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After the recent price increase for Game Pass Ultimate, the initial uproar has subsided. While it may not be considered the top deal in gaming now, the platform has welcomed several high-profile day-one games lately, such as Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. Those additions further enrich a massive library of hundreds games perfect for weekend gaming binges.

Our current picks feature a therapeutic shooter, an award-winning indie gem, and a must-play HD-2D RPG.

Resistance: Sniper Elite

Every so often, everyone needs a little catharsis. For 20 years, the Sniper Elite series has provided precisely that. Rebellion Developments' long-running shooter series offers players intensely graphic mayhem against Nazi forces. This year, the studio launched Sniper Elite: Resistance, a timely new entry to the series. While it doesn't reinvent the gameplay, Resistance is a well-constructed serving of simulation World War II sandboxes packed with enemy targets. The sniping is as visceral and satisfying as ever, with the game's signature killcam showing every bullet's effect in gory, explicit clarity. It's a violent excitement for every pacifist looking to let off steam in the safety of a virtual world.

1000xResist

1000xResist tells an award-winning narrative touching on life after a pandemic existence, family trauma, and other deep themes. It examines these subjects through a sci-fi perspective; you play as Watcher, one of several clones of Iris, the only survivor of a global outbreak that eradicated humanity. Watcher and her sister clones explore Iris's memories from the time Earth was ravaged by that terrible plague, as well as experiences of her school and family life, both of which were easy for a young person. Watcher learns Iris is not all that she seems, and the plot unfolds from there. Should all that mystery fails to hook you, the game does start with a murder. Is there a more gripping start than this?

Octopath Traveler II

Yes, finishing a extremely long RPG in just nine days is a tall order, but if there's any game worth attempting 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 original game, which is also included). However, due to a break in the middle, at least for players in the States, it's technically doable. Octopath Traveler 2 follows 8 protagonists, every one representing a different story style. There's a investigative tale about a cleric looking into the murder of his cathedral's head priest. A trader aiming to solve poverty through the force of capitalism headlines a frontier-inspired narrative. There's even a mystery about an apothecary with memory loss (because every good RPGs need a character with an mysterious past, naturally). Some of these stories connect in surprising, intriguing ways, while you progress through a stunning Industrial Revolution inspired setting. And the battle system is superb — stat-focused gameplay boiled to its purest form.