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After the recent cost hike for Game Pass Ultimate, the initial uproar has calmed down. While it might not be considered the top offer in gaming now, the service has welcomed several high-profile launch day games recently, such as Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. These titles further enrich a massive library of numerous games perfect for weekend-long marathon sessions.

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

Sniper Elite: Resistance

Every so often, everyone needs a bit of catharsis. For 20 years, the Sniper Elite franchise has delivered exactly that. Rebellion Developments' enduring shooter line offers players ultraviolent mayhem against Nazi targets. This year, the studio released Sniper Elite: Resistance, a timely addition to the series. While it doesn't reinvent the gameplay, Resistance is a polished serving of simulation World War II sandboxes packed with Nazi objectives. The sniping is as visceral and satisfying as ever, with the game's trademark killcam showing every bullet's effect in gory, explicit detail. It's a bloody thrill for every peace-lover 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, generational pain, and much more. It approaches these themes through a science fiction lens; you assume the role of Watcher, a member of multiple clones of Iris, the only survivor of a pandemic that wiped out human life. Watcher and her fellow clones explore Iris's recollections from the time Earth was beset by that terrible disease, along with experiences of her education and family life, neither of which were easy for a young person. Watcher discovers Iris isn't what she appears, and the plot develops from there. If all that mystery isn't enough to grab your interest, the game does begin with a murder. Is there a more compelling opening than that?

Octopath Traveler II

Admittedly, completing a extremely long RPG in just nine days is a tall order, but if any game deserving attempting 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 original game, also available). But, due to a break in the midst, at least for those in the States, it's theoretically achievable. Octopath Traveler 2 features eight protagonists, each embodying a different genre. There's a procedural tale about a cleric looking into the murder of his church's head priest. A merchant aiming to eradicate poverty through the power of commerce stars in a western-themed narrative. Additionally, there's a mystery about an apothecary with memory loss (since all great RPGs need a character with an unknown background, of course). A few of these plots intertwine in unexpected, intriguing ways, while you progress through a gorgeous 19th-century inspired world. And the combat is superb — “number go up” distilled to its purest form.