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After the recent price increase for Game Pass Ultimate, the earlier uproar has calmed down. While it may not be considered the absolute best offer in gaming now, the platform has introduced a number of big-name launch day releases recently, including Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. Those additions further enrich a massive library of numerous games ideal for weekend marathon sessions.

This week's recommendations feature a cathartic shooter, an prize-winning indie gem, and a essential HD-2D RPG.

Sniper Elite: Resistance

From time to time, we all require a bit of catharsis. Over two decades, the Sniper Elite series has provided exactly that. Rebellion Developments' enduring shooter line offers players intensely graphic mayhem targeting Nazi targets. Recently, Rebellion launched Sniper Elite: Resistance, a timely addition to the franchise. While it doesn't reinvent the gameplay, Resistance remains a well-constructed serving of immersive sim World War II open environments filled with Nazi objectives. The long-range combat is as brutal and gratifying as always, featuring the series' trademark killcam showing every bullet's effect in graphic, explicit clarity. It's a bloody excitement for every peace-lover wanting to let off steam in the security of a virtual world.

Resist 1000x

1000xResist presents an award-winning story touching on life after a pandemic existence, family trauma, and much more. It examines these subjects through a sci-fi lens; you play as Watcher, one of several clones of Iris, the only person left of a global outbreak that wiped out humanity. Watcher and her sister clones explore Iris's memories from the time Earth was ravaged by that horrific disease, along with memories of her school and home life, neither of which were easy for a young person. Watcher discovers Iris is not all that she seems, and the plot develops from there. If all that intrigue fails to hook you, the game does start with a murder. What could be a more gripping opening than that?

Octopath Traveler II

Admittedly, finishing a gazillion-hour RPG in only over a week is a challenging task, but if any game worth trying the effort for, it's Octopath Traveler 2. Square Enix's HD-2D gem is departing Game Pass at the close of the month (along with the first game, also available). However, due to a break in the middle, at least for those in the U.S., it's theoretically achievable. Octopath Traveler 2 features 8 protagonists, each embodying a distinct story style. You'll find a investigative story about a priest investigating the murder of his cathedral's archbishop. A trader aiming to solve poverty through the force of commerce headlines a western-themed narrative. There's even a mystery about an herbalist with memory loss (since all great RPGs need a hero with an unknown background, naturally). Some of these stories connect in unexpected, fascinating ways, while you progress through a gorgeous 19th-century inspired setting. And the combat is superb — stat-focused gameplay boiled to its essence.