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Staff Picks, September 2025: Welcome to Our Video Game Museum (opens in new tab)

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The Discord staff’s September 2025 feature celebrates National Video Games Day by asking employees which games deserve a place in their personal “video game history museum.” Their answers emphasize nostalgia, formative experiences, influential design, and the communities built around gaming. Recent favorites include Hollow Knight, Balatro, Final Fantasy XIV, Oblivion, and The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III.

Games That Shaped Personal Gaming Histories

  • Super Mario 64

    • Became a formative experience through childhood play with a neighbor.
    • Its 3D graphics, controls, music, level structure, and iconic painting-based worlds made a lasting impression.
    • It helped inspire a later favorite, Super Mario Sunshine.

  • The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

    • Described as a lifelong comfort game and the contributor’s definitive Zelda experience.
    • It has been completed 100% multiple times and remains deeply tied to personal memories.
    • The proposed exhibit would include the original cartridge and a heavily worn official strategy guide.

  • Kingdom Hearts

    • Represents powerful childhood nostalgia through its combination of Disney and Final Fantasy.
    • Obtaining the PlayStation 2 game and its strategy guide led to hours of play.
    • Although Kingdom Hearts II is the contributor’s favorite entry, the original is valued as the groundbreaking starting point of the series.

  • The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III

    • Highlights a sprawling JRPG series with interconnected arcs, countries, and characters.
    • Its strengths include extensive world-building, large character casts, and constantly updated dialogue for even minor NPCs.
    • The series’ eventual crossovers are compared to Avengers-style ensemble moments.

  • Professor Layton and the Curious Village

    • A last-minute purchase made because a strict birthday budget ruled out a new Pokémon game.
    • Its challenging puzzles and mystery narrative introduced the contributor to the appeal of story-driven games.
    • The experience encouraged a broader willingness to discover unexpected favorites.

Games Staff Are Playing Recently

  • Hollow Knight is being replayed ahead of Silksong, with one contributor nearing 100% completion and another finally progressing after initially abandoning it twice.
  • Balatro has become highly addictive, with one player only one joker away from completing the collection.
  • Final Fantasy XIV has regained momentum after a partner began playing.
  • The Elder Scrolls Oblivion remake and Lost Soul Aside are also mentioned as current or anticipated games.
  • The contributors’ comments repeatedly connect current playtime to anticipation for Silksong.

Gaming as Nostalgia and Community

  • The feature presents games as personal cultural artifacts rather than merely entertainment.
  • Physical items such as cartridges and strategy guides carry emotional value alongside the games themselves.
  • Several responses stress how games introduce players to new genres, stories, friendships, and communities.
  • The playful editorial notes about disappearing staff members after Silksong’s release reinforce the article’s informal, gaming-community tone.

The article’s central recommendation is simple: revisit the games that shaped you, but also stay open to unexpected discoveries—whether through a discounted purchase, a friend’s recommendation, or a long-awaited sequel.