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Following the recent cost hike for Game Pass Ultimate, the initial uproar has calmed down. While it might not be considered the absolute best offer in gaming anymore, the service has welcomed several big-name day-one games lately, including Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. Those additions only enhance a massive collection of numerous games ideal for weekend-long gaming binges.

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

Resistance: Sniper Elite

Every so often, everyone needs a bit of catharsis. For 20 years, the Sniper Elite series has delivered precisely that. Rebellion Developments' enduring shooter series presents players intensely graphic carnage targeting Nazi targets. Recently, the studio released Sniper Elite: Resistance, a well-timed addition to the franchise. While it doesn't revolutionize the formula, Resistance is a well-constructed serving of immersive sim World War II open environments packed with Nazi objectives. The sniping is as brutal and gratifying as always, featuring the game's trademark killcam displaying every bullet's effect in graphic, explicit clarity. It's a violent excitement for any peace-lover wanting to unwind in the safety of a digital world.

1000xResist

1000xResist presents an critically acclaimed story touching on life after a pandemic existence, generational pain, and other deep themes. It examines these themes through a sci-fi perspective; you assume the role of Watcher, one of multiple clones of Iris, the only survivor of a global outbreak that wiped out human life. Watcher and her fellow clones explore Iris's recollections from when Earth was beset by that terrible disease, as well as experiences of her education and family life, neither of which were bearable for a young person. Watcher learns Iris isn't all that she seems, and the plot develops from that point. Should all that intrigue isn't enough to hook you, the game does begin with a murder. What could be a more gripping start than this?

Octopath Traveler 2

Admittedly, finishing a gazillion-hour RPG in just over a week is a challenging task, but if any game worth trying the grind for, it's Octopath Traveler 2. Square Enix's visually striking gem is departing Game Pass at the close of the month (along with the first game, which is also included). However, due to a break in the middle, at least for players in the States, it's theoretically doable. Octopath Traveler 2 features 8 characters, each embodying a different story style. There's a procedural tale about a cleric looking into the death of his church's head priest. A merchant striving to solve poverty through the power of commerce headlines a frontier-inspired narrative. Additionally, there's a enigma about an apothecary with memory loss (because all great RPGs require a hero with an mysterious past, naturally). A few of these plots intertwine in unexpected, intriguing ways, while you progress through a gorgeous 19th-century inspired setting. And the battle system is superb — “number go up” boiled to its purest form.