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Following the recent price increase for Game Pass Ultimate, the initial commotion has subsided. Although it may not be considered the absolute best offer in gaming anymore, the platform has introduced several high-profile launch day releases lately, such as Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. These titles only enhance a massive library of hundreds games perfect for weekend-long gaming binges.

Our current picks feature a therapeutic action game, an award-winning indie gem, and a essential HD-2D RPG.

Resistance: Sniper Elite

From time to time, everyone needs a bit of release. For 20 years, the Sniper Elite series has delivered exactly that. Rebellion Developments' enduring shooter series offers players ultraviolent carnage targeting enemy targets. This year, Rebellion launched Sniper Elite: Resistance, a well-timed addition to the franchise. Although it doesn't revolutionize the formula, Resistance remains a well-constructed dose of immersive sim World War II sandboxes packed with enemy targets. The sniping is as visceral and gratifying as ever, with the game's trademark killcam showing every bullet's effect in graphic, testicle-crunching clarity. It's a bloody thrill for any pacifist looking to unwind in the safety of a digital space.

1000xResist

1000xResist presents an critically acclaimed story touching on post-pandemic life, family pain, and other deep themes. It approaches these subjects through a sci-fi lens; you play as Watcher, a member of several clones of Iris, the sole person left of a pandemic that wiped out humanity. Watcher and her sister clones delve into Iris's recollections from when Earth was ravaged by that horrific disease, as well as experiences of her education and family life, neither of which were bearable for a teenager. Watcher discovers Iris is not what she appears, and the story unfolds from that point. If all that mystery fails to hook you, the game indeed start with a murder. What could be a more compelling start than this?

Octopath Traveler 2

Yes, completing a extremely long RPG in only nine days is a challenging task, but if any game deserving trying the effort for, it's Octopath Traveler 2. Square Enix's HD-2D masterpiece is leaving Game Pass at the end of November (along with the first game, also available). But, with a break in the middle, at least for those in the States, it's theoretically achievable. Octopath Traveler 2 features 8 characters, each representing a distinct genre. There's a investigative story about a priest looking into the death of his church's head priest. A trader striving to eradicate poverty through the power of capitalism stars in a western-themed narrative. There's even a mystery about an apothecary with amnesia (because all great RPGs need a hero with an unknown background, naturally). A few of these stories connect in unexpected, intriguing ways, as you play through a gorgeous Industrial Revolution themed setting. And the combat is excellent — “number go up” boiled to its essence.