Three Game Pass Games We're Playing This Weekend (October 3-5)
Over the last few weeks, we've been running regular suggestions for what we're playing on Game Pass. It's an opportunity for us to highlight underrated titles or simply to talk about our preferred titles. For this week, though, we have to kick things off by tackling the obvious issue: Microsoft's recent anti-consumer updates to the Game Pass subscription.
Starting October 1, the company revealed a bevy of changes to its subscription service, with the most notable coming to the Ultimate plan — that provides the most games available plus day-one access to latest releases from Xbox Game Studios. The new price is $30 a month, up from $20. As expected, users expressed dissatisfaction, with many being vocal on online platforms and in comment sections about their plans to terminate their plans.
It's the end of an era for the service as the once celebrated gaming bargain has ended. Instead, players must consider if the annual $360 cost for the premium plan is worth it to them, particularly when daily expenses continues to rise.
Should you maintain your membership, or seeking justifications to continue justifying it, read on for this week's recommendations. These feature a top-tier Metroidvanias of all time, a potential award-winner from 2025, and a delightful JRPG sequel. Alternatively, should you prefer to cancel Game Pass, refer to instructions on how to change or cancel your Game Pass subscription.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
If you do happen to stick with your Ultimate membership, you might require more excuses to justify it. The best case for the higher fee is that it includes to a suite of Ubisoft+ Classics. This provides plenty of Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry titles for your monthly payment, but the standout benefit is Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown.
The 2D Metroidvania makes fantastic use of the franchise, returning to its origins in a trap-filled labyrinth that’s a exciting to explore. Pair that with some of the deepest, diverse battle mechanics the genre offers, and you have the recipe for a top-shelf Metroidvania. Pair it with both Hollow Knight: Silksong and The Rogue Prince of Persia and you’re already breaking even on a quarter of your annual fee.
Blue Prince
This investigative puzzle title Blue Prince debuted to strong sales and a dedicated community on PC platforms, but console adoption was buoyed at launch by membership programs (it was also available on PlayStation Plus). The word of mouth alongside its simple availability eventually helped the game attract two million users.
Checking out a game for several sessions to discover if it's your jam or not is a key advantage of Game Pass, and those seeking immersion in a mystery should explore Blue Prince. You play as the heir to an estate and large inheritance, but only if you can locate the hidden chamber. The challenge? The building's design is ever-shifting, making Blue Prince a roguelike with new information to uncover regularly. I've spent a few hours with it and have been drip-fed secrets and puzzle clues related to the enigma at the core of the story, and I'm curious to see where the game goes as I progress further.
Ni no Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom - The Prince's Edition
Am I recommending Ni No Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom just because the version included on the service is the Prince's Edition version and that creates thematic harmony with our previous selections? I'll never tell. What I will tell, though, is that Ni No Kuni 2 is delightful follow-up to a top role-playing game of recent memory. Despite the whimsical Ghibli aesthetic and focus on younger characters, Ni No Kuni 2 doesn't shy away from heavy topics, beginning with an apparent terrorist attack on a modern-day city before immediately throwing the main character (the literal president) into an other world where they end up smack in the middle of a violent Medieval-era coup. Compared to the first game, the combat is more action-focused — resembling a action RPG than a turn-based title — and includes a genuinely deep and detailed simulation in which you must oversee a kingdom. It might be the Prince's Edition, but that sounds more like king shit to me.
