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Following the recent cost hike for Game Pass Ultimate, the earlier commotion has subsided. While it might not be seen as the top deal in gaming anymore, the platform has introduced a number of high-profile day-one releases recently, including Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. These additions further enrich a massive collection of hundreds games perfect for weekend-long marathon sessions.

Our current picks include a cathartic action game, an prize-winning independent masterpiece, and a essential HD-2D RPG.

Resistance: Sniper Elite

Every so often, everyone needs a bit of release. For 20 years, the Sniper Elite franchise has provided precisely that. Rebellion Developments' enduring shooter line offers players intensely graphic mayhem against Nazi targets. Recently, the studio released Sniper Elite: Resistance, a timely new entry to the series. Although it doesn't reinvent the gameplay, Resistance remains a well-constructed dose of immersive sim World War II open environments packed with enemy targets. The long-range combat is as visceral and gratifying as ever, with the game's signature killcam displaying each shot's effect in gory, explicit clarity. It's a bloody excitement for any pacifist wanting to let off steam in the security of a virtual world.

Resist 1000x

1000xResist presents an critically acclaimed narrative touching on life after a pandemic life, generational pain, and other deep themes. It examines these subjects through a science fiction lens; you play as Watcher, one of several clones of Iris, the sole survivor of a pandemic that eradicated human life. Watcher and her sister clones delve into Iris's recollections from the time Earth was beset by that terrible disease, as well as memories of her school and family life, both of which were bearable for a teenager. Watcher discovers Iris is not what she appears, and the story unfolds from there. If all that mystery fails to grab your interest, the game indeed begin with a murder. Is there a more gripping start than that?

Octopath Traveler 2

Admittedly, completing a gazillion-hour RPG in only over a week is a tall order, but if there's any game deserving attempting the effort for, it's Octopath Traveler 2. Square Enix's visually striking masterpiece is departing Game Pass at the end of November (as is the original game, also available). But, due to a holiday in the midst, at least for those in the U.S., it's theoretically doable. Octopath Traveler 2 follows eight characters, each embodying a distinct story style. You'll find a procedural tale about a cleric looking into the murder of his cathedral's archbishop. A merchant striving to solve destitution through the force of capitalism stars in a frontier-inspired narrative. There's even a mystery about an apothecary with amnesia (because every good RPGs need a hero with an unknown past, naturally). A few of these plots intertwine in unexpected, fascinating ways, while you progress through a gorgeous 19th-century themed setting. And the battle system is excellent — “number go up” distilled to its essence.