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After the latest price increase for Game Pass Ultimate, the initial commotion has subsided. Although it may not be seen as the top offer in gaming now, the platform has introduced several big-name launch day releases lately, including Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. These titles further enrich a massive collection of numerous games perfect for weekend-long marathon sessions.

This week's recommendations include a cathartic shooter, an award-winning indie masterpiece, and a must-play HD-2D RPG.

Resistance: Sniper Elite

Every so often, we all require a bit of release. For 20 years, the Sniper Elite series has provided exactly that. Rebellion Developments' enduring shooter line offers players intensely graphic mayhem targeting enemy targets. Recently, Rebellion launched Sniper Elite: Resistance, a well-timed addition to the franchise. While it doesn't revolutionize the gameplay, Resistance remains a well-constructed serving of simulation World War II open environments filled with enemy targets. The sniping is as brutal and satisfying as always, featuring the game's trademark killcam displaying each shot's impact in gory, explicit detail. It's a violent excitement for every pacifist wanting to unwind in the safety of a digital space.

Resist 1000x

1000xResist tells an award-winning story touching on post-pandemic existence, generational trauma, and much more. It approaches these subjects through a sci-fi 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 sister clones explore Iris's memories from the time Earth was ravaged by that terrible disease, as well as experiences of her school and home life, neither of which were easy for a young person. 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 does start with a murder. What could be a more gripping opening than that?

Octopath Traveler II

Yes, completing a gazillion-hour RPG in just over a week is a tall order, but if any game deserving attempting the grind for, it's Octopath Traveler 2. Square Enix's HD-2D gem is leaving Game Pass at the close of the month (as is the first game, also available). However, due to a holiday in the middle, at least for those in the States, it's technically doable. Octopath Traveler 2 follows 8 protagonists, every one embodying a different genre. There's a investigative tale about a priest investigating the death of his church's archbishop. A trader striving to eradicate poverty through the force of capitalism stars in a western-themed adventure. Additionally, there's a mystery about an apothecary with memory loss (since all great RPGs require a character with an unknown background, naturally). A few of these stories connect in surprising, intriguing ways, as you play through a stunning 19th-century inspired setting. And the battle system is superb — “number go up” boiled to its purest form.