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Following Microsoft's latest news of Xbox Game Pass membership updates, including a price increase for the top tier to $thirty monthly, many subscribers are looking for fresh methods to maximize their subscription. For those holding onto their membership or considering joining, here are this week's picks.

Our selected games include a beloved Japanese role-playing game, a charming independent adventure, and a brilliant puzzler set to leave the platform shortly.

Persona 4: The Golden Edition

Among the best methods to maximize value from your subscription is by diving into a lengthy, engaging RPG — and Persona 4: The Golden Edition matches that description perfectly. You take on the part of a teenager who has just moved to the quiet countryside of Inaba. By day, your objectives involve forming friendships, taking on employment, and managing schoolwork. At night, you investigate a chilling string of murders by venturing into unique dungeons based on your friends' deepest insecurities.

With a memorable cast of characters, tactical turn-based combat, flawless visuals, and a plot packed with surprises, Persona 4: The Golden Edition is regarded as a classic for good reason. It also features a incredibly engrossing gameplay loop that will keep you up past bedtime, repeatedly.

Sopa - Tale of the Stolen Potato

While major releases like Ninja Gaiden IV are a key selling point for the service, the subscription also showcases lesser-known indie gems. A perfect instance of this is Sopa - Tale of the Stolen Potato. Drawing from the animated classic, this charming indie adventure is a fantasy tale steeped in Latin American traditions. Players follow Miho, who, after helping his grandma make soup, is transported to a vibrant world populated by potato-stealing frogs and various eccentric creatures.

Sopa: Tale of the Stolen Potato plays out similar to an educational PC game from the 1990s, as Miho tackles challenges and aids the world's residents by gathering an assortment of items. Though it's a little rough around the edges, Sopa: Tale of the Stolen Potato is a heartwarming little experience that openly celebrates its love for South America.

Cocoon

Cocoon is scheduled to exit the service on Oct. 15, leaving only a few days to experience it via subscription — and you absolutely must. Studio Geometric Interactive designed one of the finest puzzlers of recent years in the 2023 release Cocoon: A Puzzle Adventure. Its central puzzle mechanic focuses on moving between realms within additional dimensions, and often you'll transport those realms, in the shape of vibrant spheres, with you.

Although it doesn't have explicit instructions, everything about Cocoon: A Puzzle Adventure's puzzles is built in a highly intuitive way, yet they can test you as well. 2023 was a massive year for video games, so it's understandable if Cocoon was somewhat missed by many players. We should rectify that while we can.