Three Xbox Game Pass Titles That Will Justify Your Membership This Weekend (Nov. 21-23)

After the latest cost hike for Game Pass Ultimate, the initial commotion has subsided. Although it might not be seen as the top deal in gaming now, the platform has introduced several high-profile day-one games recently, including Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. These titles only enhance a massive collection of hundreds games perfect for weekend marathon sessions.

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

Sniper Elite: Resistance

From time to time, we all require a little catharsis. For 20 years, the Sniper Elite franchise has delivered exactly that. Rebellion Developments' long-running shooter series presents players ultraviolent mayhem against enemy forces. This year, the studio launched Sniper Elite: Resistance, a well-timed new entry to the franchise. Although it doesn't reinvent the formula, Resistance is a polished serving of simulation World War II sandboxes packed with Nazi objectives. The long-range combat is as visceral and gratifying as ever, with the series' signature killcam displaying every bullet's effect in gory, testicle-crunching detail. It's a bloody excitement for any pacifist wanting to let off steam in the security of a digital world.

Resist 1000x

1000xResist presents an critically acclaimed narrative exploring post-pandemic existence, family trauma, and much more. It examines these subjects through a sci-fi perspective; you play as Watcher, a member of several clones of Iris, the sole person left of a pandemic that eradicated humanity. Watcher and her sister clones delve into Iris's recollections from the time Earth was beset by that terrible plague, along with memories of her school and family life, neither of which were easy for a teenager. Watcher learns Iris isn't what she appears, and the plot unfolds from that point. Should all that mystery isn't enough to hook you, the game does start with a killing. What could be a more gripping start than that?

Octopath Traveler 2

Admittedly, finishing a extremely long RPG in just over a week is a challenging task, 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 (as is the original game, also available). However, due to a break in the middle, at least for those in the States, it's technically doable. Octopath Traveler 2 features 8 characters, each embodying a distinct story style. There's a investigative story about a priest investigating the murder of his cathedral's head priest. A merchant aiming to solve poverty through the force of capitalism stars in a western-themed narrative. There's even a mystery about an apothecary with memory loss (since every good RPGs require a character with an unknown past, of course). Some of these plots intertwine in unexpected, fascinating ways, as you play through a stunning 19th-century themed setting. And the combat is superb — stat-focused gameplay boiled to its purest form.