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Following the recent cost hike for Game Pass Ultimate, the earlier uproar has subsided. While it might not be considered the absolute best offer in gaming anymore, the platform has welcomed several high-profile day-one games lately, including Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. These additions further enrich a vast collection of numerous games perfect for weekend-long gaming binges.

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

Sniper Elite: Resistance

Every so often, we all require a bit of release. Over two decades, the Sniper Elite franchise has delivered exactly that. Rebellion Developments' enduring shooter line offers players ultraviolent carnage targeting enemy targets. This year, the studio released Sniper Elite: Resistance, a timely addition to the franchise. While it doesn't reinvent the gameplay, Resistance is a well-constructed serving of simulation World War II open environments packed with Nazi objectives. The sniping is as brutal and gratifying as ever, featuring the game's signature killcam showing each shot's impact in gory, testicle-crunching detail. It's a violent excitement for every peace-lover looking to let off steam in the security of a digital world.

1000xResist

1000xResist tells an award-winning narrative touching on post-pandemic life, generational trauma, and other deep themes. It examines these themes through a science fiction perspective; you play as Watcher, one of multiple clones of Iris, the sole survivor of a global outbreak that wiped out humanity. Watcher and her sister clones delve into Iris's memories from the time Earth was ravaged by that terrible plague, along with memories of her education and family life, neither of which were easy for a young person. Watcher discovers Iris isn't all that she seems, and the plot develops from that point. Should all that mystery fails to hook you, the game indeed start with a murder. What could be a more gripping start than that?

Octopath Traveler 2

Admittedly, completing a gazillion-hour RPG in only over a week is a challenging task, but if there's any game deserving attempting the grind for, it's Octopath Traveler 2. Square Enix's HD-2D masterpiece is departing Game Pass at the close of the month (as is the original game, also available). However, due to a holiday in the middle, at least for those in the States, it's theoretically doable. Octopath Traveler 2 follows 8 protagonists, every one embodying a distinct story style. You'll find a investigative tale about a priest looking into the murder of his cathedral's archbishop. A merchant aiming to solve poverty through the power of commerce stars in a frontier-inspired narrative. There's even a enigma about an herbalist with memory loss (since every good RPGs require a character with an mysterious past, naturally). Some of these stories intertwine in unexpected, intriguing ways, as you play through a gorgeous Industrial Revolution inspired setting. And the combat is excellent — stat-focused gameplay distilled to its purest form.