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

Following the latest cost hike for Game Pass Ultimate, the initial commotion has subsided. Although it might not be seen as the top offer in gaming now, the platform has introduced several big-name launch day releases lately, including Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. Those additions further enrich a massive collection of hundreds games perfect for weekend marathon sessions.

This week's recommendations include a cathartic action game, an award-winning independent gem, and a must-play HD-2D RPG.

Sniper Elite: Resistance

From time to time, we all require a little catharsis. Over two decades, the Sniper Elite series has provided exactly that. Rebellion Developments' long-running shooter line offers players intensely graphic mayhem targeting enemy targets. Recently, Rebellion released Sniper Elite: Resistance, a well-timed addition to the series. While it doesn't revolutionize the gameplay, Resistance is a well-constructed serving of simulation World War II sandboxes filled with Nazi objectives. The long-range combat is as brutal and gratifying as always, with the series' trademark killcam showing every bullet's effect in graphic, explicit detail. It's a violent excitement for every pacifist wanting to let off steam in the safety of a virtual world.

Resist 1000x

1000xResist tells an critically acclaimed story exploring life after a pandemic life, generational trauma, and other deep themes. It approaches these subjects through a sci-fi perspective; you assume the role of Watcher, one of multiple clones of Iris, the only person left of a pandemic that eradicated humanity. Watcher and her fellow clones explore Iris's recollections from when Earth was ravaged by that horrific plague, along with memories of her education and family life, neither of which were bearable for a young person. Watcher discovers Iris is not what she appears, and the plot unfolds from there. Should all that intrigue isn't enough to grab your interest, the game indeed start with a killing. What could be a more compelling start than that?

Octopath Traveler II

Admittedly, finishing a gazillion-hour RPG in only over a week is a tall order, but if there's any game worth trying the effort for, it's Octopath Traveler 2. Square Enix's visually striking masterpiece is departing Game Pass at the end of November (along with the first game, also available). However, due to a holiday in the midst, at least for players in the U.S., it's technically doable. Octopath Traveler 2 features 8 protagonists, every one embodying a distinct genre. You'll find a investigative tale about a cleric looking into the death of his church's head priest. A trader aiming to eradicate destitution through the force of capitalism headlines a frontier-inspired adventure. There's even a mystery about an apothecary with amnesia (because all great RPGs require a hero with an unknown background, of course). Some of these plots connect in surprising, intriguing ways, as you play through a stunning 19th-century inspired world. And the battle system is superb — “number go up” boiled to its essence.