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After the recent price increase for Game Pass Ultimate, the earlier commotion has subsided. Although it may not be considered the absolute best deal in gaming anymore, the service has welcomed a number of high-profile launch day games lately, including Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. Those titles only enhance a vast library of numerous games ideal for weekend marathon sessions.

Our current picks include a therapeutic action game, an prize-winning indie masterpiece, and a must-play HD-2D RPG.

Sniper Elite: Resistance

Every so often, we all require a little catharsis. For 20 years, the Sniper Elite series has delivered exactly that. Rebellion Developments' long-running shooter series presents players ultraviolent mayhem targeting enemy forces. Recently, the studio launched Sniper Elite: Resistance, a well-timed new entry to the franchise. Although it doesn't revolutionize the formula, Resistance remains a well-constructed dose of immersive sim World War II open environments packed with Nazi objectives. The long-range combat is as brutal and gratifying as always, featuring the series' signature killcam displaying every bullet's impact in gory, testicle-crunching detail. It's a violent thrill for any peace-lover wanting to let off steam in the security of a virtual world.

Resist 1000x

1000xResist tells an award-winning story touching on post-pandemic existence, generational trauma, and other deep themes. It examines these subjects through a science fiction perspective; you assume the role of Watcher, one of multiple clones of Iris, the only survivor of a global outbreak that wiped out human life. Watcher and her fellow clones explore Iris's memories from when Earth was ravaged by that horrific plague, along with memories of her school and home life, neither of which were bearable for a teenager. Watcher learns Iris is not all that she seems, and the plot unfolds from that point. Should all that intrigue fails to grab your interest, the game indeed begin with a murder. What could be a more gripping start than that?

Octopath Traveler 2

Yes, completing a gazillion-hour RPG in just over a week is a challenging task, but if there's any game worth attempting the effort for, it's Octopath Traveler 2. Square Enix's visually striking gem is leaving Game Pass at the end of November (along with the first game, which is also included). However, with a holiday in the middle, at least for players in the U.S., it's technically doable. Octopath Traveler 2 follows eight characters, each embodying a distinct genre. You'll find a procedural story about a cleric looking into the murder of his church's head priest. A trader striving to eradicate poverty through the force of commerce stars in a frontier-inspired narrative. There's even a mystery about an herbalist with memory loss (because every good RPGs need a character with an mysterious past, naturally). Some of these stories connect in surprising, fascinating ways, while you progress through a stunning Industrial Revolution themed world. And the combat is superb — “number go up” boiled to its essence.