3 Game Pass Titles That Will Validate Your Membership During the Weekend (Nov. 21-23)

Following the recent cost hike for Game Pass Ultimate, the earlier commotion has calmed down. Although it may not be considered the absolute best offer in gaming anymore, the service has introduced a number of high-profile launch day games lately, including Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. These titles further enrich a vast library of hundreds games perfect for weekend gaming binges.

This week's recommendations include a cathartic action game, an award-winning independent masterpiece, 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 provided precisely that. Rebellion Developments' long-running shooter line offers players intensely graphic mayhem against Nazi targets. This year, Rebellion released Sniper Elite: Resistance, a timely new entry to the series. Although it doesn't reinvent the gameplay, Resistance remains a polished dose of simulation World War II sandboxes packed with enemy objectives. The sniping is as brutal and satisfying as ever, featuring the game's signature killcam showing each shot's impact in graphic, testicle-crunching clarity. It's a bloody thrill for every pacifist wanting to let off steam in the security of a digital world.

Resist 1000x

1000xResist presents an award-winning narrative touching on post-pandemic life, generational pain, and much more. It approaches these themes through a science fiction perspective; you assume the role of Watcher, a member of several clones of Iris, the sole person left of a pandemic that eradicated human life. Watcher and her sister clones explore Iris's recollections from the time Earth was beset by that terrible disease, along with memories of her school and home life, both of which were bearable for a young person. Watcher learns Iris isn't what she appears, and the plot unfolds from there. If all that intrigue isn't enough to grab your interest, the game indeed begin with a killing. Is there a more compelling opening than that?

Octopath Traveler II

Yes, finishing a gazillion-hour RPG in just over a week is a tall order, but if any game deserving attempting the effort for, it's Octopath Traveler 2. Square Enix's HD-2D gem is departing Game Pass at the end of November (along with the first game, also available). But, with a break in the middle, at least for those in the U.S., it's theoretically doable. Octopath Traveler 2 features eight characters, every one embodying a different genre. There's a investigative story about a priest investigating the murder of his cathedral's head priest. A merchant aiming to eradicate destitution through the force of capitalism headlines a frontier-inspired narrative. Additionally, there's a enigma about an apothecary with memory loss (since every good RPGs need a hero with an mysterious past, naturally). A few of these stories intertwine in surprising, intriguing ways, while you progress through a stunning 19th-century inspired world. And the combat is excellent — stat-focused gameplay distilled to its essence.