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Following the latest price increase for Game Pass Ultimate, the earlier uproar has subsided. While it might not be considered the absolute best offer in gaming now, the platform has welcomed several big-name day-one games lately, including Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2. Those additions further enrich a massive collection of numerous games perfect for weekend-long gaming binges.

Our current picks include a cathartic shooter, an award-winning indie gem, and a essential HD-2D RPG.

Resistance: Sniper Elite

Every so often, everyone needs a bit of release. For 20 years, the Sniper Elite series has delivered precisely that. Rebellion Developments' long-running shooter series offers players intensely graphic mayhem against enemy targets. Recently, Rebellion released Sniper Elite: Resistance, a well-timed addition to the franchise. Although it doesn't reinvent the formula, Resistance is a polished dose of simulation World War II sandboxes packed with enemy objectives. The long-range combat is as brutal and satisfying as always, with the series' trademark killcam showing each shot's impact in graphic, testicle-crunching detail. It's a violent excitement for any pacifist looking to unwind in the security of a digital world.

1000xResist

1000xResist tells an award-winning story exploring life after a pandemic existence, generational pain, and much more. It approaches these subjects through a science fiction lens; you play as Watcher, one of several clones of Iris, the sole survivor of a global outbreak that eradicated humanity. Watcher and her fellow clones explore Iris's recollections from the time Earth was ravaged by that terrible disease, as well as memories of her school and family life, neither of which were easy for a young person. Watcher discovers Iris is not what she appears, and the plot unfolds from that point. Should all that mystery isn't enough to grab your interest, the game indeed start with a killing. What could be a more gripping opening than this?

Octopath Traveler II

Admittedly, completing a gazillion-hour RPG in only 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). But, due to a holiday in the middle, at least for players in the States, it's technically doable. Octopath Traveler 2 features 8 characters, each representing a distinct story style. You'll find a procedural story about a priest investigating the murder of his cathedral's archbishop. A trader aiming to eradicate poverty through the force of commerce stars in a western-themed narrative. Additionally, there's a enigma about an apothecary with amnesia (since every good RPGs need a character with an unknown past, naturally). Some of these stories connect in surprising, fascinating ways, as you play through a stunning Industrial Revolution themed world. And the combat is superb — “number go up” distilled to its essence.