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Following the recent price increase for Game Pass Ultimate, the earlier uproar has calmed down. Although it might not be considered the top offer in gaming anymore, the service has welcomed a number of high-profile launch day releases recently, including Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. Those additions only enhance a vast collection of hundreds games ideal for weekend-long marathon sessions.

Our current recommendations feature a cathartic shooter, an prize-winning indie masterpiece, and a must-play HD-2D RPG.

Resistance: Sniper Elite

From time to time, everyone needs a bit of catharsis. Over two decades, the Sniper Elite series has provided exactly that. Rebellion Developments' enduring shooter series offers players ultraviolent carnage targeting enemy forces. Recently, the studio released Sniper Elite: Resistance, a well-timed addition to the series. While it doesn't revolutionize the gameplay, Resistance is a polished dose of simulation World War II sandboxes packed with enemy targets. The long-range combat is as visceral and satisfying as always, featuring the series' signature killcam showing every bullet's impact in gory, explicit clarity. It's a bloody thrill for every peace-lover looking to let off steam in the safety of a virtual world.

Resist 1000x

1000xResist presents an critically acclaimed story touching on post-pandemic life, generational pain, and much more. It examines these subjects through a science fiction perspective; you assume the role of Watcher, a member of multiple clones of Iris, the only survivor of a pandemic that wiped out human life. Watcher and her sister clones explore Iris's recollections from the time Earth was ravaged by that horrific plague, along with memories of her school and family life, both of which were easy for a teenager. Watcher discovers Iris is not all that she seems, and the plot unfolds from there. Should all that intrigue fails to hook you, the game indeed start with a killing. Is there a more gripping start than that?

Octopath Traveler 2

Admittedly, finishing a extremely long RPG in only over a week is a challenging task, but if any game deserving attempting the grind for, it's Octopath Traveler 2. Square Enix's visually striking gem is leaving Game Pass at the close of the month (along with the first game, which is also included). However, due to a break in the middle, at least for those in the States, it's technically doable. Octopath Traveler 2 follows eight protagonists, every one embodying a distinct genre. There's a procedural tale about a priest looking into the death of his cathedral's archbishop. A merchant striving to eradicate destitution through the power of commerce headlines a frontier-inspired adventure. There's even a enigma about an herbalist with amnesia (because all great RPGs need a character with an unknown past, of course). Some of these stories intertwine in surprising, intriguing ways, while you progress through a gorgeous 19th-century themed setting. And the combat is superb — “number go up” distilled to its purest form.