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Following the recent price increase for Game Pass Ultimate, the initial 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 games recently, including Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. These titles further enrich a vast collection of hundreds games ideal for weekend-long marathon sessions.

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

Resistance: Sniper Elite

From time to time, everyone needs a little catharsis. For 20 years, the Sniper Elite franchise has delivered exactly that. Rebellion Developments' long-running shooter line presents players ultraviolent carnage against Nazi targets. Recently, Rebellion released Sniper Elite: Resistance, a well-timed new entry to the series. While it doesn't reinvent the formula, Resistance is a well-constructed serving of immersive sim World War II open environments packed with Nazi targets. The sniping is as brutal and satisfying as always, with the series' signature killcam showing each shot's effect in gory, testicle-crunching clarity. It's a bloody excitement for any pacifist looking to let off steam in the security of a virtual space.

Resist 1000x

1000xResist tells an award-winning narrative touching on post-pandemic life, family trauma, and much more. It examines these themes through a sci-fi perspective; you assume the role of Watcher, one of multiple clones of Iris, the only person left of a pandemic that eradicated human life. Watcher and her fellow clones explore Iris's recollections from the time Earth was beset by that horrific disease, as well as memories of her school and family life, both of which were easy for a young person. Watcher discovers Iris is not what she appears, and the plot develops from there. If all that mystery fails to grab your interest, the game indeed start with a killing. Is there a more compelling opening than that?

Octopath Traveler 2

Yes, completing a gazillion-hour RPG in only 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 departing Game Pass at the close of the month (as is the first game, which is also included). But, with a break in the middle, at least for players in the U.S., it's theoretically achievable. Octopath Traveler 2 features eight characters, each embodying a distinct story style. You'll find a procedural tale about a cleric looking into the death of his cathedral's head priest. A merchant aiming to solve destitution through the power of capitalism stars in a frontier-inspired adventure. There's even a mystery about an herbalist with amnesia (because every good RPGs require a hero with an unknown background, naturally). Some of these stories intertwine in unexpected, fascinating ways, while you progress through a stunning Industrial Revolution inspired setting. And the combat is excellent — stat-focused gameplay distilled to its purest form.