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Following the recent price increase for Game Pass Ultimate, the earlier commotion has calmed down. While it might not be considered the top deal in gaming now, the service has introduced several high-profile day-one games recently, such as Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. These additions further enrich a vast collection of numerous games perfect for weekend gaming binges.

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

Sniper Elite: Resistance

Every so often, everyone needs a bit of release. For 20 years, the Sniper Elite franchise has delivered exactly that. Rebellion Developments' enduring shooter series offers players ultraviolent carnage targeting Nazi forces. This year, the studio launched Sniper Elite: Resistance, a timely new entry to the franchise. Although it doesn't revolutionize the formula, Resistance remains a polished serving of immersive sim World War II open environments packed with enemy targets. The sniping is as visceral and gratifying as always, featuring the game's trademark killcam showing every bullet's impact in gory, explicit clarity. It's a bloody thrill for any peace-lover wanting to let off steam in the security of a virtual space.

1000xResist

1000xResist tells an award-winning narrative touching on life after a pandemic existence, family pain, and much more. It examines these subjects through a science fiction perspective; you assume the role of Watcher, one of multiple clones of Iris, the sole survivor of a global outbreak that eradicated human life. Watcher and her sister clones delve into Iris's memories from when Earth was ravaged by that horrific disease, as well as memories of her education and family life, neither of which were bearable for a teenager. Watcher discovers Iris is not all that she seems, and the plot develops from there. If all that mystery fails to grab your interest, the game does start with a murder. What could be a more gripping start than this?

Octopath Traveler II

Admittedly, completing a extremely long RPG in only over a week is a tall order, but if there's any game deserving trying the effort for, it's Octopath Traveler 2. Square Enix's HD-2D masterpiece is leaving Game Pass at the close of the month (along with the original game, also available). However, with a break in the midst, at least for those in the U.S., it's technically achievable. Octopath Traveler 2 features 8 protagonists, each embodying a different story style. There's a investigative story about a priest investigating the murder of his church's head priest. A merchant aiming to solve destitution through the force of commerce headlines a frontier-inspired narrative. There's even a mystery about an herbalist with amnesia (because every good RPGs require a character with an unknown past, naturally). Some of these plots intertwine in surprising, intriguing ways, as you play through a gorgeous Industrial Revolution themed world. And the combat is excellent — stat-focused gameplay boiled to its essence.