Three Xbox Game Pass Games That Will Validate Your Membership During the Weekend (Nov. 21-23)

Following the recent cost hike for Game Pass Ultimate, the initial uproar has calmed down. While it may not be seen as the top deal in gaming anymore, the platform has welcomed several high-profile day-one games recently, such as Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. Those titles only enhance a vast library of hundreds games ideal for weekend-long marathon sessions.

Our current picks include a cathartic action game, an award-winning independent masterpiece, and a essential HD-2D RPG.

Sniper Elite: Resistance

Every so often, we all require a little release. Over two decades, the Sniper Elite series has provided precisely that. Rebellion Developments' enduring shooter series presents players intensely graphic carnage targeting enemy forces. Recently, Rebellion released Sniper Elite: Resistance, a timely addition to the franchise. While it doesn't reinvent the formula, Resistance is a polished dose of simulation World War II open environments filled with Nazi objectives. The sniping is as visceral and gratifying as always, with the series' trademark killcam displaying each shot's impact in gory, explicit detail. It's a bloody excitement for every peace-lover looking to let off steam in the security of a digital world.

Resist 1000x

1000xResist tells an critically acclaimed narrative touching on life after a pandemic existence, family pain, and much more. It examines these subjects through a sci-fi lens; you assume the role of Watcher, a member of several clones of Iris, the sole person left of a global outbreak that eradicated human life. Watcher and her sister clones explore Iris's memories from when Earth was beset by that terrible disease, as well as experiences of her education and family life, neither of which were easy 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 grab your interest, the game indeed start with a murder. What could be a more gripping start than that?

Octopath Traveler II

Yes, finishing a extremely long RPG in only nine days is a challenging task, but if there's any game deserving trying 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, which is also included). However, due to a break in the middle, at least for those in the U.S., it's theoretically achievable. Octopath Traveler 2 follows 8 protagonists, every one embodying a different genre. There's a investigative story about a priest looking into the death of his cathedral's head priest. A merchant aiming to solve poverty through the force of commerce headlines a western-themed adventure. There's even a enigma about an apothecary with memory loss (because all great RPGs need a hero with an unknown past, of course). Some of these plots intertwine in unexpected, fascinating ways, while you progress through a stunning 19th-century inspired setting. And the battle system is excellent — stat-focused gameplay distilled to its purest form.