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Following the recent cost hike for Game Pass Ultimate, the earlier uproar has subsided. While it might not be considered the absolute best deal in gaming anymore, the platform has welcomed a number of high-profile launch day games recently, including Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. These additions only enhance a massive library of hundreds games perfect for weekend marathon sessions.

Our current picks feature a cathartic 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 line presents players intensely graphic mayhem against enemy targets. Recently, Rebellion launched Sniper Elite: Resistance, a timely addition to the series. While it doesn't reinvent the gameplay, Resistance is a well-constructed serving of simulation World War II sandboxes packed with enemy objectives. The sniping is as visceral and gratifying as always, featuring the series' signature killcam displaying every bullet's effect in gory, testicle-crunching clarity. It's a violent excitement for any pacifist wanting to let off steam in the security of a digital world.

1000xResist

1000xResist presents an critically acclaimed narrative exploring post-pandemic existence, family pain, and other deep themes. It examines these themes through a sci-fi perspective; you assume the role of Watcher, one of several clones of Iris, the sole survivor of a global outbreak that wiped out human life. Watcher and her sister clones delve into Iris's recollections from when Earth was ravaged by that horrific plague, along with memories of her education and home life, neither of which were easy for a young person. Watcher learns Iris is not what she appears, and the plot develops from that point. Should all that intrigue fails to hook you, the game does start with a killing. What could be a more compelling opening than this?

Octopath Traveler II

Admittedly, finishing a gazillion-hour RPG in only over a week is a challenging task, but if any game deserving attempting the effort for, it's Octopath Traveler 2. Square Enix's visually striking masterpiece is departing Game Pass at the end of November (as is the original game, also available). But, with a break in the middle, at least for those in the U.S., it's theoretically doable. Octopath Traveler 2 follows 8 characters, each representing a different story style. There's a procedural tale about a cleric investigating the murder of his church's head priest. A trader striving to solve poverty through the force of capitalism headlines a frontier-inspired narrative. There's even a enigma about an herbalist with memory loss (since every good RPGs need a character with an unknown past, of course). Some of these stories intertwine in unexpected, fascinating ways, as you play through a stunning 19th-century inspired setting. And the combat is superb — “number go up” boiled to its essence.