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After the latest price increase for Game Pass Ultimate, the initial uproar has subsided. While it might not be seen as the top deal in gaming now, the platform has introduced a number of high-profile launch day releases lately, including Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. These titles further enrich a vast library of numerous games ideal for weekend marathon sessions.

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

Sniper Elite: Resistance

Every so often, everyone needs a little release. For 20 years, the Sniper Elite franchise has provided precisely that. Rebellion Developments' enduring shooter line presents players intensely graphic carnage targeting Nazi forces. This year, the studio released Sniper Elite: Resistance, a well-timed addition to the series. While it doesn't revolutionize the formula, Resistance remains a well-constructed serving of immersive sim World War II sandboxes filled with enemy targets. The long-range combat is as brutal and satisfying as always, featuring the series' trademark killcam showing every bullet's effect in graphic, explicit detail. It's a bloody thrill for every pacifist looking to let off steam in the safety of a virtual world.

Resist 1000x

1000xResist presents an critically acclaimed story exploring life after a pandemic life, generational pain, and other deep themes. It approaches these themes through a science fiction perspective; you assume the role of Watcher, a member of multiple clones of Iris, the only person left of a pandemic that wiped out humanity. Watcher and her fellow clones delve into Iris's memories from when Earth was beset by that terrible plague, as well as memories of her education and home life, neither of which were bearable for a young person. Watcher learns Iris is not what she appears, and the plot develops from there. If all that intrigue isn't enough to grab your interest, the game does begin with a killing. Is there a more compelling opening than this?

Octopath Traveler II

Yes, finishing a extremely long RPG in just over a week is a tall order, but if any game deserving attempting the effort for, it's Octopath Traveler 2. Square Enix's HD-2D masterpiece is leaving Game Pass at the end of November (along with the first game, also available). But, with a break in the midst, at least for players in the U.S., it's theoretically achievable. Octopath Traveler 2 features 8 characters, every one embodying a different story style. There's a investigative story about a cleric investigating the murder of his cathedral's archbishop. A merchant striving to solve destitution through the power of commerce headlines a frontier-inspired narrative. There's even a mystery about an apothecary with memory loss (since every good RPGs need a character with an mysterious background, of course). Some of these plots intertwine in unexpected, fascinating ways, while you progress through a gorgeous 19th-century themed setting. And the battle system is superb — stat-focused gameplay distilled to its purest form.