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After the latest price increase for Game Pass Ultimate, the earlier uproar has calmed down. While it may not be seen as the absolute best deal in gaming anymore, the service has welcomed a number of big-name launch day games lately, such as Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. These titles only enhance a massive collection of numerous games ideal for weekend-long gaming binges.

This week's recommendations include a cathartic action game, an prize-winning independent gem, and a essential HD-2D RPG.

Resistance: Sniper Elite

Every so often, everyone needs a little release. For 20 years, the Sniper Elite series has provided precisely that. Rebellion Developments' long-running shooter series offers players ultraviolent carnage targeting Nazi forces. This year, the studio released Sniper Elite: Resistance, a well-timed new entry to the series. Although it doesn't reinvent the gameplay, Resistance is a polished dose of simulation World War II sandboxes packed with enemy objectives. The long-range combat is as brutal and gratifying as ever, with the game's trademark killcam showing each shot's impact in graphic, testicle-crunching detail. It's a bloody thrill for every peace-lover wanting to unwind in the security of a virtual space.

Resist 1000x

1000xResist presents an critically acclaimed narrative touching on life after a pandemic existence, generational trauma, and much more. It examines these subjects through a sci-fi perspective; you play as Watcher, a member of multiple clones of Iris, the sole survivor of a pandemic that wiped out human life. Watcher and her sister clones explore Iris's recollections from the time Earth was beset by that terrible plague, along with memories of her school and home life, neither of which were easy for a young person. Watcher discovers Iris is not all that she seems, and the story develops from that point. If all that mystery isn't enough to hook you, the game indeed start with a murder. What could be a more gripping opening than that?

Octopath Traveler 2

Yes, completing a gazillion-hour RPG in only nine days is a challenging task, but if there's any game worth attempting the effort for, it's Octopath Traveler 2. Square Enix's visually striking masterpiece is leaving Game Pass at the end of November (along with the original game, which is also included). However, due to a break in the middle, at least for players in the U.S., it's technically achievable. Octopath Traveler 2 features eight characters, each representing a different genre. There's a investigative story about a cleric investigating the murder of his cathedral's archbishop. A merchant striving to eradicate poverty through the force of commerce headlines a western-themed narrative. Additionally, there's a mystery about an apothecary with memory loss (because every good RPGs require a hero with an mysterious past, naturally). A few of these stories connect in surprising, intriguing ways, as you play through a stunning Industrial Revolution themed world. And the combat is excellent — “number go up” distilled to its purest form.