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Following the recent cost hike for Game Pass Ultimate, the initial uproar has calmed down. While it may not be seen as the absolute best offer in gaming now, the service has introduced a number of big-name launch day games lately, including Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. These additions only enhance a vast library of hundreds games ideal for weekend-long gaming binges.

This week's picks feature a therapeutic shooter, an award-winning indie masterpiece, and a essential HD-2D RPG.

Resistance: Sniper Elite

From time to time, we all require a little release. Over two decades, the Sniper Elite franchise has provided exactly that. Rebellion Developments' enduring shooter series presents players ultraviolent mayhem against Nazi forces. This year, Rebellion launched Sniper Elite: Resistance, a timely addition to the franchise. While it doesn't revolutionize the gameplay, Resistance remains a well-constructed serving of simulation World War II sandboxes filled with Nazi targets. The long-range combat is as brutal and gratifying as always, with the series' trademark killcam displaying every bullet's effect in gory, explicit clarity. It's a bloody thrill for any pacifist looking to let off steam in the security of a virtual space.

Resist 1000x

1000xResist tells an award-winning story exploring life after a pandemic existence, family trauma, and much more. It examines these themes through a sci-fi perspective; you play as Watcher, one of multiple clones of Iris, the sole survivor of a global outbreak that wiped out human life. Watcher and her sister clones delve into Iris's memories from when Earth was ravaged by that terrible disease, along with memories of her education and home life, neither of which were bearable for a teenager. Watcher discovers Iris isn't all that she seems, and the plot unfolds from there. Should all that mystery isn't enough to hook you, the game indeed start with a killing. What could be a more gripping start than that?

Octopath Traveler 2

Admittedly, completing a extremely long RPG in only nine days 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 end of November (as is the first game, also available). But, due to a holiday in the middle, at least for players in the U.S., it's technically doable. Octopath Traveler 2 features eight characters, every one embodying a distinct story style. You'll find a procedural tale about a cleric investigating the murder of his church's archbishop. A merchant striving to eradicate destitution through the force of capitalism headlines a frontier-inspired adventure. There's even a mystery about an herbalist with amnesia (because all great RPGs require a hero with an unknown past, of course). Some of these stories connect in surprising, intriguing ways, while you progress through a gorgeous Industrial Revolution inspired setting. And the battle system is excellent — “number go up” distilled to its purest form.