Three Game Pass Games That Can Validate Your Subscription This Weekend (Nov. 21-23)

After the latest cost hike for Game Pass Ultimate, the earlier commotion has subsided. While it might not be seen as the absolute best offer in gaming anymore, the platform has introduced a number of big-name day-one games recently, including Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. Those titles only enhance a massive library of hundreds games perfect for weekend-long gaming binges.

Our current picks feature a therapeutic shooter, an prize-winning independent masterpiece, and a essential HD-2D RPG.

Resistance: Sniper Elite

Every so often, we all require a bit of catharsis. Over two decades, the Sniper Elite franchise has provided precisely that. Rebellion Developments' enduring shooter series offers players ultraviolent mayhem targeting Nazi targets. This year, Rebellion released Sniper Elite: Resistance, a timely new entry to the franchise. Although it doesn't revolutionize the formula, Resistance remains a polished serving of immersive sim World War II open environments packed with enemy targets. The sniping is as brutal and gratifying as always, featuring the series' signature killcam displaying every bullet's effect in graphic, explicit clarity. It's a violent excitement for every peace-lover wanting to unwind in the security of a virtual space.

Resist 1000x

1000xResist tells an critically acclaimed narrative touching on post-pandemic existence, family pain, and much more. It examines these themes through a sci-fi perspective; you play as Watcher, a member of several clones of Iris, the sole survivor of a pandemic that eradicated humanity. Watcher and her fellow clones explore Iris's memories from the time Earth was ravaged by that horrific disease, along with memories of her school and home life, neither of which were bearable for a young person. Watcher learns Iris isn't all that she seems, and the story unfolds from there. If all that mystery isn't enough to hook you, the game does begin with a murder. Is there a more gripping start than this?

Octopath Traveler 2

Yes, finishing 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 HD-2D gem is leaving Game Pass at the end of November (as is the original game, also available). However, with a holiday in the midst, at least for players in the U.S., it's technically achievable. Octopath Traveler 2 follows eight characters, each embodying a distinct genre. You'll find a investigative story about a priest investigating the death of his cathedral's archbishop. A merchant striving to solve destitution through the force of commerce stars in a frontier-inspired narrative. There's even a enigma about an apothecary with memory loss (since every good RPGs require a hero with an unknown past, of course). Some of these plots intertwine in surprising, fascinating ways, as you play through a stunning 19th-century themed setting. And the battle system is excellent — “number go up” boiled to its purest form.