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After the recent cost hike for Game Pass Ultimate, the initial commotion has calmed down. Although it might not be considered the top offer in gaming now, the service has welcomed a number of high-profile day-one releases recently, including Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. Those additions further enrich a massive collection of numerous games perfect for weekend-long marathon sessions.

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

Sniper Elite: Resistance

From time to time, everyone needs a little release. For 20 years, the Sniper Elite series has delivered precisely that. Rebellion Developments' long-running shooter series presents players intensely graphic carnage targeting enemy forces. This year, Rebellion released Sniper Elite: Resistance, a timely new entry to the franchise. Although it doesn't reinvent the gameplay, Resistance is a polished dose of immersive sim World War II sandboxes filled with Nazi objectives. The long-range combat is as brutal and gratifying as ever, with the series' trademark killcam displaying every bullet's impact in gory, testicle-crunching clarity. It's a violent thrill for any pacifist wanting to let off steam in the security of a digital world.

Resist 1000x

1000xResist presents an critically acclaimed story touching on life after a pandemic existence, family trauma, and other deep themes. It examines these themes through a sci-fi perspective; you assume the role of Watcher, a member of several clones of Iris, the sole person left of a global outbreak that wiped out humanity. Watcher and her sister clones delve into Iris's recollections from when Earth was ravaged by that terrible plague, along with experiences 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 story unfolds from there. Should all that mystery isn't enough to hook you, the game does start with a murder. Is there a more gripping start than that?

Octopath Traveler 2

Yes, completing a extremely long RPG in just over a week is a tall order, but if there's any game worth attempting the effort for, it's Octopath Traveler 2. Square Enix's HD-2D masterpiece is leaving Game Pass at the close of the month (as is the original game, which is also included). But, with a break in the midst, at least for players in the U.S., it's theoretically doable. Octopath Traveler 2 follows eight characters, every one representing a distinct genre. You'll find a procedural story about a cleric looking into the murder of his cathedral's head priest. A trader aiming to solve destitution through the force of capitalism headlines a frontier-inspired adventure. There's even a mystery about an herbalist with memory loss (because all great RPGs require a hero with an mysterious background, naturally). A few of these stories connect in surprising, intriguing ways, while you progress through a gorgeous Industrial Revolution inspired world. And the combat is superb — stat-focused gameplay distilled to its purest form.