3 Xbox Game Pass Games That Will Justify Your Subscription This Weekend (Nov. 21-23)

Following the recent cost hike for Game Pass Ultimate, the earlier uproar has subsided. Although it may not be seen as the top deal in gaming anymore, the service has introduced several big-name day-one releases lately, such as Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. These titles further enrich a vast library of hundreds games perfect for weekend gaming binges.

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

Resistance: Sniper Elite

From time to time, we all require a little release. For 20 years, the Sniper Elite franchise has delivered exactly that. Rebellion Developments' enduring shooter series offers players intensely graphic mayhem against enemy targets. Recently, Rebellion launched Sniper Elite: Resistance, a timely addition to the franchise. Although it doesn't revolutionize the gameplay, Resistance is a polished dose of simulation World War II open environments packed with Nazi objectives. The sniping is as brutal and satisfying as always, featuring the game's trademark killcam displaying each shot's impact in graphic, testicle-crunching detail. It's a bloody excitement for every peace-lover looking to let off steam in the security of a virtual space.

1000xResist

1000xResist tells an critically acclaimed story exploring post-pandemic existence, generational trauma, and other deep themes. It examines these themes through a sci-fi perspective; you assume the role of Watcher, a member of several clones of Iris, the sole person left of a global outbreak that wiped out human life. Watcher and her fellow clones explore Iris's recollections from the time Earth was ravaged by that horrific disease, as well as experiences of her school and family life, neither of which were bearable for a young person. Watcher discovers Iris isn't all that she seems, and the plot develops from that point. If all that mystery isn't enough to hook you, the game indeed start with a killing. What could be a more compelling opening than this?

Octopath Traveler II

Yes, completing a extremely long RPG in only nine days is a tall order, but if there's any game worth trying the grind for, it's Octopath Traveler 2. Square Enix's HD-2D gem is departing Game Pass at the end of November (along with the original game, which is also included). However, with a holiday in the middle, at least for those in the U.S., it's theoretically achievable. Octopath Traveler 2 features 8 protagonists, every one representing a different story style. There's a investigative story about a cleric looking into the death of his cathedral's head priest. A merchant striving to solve poverty through the power of capitalism headlines a western-themed narrative. There's even a enigma about an apothecary with memory loss (since all great RPGs need a character with an mysterious past, of course). A few of these plots connect in unexpected, fascinating ways, while you progress through a stunning 19th-century inspired setting. And the battle system is superb — stat-focused gameplay boiled to its purest form.