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

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

Resistance: Sniper Elite

From time to time, everyone needs a little catharsis. For 20 years, the Sniper Elite franchise has provided precisely that. Rebellion Developments' enduring shooter line presents players intensely graphic mayhem against Nazi targets. This year, Rebellion released Sniper Elite: Resistance, a well-timed addition to the franchise. While it doesn't revolutionize the formula, Resistance is a polished dose of simulation World War II sandboxes filled with enemy targets. The long-range combat is as visceral and gratifying as always, featuring the game's signature killcam showing each shot's effect in graphic, explicit clarity. It's a bloody thrill for any pacifist looking to let off steam in the safety of a digital space.

1000xResist

1000xResist tells an award-winning story touching on life after a pandemic existence, family trauma, and much more. It examines these subjects through a science fiction perspective; you assume the role of Watcher, one of several clones of Iris, the sole survivor of a global outbreak that wiped out humanity. Watcher and her fellow clones delve into Iris's recollections from the time Earth was beset by that terrible plague, as well as experiences of her education and family life, both of which were easy for a young person. Watcher discovers Iris isn't all that she seems, and the plot develops from that point. If all that mystery fails to hook you, the game indeed start with a killing. Is there a more compelling opening than this?

Octopath Traveler II

Admittedly, completing a gazillion-hour RPG in just over a week is a tall order, 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 end of November (as is the first game, which is also included). But, due to a holiday in the middle, at least for those in the States, it's theoretically doable. Octopath Traveler 2 features 8 characters, each embodying a distinct genre. You'll find a procedural story about a priest looking into the murder of his church's head priest. A merchant aiming to solve poverty through the force of capitalism stars in a frontier-inspired narrative. There's even a mystery about an apothecary with amnesia (since every good RPGs need a character with an mysterious background, naturally). A few of these stories connect in surprising, intriguing ways, while you progress through a gorgeous 19th-century inspired setting. And the battle system is superb — “number go up” distilled to its essence.