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Following the latest cost hike for Game Pass Ultimate, the earlier commotion has calmed down. Although it may not be seen as the absolute best deal in gaming anymore, the service has welcomed a number of high-profile launch day releases recently, including Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. Those additions only enhance a massive library of hundreds games perfect for weekend marathon sessions.

Our current recommendations feature a therapeutic action game, an award-winning indie 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 delivered exactly that. Rebellion Developments' long-running shooter line offers players ultraviolent mayhem targeting Nazi targets. This year, the studio launched Sniper Elite: Resistance, a timely new entry to the franchise. Although it doesn't revolutionize the formula, Resistance is a well-constructed dose of simulation World War II sandboxes packed with enemy targets. The long-range combat is as brutal and gratifying as always, with the game's signature killcam displaying each shot's impact in graphic, testicle-crunching detail. It's a bloody thrill for every pacifist wanting to let off steam in the safety of a virtual world.

Resist 1000x

1000xResist presents an critically acclaimed story exploring life after a pandemic life, generational trauma, and other deep themes. It approaches these subjects through a sci-fi perspective; you play as Watcher, a member of multiple clones of Iris, the sole survivor of a pandemic that eradicated humanity. Watcher and her sister clones delve into Iris's memories from the time Earth was ravaged by that terrible plague, as well as memories of her education and home life, neither of which were bearable for a teenager. Watcher learns Iris is not what she appears, and the story unfolds from that point. If all that mystery isn't enough to grab your interest, the game indeed begin with a killing. What could be a more gripping opening than this?

Octopath Traveler 2

Admittedly, completing a gazillion-hour RPG in just 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 gem is leaving Game Pass at the end of November (as is the first game, also available). But, with a holiday in the midst, at least for those in the States, it's theoretically doable. Octopath Traveler 2 follows 8 protagonists, every one embodying a different genre. There's a procedural story about a cleric looking into the murder of his cathedral's head priest. A trader aiming to solve poverty through the force of commerce stars in a western-themed narrative. There's even a mystery about an herbalist with amnesia (since every good RPGs require a character with an mysterious background, of course). Some of these stories connect in surprising, fascinating ways, as you play through a gorgeous 19th-century inspired world. And the combat is excellent — stat-focused gameplay boiled to its essence.