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Following the latest cost hike for Game Pass Ultimate, the earlier uproar has calmed down. Although it may not be considered the absolute best offer in gaming anymore, the platform has welcomed a number of big-name launch day games recently, including Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. Those additions further enrich a massive library of hundreds games ideal for weekend-long marathon sessions.

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

Sniper Elite: Resistance

From time to time, we all require a little catharsis. For 20 years, the Sniper Elite series has delivered precisely that. Rebellion Developments' enduring shooter series offers players intensely graphic carnage against enemy forces. This year, the studio released Sniper Elite: Resistance, a timely addition to the series. Although it doesn't revolutionize the gameplay, Resistance remains a well-constructed dose of simulation World War II sandboxes packed with enemy objectives. The sniping is as visceral and gratifying as ever, with the series' signature killcam displaying every bullet's impact in graphic, explicit detail. It's a bloody excitement for any peace-lover wanting to unwind in the security of a virtual world.

Resist 1000x

1000xResist tells an critically acclaimed story exploring life after a pandemic life, generational pain, and other deep themes. It approaches these themes 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 humanity. Watcher and her sister clones delve into Iris's memories from the time Earth was beset by that terrible plague, along with experiences of her education and family life, neither of which were bearable for a teenager. Watcher discovers Iris isn't what she appears, and the story unfolds from there. If all that mystery isn't enough to grab your interest, the game indeed begin with a killing. What could be a more gripping start than that?

Octopath Traveler 2

Admittedly, finishing a extremely long RPG in just nine days is a tall order, but if any game deserving attempting the grind for, it's Octopath Traveler 2. Square Enix's HD-2D masterpiece is leaving Game Pass at the close of the month (as is the first game, which is also included). However, with a break in the middle, at least for those in the States, it's theoretically doable. Octopath Traveler 2 follows 8 characters, every one representing a distinct genre. There's a investigative story about a cleric investigating the murder of his cathedral's archbishop. A trader striving to eradicate destitution through the power of commerce stars in a frontier-inspired adventure. There's even a mystery about an apothecary with amnesia (because every good RPGs need a character with an unknown background, of course). Some of these plots connect in unexpected, fascinating ways, as you play through a gorgeous 19th-century themed setting. And the combat is excellent — stat-focused gameplay boiled to its essence.