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After the latest cost hike for Game Pass Ultimate, the initial uproar has calmed down. While it may not be considered the top deal in gaming anymore, the platform has welcomed several big-name launch day games recently, such as Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. Those titles only enhance a massive library of hundreds games ideal for weekend-long marathon sessions.

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

Resistance: Sniper Elite

Every so often, everyone needs a bit of release. Over two decades, the Sniper Elite series has provided precisely that. Rebellion Developments' long-running shooter series offers players intensely graphic carnage against Nazi targets. This year, Rebellion released Sniper Elite: Resistance, a well-timed new entry to the franchise. Although it doesn't reinvent the gameplay, Resistance is a well-constructed serving of simulation World War II sandboxes filled with Nazi targets. The sniping is as brutal and satisfying as always, with the game's signature killcam showing every bullet's impact in graphic, testicle-crunching detail. It's a bloody excitement for every pacifist looking to let off steam in the safety of a digital space.

1000xResist

1000xResist tells an award-winning story exploring life after a pandemic existence, family pain, and other deep themes. It approaches these subjects through a sci-fi lens; you assume the role of Watcher, one of multiple clones of Iris, the sole person left of a global outbreak that wiped out humanity. Watcher and her sister clones delve into Iris's memories from the time Earth was beset by that terrible disease, as well as experiences of her education and home life, both of which were bearable for a young person. Watcher learns Iris is not what she appears, and the plot develops from there. Should all that intrigue fails to grab your interest, the game indeed start with a killing. Is there a more compelling opening than that?

Octopath Traveler II

Admittedly, finishing a gazillion-hour RPG in just over a week is a tall order, but if there's any game deserving trying the grind for, it's Octopath Traveler 2. Square Enix's visually striking masterpiece is departing Game Pass at the end of November (as is the first game, also available). However, due to a holiday in the middle, at least for players in the States, it's technically doable. Octopath Traveler 2 follows eight protagonists, each representing a different genre. You'll find a investigative story about a cleric looking into the death of his cathedral's head priest. A merchant striving to solve destitution through the force of commerce stars in a western-themed adventure. Additionally, there's a mystery about an apothecary with memory loss (since all great RPGs need a hero with an unknown past, of course). A few of these plots connect in unexpected, intriguing ways, as you play through a stunning 19th-century themed world. And the combat is superb — “number go up” distilled to its purest form.