🔗 Share this article

Following the latest price increase for Game Pass Ultimate, the earlier commotion has subsided. Although it may not be seen as the top deal in gaming now, the service has welcomed several high-profile day-one games recently, including Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. These titles only enhance a massive library of hundreds games ideal for weekend-long marathon sessions.

This week's picks feature a cathartic action game, an prize-winning independent gem, and a essential HD-2D RPG.

Resistance: Sniper Elite

Every so often, we all require a bit of release. Over two decades, the Sniper Elite franchise has provided precisely that. Rebellion Developments' enduring shooter line offers players intensely graphic carnage against Nazi targets. This year, Rebellion released Sniper Elite: Resistance, a well-timed addition to the series. Although it doesn't reinvent the gameplay, Resistance is a well-constructed dose of simulation World War II sandboxes filled with enemy objectives. The sniping is as visceral and gratifying as always, featuring the series' signature killcam displaying each shot's impact in gory, explicit clarity. It's a bloody excitement for any pacifist wanting to let off steam in the security of a digital world.

1000xResist

1000xResist tells an award-winning story touching on life after a pandemic life, generational pain, and much more. It approaches these themes through a sci-fi perspective; 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 sister clones explore Iris's recollections from when Earth was beset by that horrific disease, as well as experiences of her education and family life, both of which were easy for a young person. Watcher learns Iris isn't all that she seems, and the story unfolds from there. Should all that mystery isn't enough to grab your interest, the game does begin with a murder. Is there a more compelling start than that?

Octopath Traveler II

Yes, finishing a gazillion-hour RPG in just over a week is a tall order, but if there's any game worth trying the effort for, it's Octopath Traveler 2. Square Enix's HD-2D gem is departing 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 technically achievable. Octopath Traveler 2 follows 8 characters, each embodying a distinct genre. You'll find a investigative tale about a priest looking into the death of his church's head priest. A trader striving to solve poverty through the force of capitalism headlines a western-themed adventure. There's even a enigma about an apothecary with amnesia (since every good RPGs need a character with an mysterious past, of course). Some of these stories connect in unexpected, fascinating ways, while you progress through a gorgeous 19th-century inspired setting. And the combat is superb — “number go up” distilled to its purest form.