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After the latest price increase for Game Pass Ultimate, the initial commotion has calmed down. While it may not be considered the top offer in gaming anymore, the platform has introduced several high-profile day-one games lately, including Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. Those titles only enhance a vast library of hundreds games ideal for weekend gaming binges.

Our current picks include a therapeutic shooter, an prize-winning indie masterpiece, and a must-play HD-2D RPG.

Resistance: Sniper Elite

From time to time, everyone needs a little release. Over two decades, the Sniper Elite series has provided precisely that. Rebellion Developments' enduring shooter line presents players ultraviolent carnage targeting enemy forces. Recently, Rebellion launched Sniper Elite: Resistance, a well-timed addition to the franchise. While it doesn't revolutionize the formula, Resistance remains a polished dose of immersive sim World War II open environments filled with Nazi objectives. The long-range combat is as brutal and satisfying as always, with the game's trademark killcam showing each shot's effect in gory, testicle-crunching clarity. It's a violent excitement for any pacifist wanting to let off steam in the safety of a virtual space.

Resist 1000x

1000xResist tells an award-winning narrative touching on life after a pandemic existence, family trauma, and other deep themes. It examines these subjects through a sci-fi perspective; you assume the role of Watcher, one of several clones of Iris, the sole survivor of a pandemic that wiped out humanity. Watcher and her fellow clones delve into Iris's memories from the time Earth was beset by that terrible plague, along with memories of her school and family life, both of which were bearable 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 grab your interest, the game indeed begin with a murder. What could be a more compelling start than that?

Octopath Traveler II

Yes, completing a extremely long RPG in only over a week is a challenging task, 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 (along with the first game, also available). However, due to a break in the midst, at least for those in the U.S., it's theoretically doable. Octopath Traveler 2 follows eight protagonists, each representing a different genre. You'll find a procedural story about a cleric investigating the murder of his cathedral's archbishop. A trader aiming to solve destitution through the force of commerce stars in a frontier-inspired adventure. There's even a enigma about an apothecary with memory loss (because all great RPGs require a character with an mysterious background, naturally). A few of these plots connect in unexpected, fascinating ways, as you play through a stunning 19th-century inspired setting. And the battle system is superb — “number go up” distilled to its purest form.