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After Microsoft's recent news of Game Pass membership updates, including a price increase for the Ultimate Tier to $30 monthly, many subscribers are seeking fresh ways to get the most from their subscription. If you keeping their subscription or thinking about signing up, here are this week's picks.

This weekend's games include a acclaimed JRPG, a delightful indie adventure, and a brilliant puzzler set to leave the platform soon.

Persona 4 Golden

One of the top ways to get your money's worth from Game Pass is by immersing yourself in a extensive, captivating role-playing game — and Persona 4 Golden fits that bill exactly. You take on the role of a teenager who has just moved to the quiet countryside of Inaba. During the day, your goals involve making friendships, taking on part-time jobs, and keeping up with studies. By night, you investigate a disturbing serial murder case by venturing into unique locations themed around your companions' inner fears.

With a memorable cast of characters, strategic turn-based combat, impeccable visuals, and a storyline full of surprises, Persona 4 Golden is considered a masterpiece for many reasons. It also features a highly engrossing cycle that will have you playing late into the night, repeatedly.

Sopa - Tale of the Stolen Potato

While major titles like Ninja Gaiden 4 are a primary selling point for the service, the subscription also highlights lesser-known games. A great instance of this is Sopa: Tale of the Stolen Potato. Inspired by the animated classic, this enchanting independent game is a fantasy tale steeped in South American culture. Players follow Miho, who, after helping his grandmother make soup, is transported to a vibrant realm filled with potato-stealing frogs and various quirky creatures.

Sopa unfolds like an educational PC game from the 90s, as Miho tackles puzzles and aids the world's inhabitants by gathering an inventory of objects. Though it's a little unpolished, Sopa is a sweet small experience that proudly celebrates its appreciation for the region's culture.

Cocoon: A Puzzle Adventure

Cocoon: A Puzzle Adventure is scheduled to leave Game Pass on Oct. 15, leaving only a few days to experience it via subscription — and you definitely must. Studio Geometric Interactive crafted one of the finest puzzle games of this generation in the 2023 release Cocoon. Its core gameplay element revolves around moving among worlds within other dimensions, and often you'll transport those realms, in the form of colorful spheres, with you.

Although it doesn't have explicit guidance, everything about Cocoon's puzzles is designed in a highly natural way, yet they can test you as well. The year 2023 proved a big year for games, so it's understandable if Cocoon was a bit missed by many players. We should rectify that now.