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After Microsoft's latest announcement of Xbox Game Pass membership changes, featuring a cost hike for the Ultimate Tier to $30 monthly, many subscribers are looking for new methods to maximize their membership. For those keeping their membership or considering joining, here are this week's picks.

Our selected titles include a beloved JRPG, a delightful independent adventure, and a brilliant puzzle game scheduled to leave the service shortly.

Persona 4: The Golden Edition

One of the top ways to get your money's worth from your subscription is by immersing yourself in a extensive, captivating RPG — and Persona 4: The Golden Edition fits that bill perfectly. Players take on the role of a high school student who has just moved to the sleepy countryside of Inaba. During the day, your goals include forming new friends, working part-time jobs, and keeping up with schoolwork. By night, you investigate a chilling string of murders by exploring unique locations based on your companions' deepest insecurities.

With a memorable cast of characters, strategic battle system, impeccable visuals, and a plot packed with surprises, Persona 4: The Golden Edition is considered a classic for good reason. It also features a highly addictive cycle that will keep you up late into the night, repeatedly.

Sopa - Tale of the Stolen Potato

Although major releases like Ninja Gaiden 4 are a primary attraction for the service, the platform also showcases smaller indie gems. A great example of this is Sopa: Tale of the Stolen Potato. Inspired by the animated classic, this enchanting independent adventure is a magical realist journey steeped in South American traditions. You join Miho, who, after helping his grandma prepare soup, is transported to a vibrant world filled with potato-nabbing frogs and various eccentric creatures.

Sopa plays out similar to an educational computer title from the 1990s, as Miho tackles challenges and aids the realm's inhabitants by gathering an inventory of objects. Even if it's a little unpolished, Sopa: Tale of the Stolen Potato is a heartwarming little experience that proudly celebrates its appreciation for South America.

Cocoon

Cocoon is set to exit the service on October 15, giving you only a short time to play it via your membership — and you absolutely must. Developer Geometric Interactive designed one of the best puzzle games of this generation in 2023's Cocoon. Its core gameplay element revolves around moving among realms within additional worlds, and often you'll transport those realms, in the shape of colorful orbs, with you.

Although it lacks direct guidance, everything about Cocoon's challenges is designed in a highly intuitive way, though they will test you as well. The year 2023 proved a big year for games, so it's no surprise if Cocoon was a bit overlooked by many players. Let's correct that while we can.