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After the latest cost hike for Game Pass Ultimate, the initial commotion has subsided. While it may not be considered the top deal in gaming anymore, the service has welcomed a number of big-name day-one releases recently, such as Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. These additions only enhance a massive collection of hundreds games perfect for weekend gaming binges.

This week's recommendations include 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 delivered exactly that. Rebellion Developments' enduring shooter line offers players intensely graphic mayhem against Nazi targets. Recently, the studio released Sniper Elite: Resistance, a timely new entry to the franchise. While it doesn't reinvent the gameplay, Resistance remains a well-constructed serving of immersive sim World War II sandboxes filled with Nazi objectives. The long-range combat is as brutal and gratifying as always, with the game's signature killcam displaying every bullet's effect in graphic, testicle-crunching detail. It's a bloody excitement for any pacifist looking to unwind in the security of a virtual world.

1000xResist

1000xResist presents an award-winning narrative touching on life after a pandemic existence, family pain, and other deep themes. It approaches these subjects through a sci-fi lens; you assume the role of Watcher, a member of multiple clones of Iris, the only person left of a pandemic that wiped out humanity. Watcher and her fellow clones delve into Iris's recollections from when Earth was ravaged by that terrible disease, as well as memories of her education and family life, neither of which were easy for a young person. Watcher discovers Iris is not what she appears, and the story develops from that point. If all that mystery isn't enough to grab your interest, the game does start with a murder. What could be a more gripping start than that?

Octopath Traveler 2

Yes, finishing a extremely long RPG in only nine days is a challenging task, but if any game worth trying the effort for, it's Octopath Traveler 2. Square Enix's HD-2D masterpiece is departing Game Pass at the end of November (as is the original game, also available). However, with a break in the middle, at least for those in the U.S., it's technically achievable. Octopath Traveler 2 features eight protagonists, each embodying a different genre. There's a procedural story about a priest investigating the death of his cathedral's head priest. A merchant striving to solve destitution through the power of commerce headlines a frontier-inspired adventure. Additionally, there's a mystery about an herbalist with memory loss (since all great RPGs need a character with an mysterious past, of course). Some of these plots intertwine in surprising, intriguing ways, as you play through a stunning 19th-century inspired setting. And the combat is superb — “number go up” boiled to its purest form.