🔗 Share this article

Following the latest price increase for Game Pass Ultimate, the earlier uproar has calmed down. While it may not be considered the top deal in gaming now, the platform has welcomed several big-name launch day releases lately, such as Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. These additions only enhance a massive collection of hundreds games perfect for weekend gaming binges.

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

Sniper Elite: Resistance

Every so often, everyone needs a bit of release. Over two decades, the Sniper Elite series has delivered exactly that. Rebellion Developments' long-running shooter series presents players ultraviolent carnage targeting Nazi forces. Recently, the studio released Sniper Elite: Resistance, a timely new entry to the franchise. Although it doesn't revolutionize the formula, Resistance is a polished serving of simulation World War II open environments filled with enemy objectives. The long-range combat is as brutal and gratifying as ever, with the game's signature killcam displaying every bullet's impact in gory, explicit detail. It's a bloody excitement for every pacifist wanting to let off steam in the security of a virtual space.

Resist 1000x

1000xResist tells an award-winning narrative touching on life after a pandemic existence, family pain, and much more. It examines these themes through a science fiction lens; you assume the role of Watcher, a member of multiple clones of Iris, the sole survivor of a pandemic that wiped out human life. Watcher and her sister clones delve into Iris's recollections from when Earth was beset by that horrific disease, as well as memories of her school and home life, neither of which were bearable for a teenager. Watcher discovers Iris isn't what she appears, and the plot unfolds from that point. If all that intrigue isn't enough to grab your interest, the game does begin with a murder. What could be a more gripping opening than this?

Octopath Traveler II

Yes, completing a extremely long RPG in just over a week is a tall order, but if any game deserving trying 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 first game, which is also included). However, due to a break in the middle, at least for those in the States, it's technically achievable. Octopath Traveler 2 features eight characters, every one embodying a different genre. There's a investigative tale about a priest investigating the death of his church's archbishop. A merchant aiming to solve destitution through the force of commerce headlines a western-themed narrative. Additionally, there's a mystery about an apothecary with amnesia (since all great RPGs need a character with an unknown background, naturally). Some of these stories intertwine in unexpected, fascinating ways, while you progress through a stunning 19th-century inspired world. And the combat is superb — “number go up” boiled to its purest form.