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Following the latest cost hike for Game Pass Ultimate, the earlier uproar has calmed down. Although it might not be seen as the top offer in gaming anymore, the service has welcomed several high-profile launch day games recently, including Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. Those additions only enhance a vast collection of numerous games ideal for weekend marathon sessions.

This week's picks feature a cathartic shooter, an award-winning independent masterpiece, and a must-play HD-2D RPG.

Resistance: Sniper Elite

Every so often, everyone needs a little release. For 20 years, the Sniper Elite series has delivered exactly that. Rebellion Developments' enduring shooter line presents players ultraviolent mayhem targeting enemy forces. This year, Rebellion released Sniper Elite: Resistance, a timely addition to the franchise. While it doesn't reinvent the formula, Resistance is a polished dose of simulation World War II sandboxes packed with enemy objectives. The long-range combat is as visceral and gratifying as ever, featuring the series' signature killcam showing every bullet's impact in gory, explicit detail. It's a bloody excitement for every pacifist wanting to unwind in the security of a digital space.

Resist 1000x

1000xResist presents an critically acclaimed narrative exploring post-pandemic life, family pain, and other deep themes. It approaches these themes through a sci-fi perspective; you play as Watcher, one of several clones of Iris, the sole person left of a pandemic that eradicated human life. Watcher and her sister clones delve into Iris's recollections from when Earth was ravaged by that terrible disease, as well as memories of her education and family life, neither of which were easy for a teenager. Watcher learns Iris isn't all that she seems, and the story unfolds from that point. Should all that intrigue fails to hook you, the game does start with a killing. Is there a more gripping start than that?

Octopath Traveler 2

Yes, completing a gazillion-hour RPG in just nine days is a challenging task, but if there's any game deserving attempting the grind for, it's Octopath Traveler 2. Square Enix's visually striking gem is departing Game Pass at the end of November (as is the first game, which is also included). However, with a break in the middle, at least for players in the U.S., it's theoretically achievable. Octopath Traveler 2 features 8 protagonists, every one representing a different story style. You'll find a procedural tale about a priest investigating the murder of his church's archbishop. A trader striving to solve poverty through the power of capitalism headlines a western-themed narrative. There's even a mystery about an herbalist with memory loss (because every good RPGs require a character with an unknown background, naturally). Some of these plots intertwine in surprising, intriguing ways, while you progress through a gorgeous 19th-century themed world. And the battle system is superb — “number go up” boiled to its essence.