting the effort for, it's Octopath Traveler 2. Square Enix's HD-2D gem is leaving Game Pass at the end of November (along with the original game, also available). However, due to a holiday in the middle, at least for players in the U.S., it's theoretically doable. Octopath Traveler 2 features eight characters, every one embodying a different story style. You'll find a investigative story about a cleric looking into the murder of his church's head priest. A trader striving to eradicate destitution through the force of capitalism stars in a western-themed narrative. There's even a enigma about an apothecary with amnesia (since every good RPGs need a hero with an mysterious past, naturally). Some of these stories connect in unexpected, intriguing ways, as you play through a stunning 19th-century themed world. And the battle system is excellent — stat-focused gameplay distilled to its essence.