3 Game Pass Titles That Can Validate Your Membership This Weekend (Nov. 21-23)

After the latest cost hike for Game Pass Ultimate, the initial commotion has calmed down. While it may not be seen as the top deal in gaming anymore, the service has welcomed several high-profile launch day releases lately, including Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. These titles only enhance a massive library of numerous games perfect for weekend-long marathon sessions.

Our current picks feature a cathartic shooter, an award-winning indie gem, and a essential HD-2D RPG.

Sniper Elite: Resistance

From time to time, we all require a bit of release. For 20 years, the Sniper Elite franchise has delivered exactly that. Rebellion Developments' enduring shooter line offers players ultraviolent carnage targeting Nazi forces. Recently, Rebellion released Sniper Elite: Resistance, a timely new entry to the franchise. While it doesn't revolutionize the gameplay, Resistance remains a well-constructed serving of immersive sim World War II open environments packed with Nazi objectives. The sniping is as visceral and satisfying as always, featuring the game's signature killcam showing every bullet's effect in graphic, explicit clarity. It's a bloody excitement for any peace-lover wanting to unwind in the safety of a virtual world.

Resist 1000x

1000xResist presents an award-winning story exploring post-pandemic life, family pain, and other deep themes. It approaches these themes through a science fiction perspective; you play as Watcher, a member of several clones of Iris, the only person left of a pandemic that wiped out humanity. Watcher and her sister clones delve into Iris's memories from the time Earth was ravaged by that terrible disease, along with memories of her school and home life, neither of which were bearable for a young person. Watcher discovers Iris isn't all that she seems, and the plot develops from there. Should all that mystery isn't enough to grab your interest, the game indeed start with a murder. Is there a more gripping start than this?

Octopath Traveler II

Yes, completing a extremely long RPG in only over a week is a challenging task, but if any game worth trying the grind for, it's Octopath Traveler 2. Square Enix's visually striking masterpiece is departing Game Pass at the close of the month (along with the original game, also available). However, due to a holiday in the middle, at least for those in the States, it's theoretically doable. Octopath Traveler 2 features eight characters, each representing a distinct genre. You'll find a investigative story about a priest investigating the murder of his cathedral's head priest. A trader aiming to solve poverty through the force of commerce stars in a frontier-inspired adventure. Additionally, there's a enigma about an apothecary with memory loss (because all great RPGs need a hero with an unknown past, of course). A few of these stories intertwine in surprising, intriguing ways, as you play through a stunning 19th-century themed setting. And the combat is superb — stat-focused gameplay distilled to its purest form.