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After the recent price increase for Game Pass Ultimate, the earlier commotion has calmed down. Although it may not be seen as the absolute best offer in gaming anymore, the platform has welcomed a number of high-profile day-one games recently, such as Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. These additions only enhance a vast collection of hundreds games perfect for weekend-long gaming binges.

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

Resistance: Sniper Elite

From time to time, we all require a little release. For 20 years, the Sniper Elite franchise has delivered exactly that. Rebellion Developments' long-running shooter series presents players intensely graphic carnage targeting Nazi targets. This year, the studio released Sniper Elite: Resistance, a timely new entry to the franchise. Although it doesn't reinvent the formula, Resistance remains a polished serving of simulation World War II sandboxes packed with enemy targets. The sniping is as visceral and satisfying as always, with the game's trademark killcam showing every bullet's effect in graphic, explicit detail. It's a bloody excitement for every pacifist wanting to unwind in the safety of a virtual world.

1000xResist

1000xResist presents an award-winning narrative touching on post-pandemic existence, family trauma, and much more. It examines these themes through a science fiction perspective; you assume the role of Watcher, a member of several clones of Iris, the only person left of a global outbreak that eradicated human life. Watcher and her sister clones delve into Iris's recollections from when Earth was beset by that horrific disease, along with experiences of her education and home life, neither of which were easy for a teenager. Watcher learns Iris isn't all that she seems, and the story unfolds from there. If all that mystery fails to grab your interest, the game indeed start with a murder. What could be a more gripping opening than that?

Octopath Traveler 2

Admittedly, completing a gazillion-hour RPG in only over a week is a tall order, but if any game deserving trying the grind for, it's Octopath Traveler 2. Square Enix's HD-2D masterpiece is leaving Game Pass at the end of November (as is the first game, which is also included). However, due to a holiday in the midst, at least for those in the States, it's theoretically achievable. Octopath Traveler 2 follows 8 characters, every one representing a different genre. You'll find a procedural tale about a priest investigating the murder of his church's head priest. A merchant striving to eradicate destitution through the power of commerce headlines a frontier-inspired adventure. There's even a mystery about an herbalist with memory loss (since all great RPGs require a character with an mysterious background, of course). A few of these stories intertwine in surprising, fascinating ways, while you progress through a gorgeous 19th-century inspired setting. And the combat is superb — stat-focused gameplay boiled to its essence.