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After the recent cost hike for Game Pass Ultimate, the initial commotion has calmed down. While it might not be seen as the top offer in gaming anymore, the platform has welcomed a number of big-name day-one releases recently, including Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. Those titles further enrich a massive collection of hundreds games perfect for weekend marathon sessions.

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

Sniper Elite: Resistance

From time to time, everyone needs a little release. For 20 years, the Sniper Elite series has delivered exactly that. Rebellion Developments' long-running shooter series presents players intensely graphic carnage targeting enemy targets. This year, the studio released Sniper Elite: Resistance, a well-timed new entry to the franchise. Although it doesn't revolutionize the formula, Resistance remains a polished dose of immersive sim World War II sandboxes filled with Nazi objectives. The long-range combat is as brutal and satisfying as always, with the game's trademark killcam displaying every bullet's effect in graphic, explicit detail. It's a bloody excitement for any pacifist looking to let off steam in the security of a virtual world.

Resist 1000x

1000xResist presents an critically acclaimed narrative touching on life after a pandemic life, generational pain, and other deep themes. It examines these themes through a sci-fi perspective; you assume the role of Watcher, a member of multiple clones of Iris, the sole survivor of a global outbreak that eradicated human life. Watcher and her fellow clones explore Iris's memories from when Earth was beset by that horrific plague, along with experiences of her school and family life, both of which were bearable for a teenager. Watcher learns Iris isn't what she appears, and the story unfolds from that point. If all that mystery fails to grab your interest, the game indeed begin with a killing. What could be a more gripping opening than this?

Octopath Traveler II

Admittedly, finishing a gazillion-hour RPG in only over a week is a challenging task, but if there's any game deserving attempting the effort for, it's Octopath Traveler 2. Square Enix's HD-2D gem is leaving Game Pass at the close of the month (along with the first game, also available). But, with a break in the midst, at least for those in the U.S., it's theoretically doable. Octopath Traveler 2 features eight characters, each representing a different story style. There's a investigative story about a priest looking into the murder of his church's head priest. A trader aiming to solve destitution through the force of capitalism headlines a western-themed adventure. Additionally, there's a enigma about an apothecary with memory loss (since all great RPGs need a character with an mysterious background, of course). Some of these stories connect in unexpected, intriguing ways, as you play through a gorgeous 19th-century inspired setting. And the battle system is superb — “number go up” boiled to its purest form.