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After the latest cost hike for Game Pass Ultimate, the earlier commotion has subsided. While it may not be seen as the absolute best offer in gaming anymore, the platform has welcomed several big-name day-one releases lately, including Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. Those additions further enrich a massive collection of hundreds games perfect for weekend-long marathon sessions.

Our current recommendations include a cathartic shooter, an prize-winning independent gem, and a must-play HD-2D RPG.

Resistance: Sniper Elite

Every so often, we all require a bit of catharsis. Over two decades, the Sniper Elite series has delivered precisely that. Rebellion Developments' enduring shooter series presents players intensely graphic mayhem targeting enemy forces. This year, Rebellion launched Sniper Elite: Resistance, a timely addition to the series. While it doesn't revolutionize the gameplay, Resistance is a polished serving of immersive sim World War II open environments packed with Nazi objectives. The long-range combat is as brutal and gratifying as ever, featuring the series' trademark killcam showing every bullet's impact in gory, testicle-crunching detail. It's a bloody excitement for every peace-lover wanting to let off steam in the security of a digital world.

Resist 1000x

1000xResist presents an critically acclaimed narrative exploring post-pandemic life, generational pain, and other deep themes. It examines these subjects through a sci-fi perspective; you assume the role of Watcher, a member of multiple clones of Iris, the only person left of a pandemic that eradicated human life. Watcher and her fellow clones explore Iris's memories from the time Earth was beset by that terrible plague, along with memories of her school and family life, both of which were easy for a young person. Watcher discovers Iris is not all that she seems, and the plot unfolds from that point. If all that mystery isn't enough to grab your interest, the game indeed start with a killing. Is there a more gripping start than that?

Octopath Traveler 2

Admittedly, completing a gazillion-hour RPG in just nine days is a tall order, but if any game worth trying the effort for, it's Octopath Traveler 2. Square Enix's visually striking gem is leaving Game Pass at the end of November (as is the first game, also available). However, due to a break in the midst, at least for those in the U.S., it's theoretically doable. Octopath Traveler 2 follows eight protagonists, every one representing a distinct genre. There's a investigative story about a priest looking into the death of his cathedral's head priest. A merchant striving to solve poverty through the power of capitalism headlines a frontier-inspired narrative. Additionally, there's a mystery about an apothecary with memory loss (since every good RPGs need a hero with an unknown background, of course). Some of these plots connect in unexpected, fascinating ways, as you play through a stunning Industrial Revolution inspired setting. And the battle system is excellent — stat-focused gameplay boiled to its purest form.