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After the latest price increase for Game Pass Ultimate, the initial uproar has calmed down. While it might not be considered the absolute best offer in gaming anymore, the platform has welcomed a number of high-profile day-one releases recently, such as Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. Those titles only enhance a massive collection of numerous games ideal for weekend gaming binges.

Our current picks include a cathartic shooter, an prize-winning indie masterpiece, and a essential HD-2D RPG.

Sniper Elite: Resistance

Every so often, we all require a bit of release. Over two decades, the Sniper Elite franchise has provided exactly that. Rebellion Developments' long-running shooter line offers players intensely graphic carnage targeting enemy targets. Recently, Rebellion launched Sniper Elite: Resistance, a well-timed new entry to the franchise. While it doesn't revolutionize the formula, Resistance remains a polished serving of simulation World War II sandboxes packed with Nazi targets. The sniping is as visceral and satisfying as ever, featuring the game's signature killcam displaying every bullet's impact in gory, explicit detail. It's a violent excitement for every pacifist looking to unwind in the security of a digital world.

Resist 1000x

1000xResist presents an critically acclaimed narrative touching on life after a pandemic existence, family pain, and other deep themes. It approaches these subjects through a sci-fi perspective; you assume the role of Watcher, a member of several clones of Iris, the only survivor of a pandemic that wiped out human life. Watcher and her sister clones delve into Iris's recollections from the time Earth was beset by that terrible disease, along with experiences of her education and home life, both of which were bearable for a young person. Watcher learns Iris isn't all that she seems, and the story unfolds from that point. If all that mystery isn't enough to hook you, the game indeed begin with a killing. What could be a more compelling opening than that?

Octopath Traveler II

Admittedly, completing a extremely long RPG in only over a week is a challenging task, but if there's any game worth attempting the grind for, it's Octopath Traveler 2. Square Enix's visually striking gem is leaving Game Pass at the end of November (along with the original game, also available). However, with a holiday in the middle, at least for those in the States, it's technically doable. Octopath Traveler 2 features eight protagonists, every one embodying a distinct story style. There's a procedural tale 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 enigma about an apothecary with amnesia (because every good RPGs need a hero with an unknown past, naturally). A few of these stories intertwine in unexpected, fascinating ways, as you play through a gorgeous 19th-century inspired setting. And the battle system is excellent — stat-focused gameplay distilled to its purest form.