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After the recent price increase for Game Pass Ultimate, the earlier commotion has subsided. While it may not be considered the absolute best offer in gaming now, the service has welcomed a number of high-profile launch day games lately, such as Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. Those titles further enrich a vast collection of hundreds games perfect for weekend marathon sessions.

This week's recommendations feature a therapeutic action game, an award-winning independent gem, and a essential HD-2D RPG.

Sniper Elite: Resistance

Every so often, everyone needs a little release. Over two decades, the Sniper Elite series has delivered exactly that. Rebellion Developments' enduring shooter series offers players intensely graphic mayhem against enemy targets. Recently, Rebellion launched Sniper Elite: Resistance, a timely new entry to the series. While it doesn't reinvent the gameplay, Resistance remains a well-constructed dose of simulation World War II open environments filled with Nazi targets. The sniping is as visceral and gratifying as always, featuring the series' trademark killcam showing each shot's impact in graphic, testicle-crunching detail. It's a violent excitement for every pacifist wanting to let off steam in the security of a virtual space.

1000xResist

1000xResist tells an critically acclaimed narrative exploring life after a pandemic life, family pain, and much more. It examines these subjects through a science fiction perspective; you assume the role of Watcher, a member of several clones of Iris, the sole person left of a pandemic that wiped out human life. Watcher and her sister clones explore Iris's memories from the time Earth was ravaged by that terrible plague, along with memories of her education and family life, neither of which were easy for a teenager. Watcher learns Iris is not all that she seems, and the plot unfolds from there. If all that mystery isn't enough to grab your interest, the game indeed begin with a murder. What could be a more gripping opening than that?

Octopath Traveler 2

Yes, completing a extremely long RPG in only over a week is a challenging task, but if any game deserving trying 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, due to a break in the midst, at least for those in the States, it's technically doable. Octopath Traveler 2 follows eight characters, each representing a distinct story style. You'll find a procedural story about a cleric looking into the murder of his church's archbishop. A trader striving to solve poverty through the force of capitalism headlines a frontier-inspired narrative. There's even a enigma about an apothecary with memory loss (since every good RPGs need a character with an unknown background, of course). A few of these plots intertwine in surprising, fascinating ways, while you progress through a gorgeous Industrial Revolution inspired world. And the battle system is superb — “number go up” distilled to its essence.