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After the latest price increase for Game Pass Ultimate, the initial commotion has subsided. Although it may not be seen as the absolute best deal in gaming anymore, the platform has welcomed several big-name day-one games recently, including Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. Those titles only enhance a vast library of hundreds games perfect for weekend-long marathon sessions.

Our current picks include a cathartic shooter, an award-winning indie gem, and a must-play HD-2D RPG.

Resistance: Sniper Elite

From time to time, we all require a little release. For 20 years, the Sniper Elite series has delivered precisely that. Rebellion Developments' enduring shooter line offers players intensely graphic mayhem against Nazi targets. Recently, Rebellion launched Sniper Elite: Resistance, a well-timed addition to the series. While it doesn't revolutionize the formula, Resistance remains a well-constructed serving of simulation World War II sandboxes packed with enemy objectives. The long-range combat is as brutal and gratifying as always, with the game's trademark killcam showing every bullet's effect in gory, explicit detail. It's a violent thrill for any pacifist wanting to let off steam in the safety of a digital world.

Resist 1000x

1000xResist presents an award-winning story exploring life after a pandemic life, generational trauma, and other deep themes. It examines these themes through a science fiction lens; you assume the role of Watcher, a member of several clones of Iris, the sole survivor of a pandemic that wiped out humanity. Watcher and her fellow clones explore Iris's memories from the time Earth was ravaged by that terrible disease, along with memories of her school and family life, both of which were easy for a young person. Watcher learns Iris isn't what she appears, and the story develops from there. If all that intrigue fails to hook you, the game does start with a murder. What could be a more compelling start than that?

Octopath Traveler II

Admittedly, completing a gazillion-hour RPG in only nine days 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 departing Game Pass at the close of the month (as is the first game, also available). However, with a holiday in the middle, at least for players in the U.S., it's theoretically achievable. Octopath Traveler 2 features eight protagonists, every one embodying a distinct genre. There's a procedural tale about a cleric looking into the murder of his church's head priest. A trader aiming to eradicate poverty through the power of commerce stars in a frontier-inspired narrative. There's even a mystery about an herbalist with memory loss (because every good RPGs need a hero with an unknown background, of course). Some of these stories intertwine in unexpected, intriguing ways, while you progress through a stunning Industrial Revolution themed world. And the battle system is superb — “number go up” boiled to its purest form.