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Following the latest price increase for Game Pass Ultimate, the earlier commotion has calmed down. While it might not be considered the absolute best deal in gaming now, the service has introduced several big-name day-one games recently, including Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. Those additions only enhance a vast library of hundreds games perfect for weekend-long gaming binges.

Our current recommendations feature a therapeutic shooter, an award-winning independent gem, and a essential HD-2D RPG.

Resistance: Sniper Elite

Every so often, we all require a little catharsis. For 20 years, the Sniper Elite series has delivered precisely that. Rebellion Developments' enduring shooter line presents players ultraviolent carnage against enemy forces. This year, Rebellion released Sniper Elite: Resistance, a timely new entry to the franchise. While it doesn't revolutionize the formula, Resistance is a polished dose of immersive sim World War II open environments packed with Nazi objectives. The long-range combat is as visceral and gratifying as ever, featuring the series' trademark killcam showing each shot's impact in gory, explicit clarity. It's a violent thrill for any pacifist wanting to unwind in the security of a digital world.

Resist 1000x

1000xResist tells an critically acclaimed story touching on life after a pandemic existence, generational pain, and other deep themes. It examines these themes through a sci-fi perspective; you play as Watcher, a member of several clones of Iris, the sole survivor of a global outbreak that wiped out human life. Watcher and her sister clones explore Iris's recollections from the time Earth was beset by that terrible plague, along with memories of her education and family life, neither of which were bearable for a young person. Watcher discovers Iris isn't all that she seems, and the plot unfolds from that point. Should all that mystery fails to hook you, the game does start with a killing. Is there a more compelling start than that?

Octopath Traveler II

Admittedly, finishing a extremely long RPG in only nine days is a tall order, but if there's any game worth attempting the grind for, it's Octopath Traveler 2. Square Enix's HD-2D gem is departing Game Pass at the end of November (as is the first game, which is also included). However, due to a holiday in the midst, at least for those in the U.S., it's technically doable. Octopath Traveler 2 follows eight characters, each embodying a different genre. There's a investigative tale about a priest looking into the murder of his church's head priest. A merchant striving to solve destitution through the power of commerce headlines a western-themed narrative. There's even a mystery about an herbalist with amnesia (because all great RPGs need a character with an mysterious past, of course). A few of these plots intertwine in surprising, intriguing ways, while you progress through a stunning Industrial Revolution inspired setting. And the combat is excellent — stat-focused gameplay boiled to its purest form.