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After the recent cost hike for Game Pass Ultimate, the initial commotion has subsided. Although it may not be considered the absolute best offer in gaming now, the platform has welcomed a number of high-profile day-one games recently, including Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. Those titles only enhance a vast collection of numerous games perfect for weekend gaming binges.

This week's picks feature a cathartic shooter, an award-winning indie masterpiece, and a essential HD-2D RPG.

Sniper Elite: Resistance

Every so often, everyone needs a bit of catharsis. For 20 years, the Sniper Elite franchise has provided exactly that. Rebellion Developments' long-running shooter series offers players ultraviolent mayhem against enemy forces. This year, Rebellion launched Sniper Elite: Resistance, a timely addition to the franchise. Although it doesn't reinvent the gameplay, Resistance is a well-constructed dose of simulation World War II sandboxes filled with Nazi objectives. The sniping is as brutal and satisfying as always, with the series' signature killcam displaying each shot's impact in graphic, testicle-crunching clarity. It's a violent thrill for any peace-lover wanting to let off steam in the security of a digital world.

1000xResist

1000xResist tells an award-winning story touching on life after a pandemic existence, family trauma, and much more. It examines these subjects through a science fiction lens; you assume the role of Watcher, one of multiple clones of Iris, the sole person left of a pandemic that wiped out human life. Watcher and her sister clones delve into Iris's recollections from the time Earth was beset by that horrific plague, as well as memories of her education and home life, neither of which were bearable for a young person. Watcher learns Iris isn't what she appears, and the story develops from that point. If all that intrigue isn't enough to hook you, the game does start with a murder. What could be a more compelling opening than this?

Octopath Traveler 2

Admittedly, finishing a extremely long RPG in just over a week is a challenging task, but if any game deserving trying the effort for, it's Octopath Traveler 2. Square Enix's HD-2D masterpiece is departing Game Pass at the close of the month (as is the original game, which is also included). But, with a break in the midst, at least for players in the U.S., it's technically achievable. Octopath Traveler 2 follows 8 protagonists, each representing a different story style. There's a investigative story about a cleric investigating the murder of his cathedral's head priest. A trader striving to solve destitution through the force of commerce stars in a frontier-inspired adventure. There's even a enigma about an apothecary with memory loss (because every good RPGs need a character with an mysterious background, of course). Some of these plots intertwine in surprising, fascinating ways, as you play through a stunning 19th-century themed setting. And the combat is excellent — “number go up” distilled to its essence.