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After the recent cost hike for Game Pass Ultimate, the earlier commotion has subsided. While it might not be seen as the absolute best offer in gaming now, the service has introduced a number of big-name day-one releases recently, such as Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. These additions only enhance a vast library of hundreds games perfect for weekend-long marathon sessions.

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

Resistance: Sniper Elite

From time to time, everyone needs a little catharsis. For 20 years, the Sniper Elite franchise has provided exactly that. Rebellion Developments' enduring shooter series offers players ultraviolent mayhem targeting Nazi forces. This year, Rebellion launched Sniper Elite: Resistance, a well-timed new entry to the series. While it doesn't reinvent the formula, Resistance remains a polished dose of immersive sim World War II open environments filled with enemy targets. The sniping is as visceral and satisfying as always, with the series' signature killcam showing each shot's impact in graphic, testicle-crunching detail. It's a bloody excitement for every peace-lover looking to unwind in the safety of a virtual world.

1000xResist

1000xResist tells an award-winning story exploring life after a pandemic life, generational trauma, and much more. It examines these themes through a science fiction perspective; you play as Watcher, a member of multiple clones of Iris, the only 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 horrific plague, along with experiences of her education and home life, neither of which were bearable for a teenager. Watcher discovers Iris is not all that she seems, and the plot unfolds from that point. Should all that intrigue fails to grab your interest, the game does begin with a killing. What could be a more compelling start than that?

Octopath Traveler II

Admittedly, completing a gazillion-hour RPG in only over a week is a challenging task, but if there's any game deserving trying the effort for, it's Octopath Traveler 2. Square Enix's visually striking gem is leaving Game Pass at the close of the month (along with the original game, which is also included). However, with a break in the middle, at least for those in the U.S., it's technically achievable. Octopath Traveler 2 follows 8 protagonists, every one embodying a distinct story style. There's a procedural story about a cleric looking into the death of his cathedral's archbishop. A trader striving to solve poverty through the force of commerce stars in a frontier-inspired narrative. There's even a enigma about an apothecary with memory loss (since all great RPGs require a character with an mysterious past, naturally). Some of these stories intertwine in unexpected, fascinating ways, as you play through a stunning 19th-century inspired world. And the battle system is excellent — “number go up” boiled to its purest form.