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Following the latest price increase for Game Pass Ultimate, the initial uproar has subsided. While it may not be considered the top offer in gaming now, the platform has welcomed a number of big-name day-one games recently, including Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. Those titles further enrich a massive collection of numerous games ideal for weekend gaming binges.

Our current picks include a therapeutic action game, an prize-winning indie masterpiece, and a must-play HD-2D RPG.

Resistance: Sniper Elite

Every so often, everyone needs a little catharsis. Over two decades, the Sniper Elite franchise has provided precisely that. Rebellion Developments' long-running shooter line presents players intensely graphic mayhem against enemy targets. Recently, the studio released Sniper Elite: Resistance, a well-timed new entry to the series. While it doesn't revolutionize the gameplay, Resistance is a polished dose of immersive sim World War II open environments packed with enemy objectives. The long-range combat is as brutal and gratifying as ever, with the series' trademark killcam showing each shot's impact in graphic, explicit detail. It's a bloody thrill for any pacifist wanting to let off steam in the security of a virtual space.

Resist 1000x

1000xResist presents an award-winning story touching on post-pandemic existence, family trauma, and other deep themes. It approaches these themes through a science fiction perspective; you play as 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 explore Iris's recollections from when Earth was ravaged by that terrible disease, as well as experiences of her school and home life, neither of which were bearable for a teenager. Watcher discovers Iris isn't all that she seems, and the plot unfolds from there. Should all that intrigue isn't enough to grab your interest, the game indeed begin with a killing. Is there a more compelling start than this?

Octopath Traveler 2

Admittedly, completing a gazillion-hour RPG in just nine days is a tall order, but if there's any game deserving attempting 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 original game, which is also included). But, with a break in the middle, at least for players in the States, it's technically achievable. Octopath Traveler 2 features eight characters, each embodying a distinct story style. There's a procedural tale about a priest looking into the murder of his cathedral's head priest. A trader aiming to eradicate poverty through the force of capitalism headlines a western-themed narrative. There's even a enigma about an herbalist with memory loss (since every good RPGs need a hero with an unknown past, of course). A few of these stories connect in unexpected, intriguing ways, while you progress through a stunning 19th-century themed world. And the battle system is superb — stat-focused gameplay distilled to its purest form.