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After the recent cost hike for Game Pass Ultimate, the initial commotion has subsided. While it might not be considered the absolute best deal in gaming now, the platform has welcomed several high-profile day-one games lately, including Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. Those additions further enrich a vast library of numerous games ideal for weekend-long gaming binges.

This week's recommendations include a cathartic shooter, an prize-winning independent masterpiece, and a must-play HD-2D RPG.

Resistance: Sniper Elite

Every so often, everyone needs a bit of catharsis. Over two decades, the Sniper Elite series has provided exactly that. Rebellion Developments' long-running shooter series offers players intensely graphic mayhem against Nazi forces. Recently, the studio launched Sniper Elite: Resistance, a timely new entry to the franchise. Although it doesn't reinvent the gameplay, Resistance is a polished dose of immersive sim World War II open environments packed with enemy objectives. The long-range combat is as brutal and gratifying as always, featuring the series' trademark killcam showing every bullet's impact in graphic, explicit detail. It's a violent thrill for any peace-lover looking to let off steam in the security of a virtual world.

Resist 1000x

1000xResist presents an award-winning story exploring life after a pandemic existence, generational pain, and much more. It approaches these subjects through a science fiction lens; you play as Watcher, one of several clones of Iris, the sole survivor of a global outbreak that wiped out human life. Watcher and her fellow clones delve into Iris's recollections from when Earth was beset by that terrible disease, along with memories of her education and family life, both of which were bearable for a young person. Watcher discovers Iris isn't all that she seems, and the story develops from that point. If all that mystery isn't enough to grab your interest, the game indeed start with a killing. What could be a more gripping start than this?

Octopath Traveler II

Admittedly, completing a extremely long RPG in just over a week is a challenging task, but if there's any game deserving attempting the effort for, it's Octopath Traveler 2. Square Enix's HD-2D gem is leaving Game Pass at the end of November (along with the first game, also available). However, with a break in the middle, at least for players in the States, it's technically doable. Octopath Traveler 2 follows 8 characters, every one embodying a different genre. You'll find a procedural tale about a cleric investigating the death of his cathedral's head priest. A trader striving to eradicate destitution through the power of commerce stars in a western-themed narrative. Additionally, there's a enigma about an apothecary with memory loss (because all great RPGs need a character with an mysterious past, naturally). A few of these plots connect in surprising, intriguing ways, while you progress through a stunning 19th-century inspired world. And the battle system is superb — “number go up” distilled to its purest form.