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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 absolute best offer in gaming now, the service has welcomed several high-profile day-one games recently, such as Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. Those additions only enhance a vast collection of hundreds games ideal for weekend gaming binges.

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

Resistance: Sniper Elite

Every so often, we all require a bit of release. For 20 years, the Sniper Elite series has provided precisely that. Rebellion Developments' enduring shooter line offers players ultraviolent mayhem targeting Nazi targets. This year, Rebellion launched Sniper Elite: Resistance, a well-timed addition to the series. Although it doesn't revolutionize the gameplay, Resistance is a polished dose of simulation World War II open environments packed with Nazi objectives. The sniping is as brutal and gratifying as ever, with the game's trademark killcam displaying every bullet's effect in graphic, explicit detail. It's a violent thrill for any pacifist looking to unwind in the safety of a virtual world.

1000xResist

1000xResist presents an award-winning narrative exploring life after a pandemic existence, generational pain, and much more. It examines these subjects through a science fiction lens; you assume the role of Watcher, a member of multiple clones of Iris, the only person left of a global outbreak that eradicated human life. Watcher and her fellow clones explore Iris's recollections from the time Earth was ravaged by that terrible disease, as well as experiences of her school and home life, both of which were easy for a young person. Watcher learns Iris is not all that she seems, and the story unfolds from that point. If all that intrigue fails to hook you, the game does start with a killing. Is there a more compelling opening than this?

Octopath Traveler 2

Yes, completing a extremely long RPG in only over a week is a challenging task, but if any game worth 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 (along with the first game, which is also included). But, due to a holiday in the midst, at least for those in the U.S., it's theoretically doable. Octopath Traveler 2 follows 8 protagonists, each embodying a different story style. You'll find a procedural story about a priest looking into the death of his cathedral's archbishop. A trader aiming to eradicate poverty through the force of commerce headlines a frontier-inspired adventure. There's even a mystery about an apothecary with amnesia (because all great RPGs require a character with an mysterious background, of course). A few of these stories connect in surprising, intriguing ways, while you progress through a stunning 19th-century themed world. And the combat is superb — stat-focused gameplay distilled to its purest form.