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Following the latest price increase for Game Pass Ultimate, the earlier uproar has subsided. While it may not be seen as the absolute best offer in gaming anymore, the platform has welcomed a number of big-name day-one games recently, such as Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. Those titles only enhance a vast collection of hundreds games ideal for weekend-long marathon sessions.

This week's picks include a cathartic shooter, an award-winning indie gem, and a essential HD-2D RPG.

Sniper Elite: Resistance

From time to time, we all require a bit of release. For 20 years, the Sniper Elite franchise has provided precisely that. Rebellion Developments' enduring shooter series offers players ultraviolent carnage against Nazi forces. Recently, the studio released Sniper Elite: Resistance, a well-timed addition to the series. While it doesn't reinvent the formula, Resistance remains a well-constructed dose of simulation World War II sandboxes packed with Nazi objectives. The long-range combat is as visceral and satisfying as ever, featuring the series' signature killcam showing every bullet's impact in gory, explicit detail. It's a violent excitement for every pacifist looking to let off steam in the safety of a virtual world.

1000xResist

1000xResist presents an award-winning narrative touching on post-pandemic existence, family pain, and much more. It approaches these subjects through a sci-fi perspective; you assume the role of Watcher, one of several clones of Iris, the sole survivor of a pandemic that wiped out humanity. Watcher and her fellow clones explore Iris's recollections from when Earth was beset by that terrible disease, along with memories of her school and home life, neither of which were bearable for a young person. Watcher discovers Iris is not all that she seems, and the plot unfolds from that point. If all that intrigue fails to grab your interest, the game indeed start with a murder. Is there a more compelling start than this?

Octopath Traveler 2

Admittedly, completing a gazillion-hour RPG in only nine days is a challenging task, but if there's any game worth trying the grind 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, which is also included). However, due to a break in the midst, at least for those in the States, it's theoretically achievable. Octopath Traveler 2 features 8 protagonists, every one embodying a different genre. You'll find a investigative tale about a cleric investigating the murder of his cathedral's head priest. A trader aiming to eradicate destitution through the power of commerce headlines a frontier-inspired adventure. There's even a enigma about an herbalist with memory loss (since all great RPGs require a character with an mysterious background, naturally). Some of these plots connect in unexpected, fascinating ways, while you progress through a gorgeous Industrial Revolution themed world. And the combat is excellent — stat-focused gameplay boiled to its purest form.