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Following the latest cost hike for Game Pass Ultimate, the initial uproar has subsided. Although it might not be seen as the top offer in gaming anymore, the service has introduced several big-name launch day games lately, including Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. Those additions only enhance a massive collection of hundreds games perfect for weekend gaming binges.

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

Resistance: Sniper Elite

Every so often, we all require a little catharsis. For 20 years, the Sniper Elite franchise has provided exactly that. Rebellion Developments' enduring shooter line offers players intensely graphic carnage targeting Nazi forces. This year, the studio released Sniper Elite: Resistance, a well-timed addition to the series. While it doesn't revolutionize the gameplay, Resistance remains a polished dose of immersive sim World War II sandboxes packed with Nazi objectives. The long-range combat is as brutal and gratifying as ever, with the series' signature killcam showing every bullet's impact in graphic, explicit detail. It's a violent excitement for any pacifist wanting to unwind in the safety of a virtual space.

Resist 1000x

1000xResist presents an award-winning narrative touching on post-pandemic life, family trauma, and much more. It examines these themes through a science fiction lens; you play as Watcher, a member of multiple clones of Iris, the sole person left of a global outbreak that eradicated humanity. Watcher and her sister clones delve into Iris's recollections from the time Earth was ravaged by that horrific plague, along with memories of her education and home life, both of which were bearable for a young person. Watcher discovers Iris isn't all that she seems, and the story unfolds from that point. If all that mystery isn't enough to hook you, the game does begin with a murder. What could be a more compelling start than that?

Octopath Traveler 2

Yes, finishing a extremely long RPG in just over a week is a challenging task, but if any game deserving trying the grind for, it's Octopath Traveler 2. Square Enix's HD-2D gem is departing Game Pass at the close of the month (as is the original game, which is also included). But, due to a break in the middle, at least for those in the U.S., it's technically doable. Octopath Traveler 2 follows 8 characters, every one embodying a different genre. There's a procedural story about a priest investigating the death of his cathedral's archbishop. A merchant striving to solve destitution through the power of commerce headlines a frontier-inspired adventure. There's even a mystery about an apothecary with memory loss (since all great RPGs require a hero with an unknown background, of course). Some of these plots intertwine in surprising, intriguing ways, while you progress through a gorgeous 19th-century inspired setting. And the combat is excellent — stat-focused gameplay distilled to its purest form.