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Following the latest price increase for Game Pass Ultimate, the earlier commotion has subsided. Although it may not be seen as the top offer in gaming anymore, the service has introduced several high-profile day-one releases lately, such as Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. Those additions further enrich a vast collection of hundreds games ideal for weekend marathon sessions.

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

Resistance: Sniper Elite

Every so often, everyone needs a little catharsis. For 20 years, the Sniper Elite series has provided precisely that. Rebellion Developments' long-running shooter line offers players intensely graphic carnage targeting Nazi forces. This year, the studio released Sniper Elite: Resistance, a timely new entry to the franchise. Although it doesn't revolutionize the gameplay, Resistance is a polished serving of simulation World War II open environments packed with enemy objectives. The sniping is as brutal and gratifying as always, featuring the series' trademark killcam displaying each shot's effect in gory, testicle-crunching clarity. It's a bloody thrill for any pacifist wanting to let off steam in the safety of a digital space.

Resist 1000x

1000xResist tells an award-winning story touching on life after a pandemic life, family pain, and other deep themes. It examines these themes through a science fiction perspective; you play as Watcher, a member of multiple clones of Iris, the only person left 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 disease, as well as memories of her school and home life, both of which were bearable for a teenager. Watcher discovers Iris isn't all that she seems, and the story develops from that point. If all that intrigue isn't enough to hook you, the game indeed begin with a murder. Is there a more gripping opening than this?

Octopath Traveler II

Admittedly, finishing a gazillion-hour RPG in just nine days is a challenging task, but if there's any game worth trying the effort 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, also available). However, with a break in the midst, at least for those in the States, it's technically doable. Octopath Traveler 2 features eight protagonists, every one embodying a different genre. You'll find a procedural tale about a priest investigating the death of his cathedral's archbishop. A trader aiming to solve poverty through the power of capitalism headlines a western-themed narrative. Additionally, there's a mystery about an apothecary with memory loss (because all great RPGs require a character with an mysterious past, naturally). Some of these stories intertwine in surprising, fascinating ways, while you progress through a gorgeous 19th-century themed setting. And the battle system is superb — “number go up” boiled to its purest form.