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Thank You For Raising Over $93,000 For Charity! Oh, And Submit Your Question For The MinnMax Show Podcast (Patreon)

Published:
2026-11-10 19:00:10
Imported:
2026-11
Tags:

Content

First off, a huge thank you to everybody who tuned in live and donated to MinnMax's Give To The Max charity stream. You raised over $93,000 for the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota. Incredible. If you won a charity auction or donated for a shirt or poster, you should have received an email from me confirming your address. We'll be shipping it all out soon. We're still in the process of emailing out codes to donors, we've sent out about 700 so far by hand and we still have hundreds to go so thanks for your patience on that front. You're welcome to continue donating, but you're no longer elligible for a code or physical prize. https://bit.ly/nicecity26

You can catch up on the Give To The Max fun in the studio here...

Watch the highlights - https://youtu.be/0A1KKLSUnnE

Watch the full charity stream - https://youtube.com/live/ndYZKxhgld4

This week for community questions on the podcast, we'll have Ben Hanson, Kyle Hilliard, Haley De Boom, and Charles Harte. It's your turn to make the show better by leaving a question, news story, BetterQuest goal, or anything else for us to read on the show as a comment below! We’ll choose our favorite and iam8bit will ship out the great prize below for the winner! We'll stop pulling questions around 8am Central on Wednesday.

On this week’s episode we’ll be talking about our favorite game music from 2026! Not including GTA VI! You're welcome to submit a favorite track from a video game in 2026, please make it a YouTube link of the music if you want it to potentially get played on the show.

Everybody at the Backstage Pass tier can watch us record the show live on Wednesday at 1pm Central, with an exclusive pre and post show. The unedited archive will be available to view after the fact. You could do us a favor by subscribing to the audio version of the podcast on iTunes or your favorite podcast app, telling a friend, leaving a review, and subscribing to our YouTube channel!

https://apple.co/3lRbzbE

https://www.youtube.com/minnmax

You can also find the Sunset Riders vinyl for sale in iam8bit’s online store, and you can use the promo code WINTERSWARMTH for 10% off everything under $100. Psst… please don’t post that promo code anywhere else on the internet. It’s a MinnMax-exclusive thing. https://www.iam8bit.com/collections/all

Files

Comments

Travis in Fargo

Aside from obvious weather-related themes, what makes a video game or movie feel “autumnal.” Do you have any favorite autumnal media?

Toby Martin

(Music submission) I want to shout out the last song to Deer and Boy which is one of my favourite games of the year as well as the one that made me most emotional. Saying why would spoil it but in my opinion it’s the most impactful ending to a game I’ve played this year. If you like atmospheric 2.5d platformers in the vein of Limbo and Inside I highly recommend it https://youtu.be/O7K-mrVl0Go?is=6tnBSb5v-RL6d5FT

Travis in Fargo

Would it be good or bad for your career if Taylor Swift wrote a diss song about you?

Sergio

What is gaming's biggest false idol? What truth do they obscure? Like in terms of design conventions or widely accepted logic.

Ethan Quist

How long is your first GTA play session going to be?

Fancygraham

Is there something between “rose tinted glasses” and “recency bias”? If not, can you make up a term?

Michael Berry

Which console would you live in if you got to hang out with all systems' characters?

Travis in Fargo

Would you rather have to eat a raw onion every day OR only shower lying down? (Details: the onion can be chopped, sliced, diced, and incorporated into other food components, but it cannot under any circumstances be heated up. For your shower, you can go up on two knees or elbows to reposition for up to 15 seconds at a time, but not knees and elbows at the same time. Shower knobs and/or dials will be moved, free of charge, to six inches off the shower floor, so you can easily access them while lying down).

Thom Blackburn

Hi minnmax! Who amongst the cohorts gave the lowest amount during the charity stream? Can Lawyer Haley decide their punishment? Thanks! Thom Blackburn

Travis in Fargo

If you could force any US president, past or present, to play through any video game, which president and video game would you choose and why?

Drake Heinhorst

Hey MinnMax, Ben, last week you predicted Doomsday would earn $850M at the box office and said you would take it to the bank. Do you care to make wager on that? I am willing to bet that it will be the largest opening weekend of all time which means it needs to open above $1.2B worldwide. Anything below that and you win. For the stakes, if i lose I will upgrade my membership to the slideshow tier and submit a picture showing how smart and great you are. If you lose, then I get to put a picture on the slideshow for free that will show how unsmart and ungreat you are. The ball is in your court.

sandeezy

Music Submission! I know most of the crew is avoiding Deltarune until all its chapters are released, but you guys need to hear this song from this year’s Chapter 5. in-game, the environment you find yourself in is a remixed version of Chapter 1’s setting, and this track is very fittingly a remix of chapter 1’s overworld theme. it’s amazing, take a listen: https://youtu.be/MzEHcwoNlbE

nerd

Yall should play a mini version of guess the game based on the music I did a Zelda one with my Zelda obsessed friend during a cookout and he was able to name the song and the game. He's obsessed for sure

Travis in Fargo

Are you like me where you feel like you begin any unsolicited interaction with a stranger as a total creep, and you have to prove somehow you’re not? A few days ago, I had to approach my new neighbor, who I’ve never met, while she was in her backyard with some friends and her grandkid, because I needed her to move her car. I was trying to approach in a very friendly, smiley kind of way, which actually made me feel more creepy.

William Markley

This year we had 3 games with ‘Resonance’ or ‘Resonant’ in the title release exactly 4 weeks apart from each other. Plague Tale Resonance on August 27, Control Resonant on September 24 and Final Fantasy Resonance on October 22. From my research one of the last games before that with Resonance in the title was ‘Resonance of Fate’ which originally released in January 2010 more than 16 years ago, but also had a remake release this year on October 29! What is going on with Resonance? AM I NUTS? My question is, what are your favourite strange coincidences in gaming releases and/or naming?

ryan

(Music) Doom eternal had some of the best game music ever. Its also very metal which is important to me. Doom the dark ages had a pretty darn good soundtrack, but maybe not up to eternals standards. With the dlc, Revelations, that came out this year, this may be as good if not better than the Doom eternal music. The riffs are amazing, and its as heavy as its ever been. I cant get enough. The dlc is also impossibly good. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=x_kWCBrJSf0&list=PLGndTzBx-RTg&index=2&pp=iAQB8AUB from 1:55-2:40

Neil Brown

Howdy MinnMax! There's been a decently large fan favorite character in Galactic Racer with Biddy Blas, largely from his gibberish quotes that are silly to say. Do yall have any favorite gibberish quote/saying from a game that you find yourself repeating?

milk toast

Hi gang, the recent discussion on the pod about gift-giving inspired me to invent a new national holiday - the National Dropping Hints Day. Every October 15th, your loved ones should drop a hint about what gift they want to receive for Christmas. What are your thoughts on this? Bonus questions: If you could invent a new national holiday, what would it be? When should we celebrate the International Gamer's Day?

TekWriter

Will Twilight Princess ever get a remake... or, heck, even ported? :-(

BigTony

Do you guys plan to live stream more on YouTube?

dietcoke

Music: Marathon was an overall uneven experience this year but the music was awesome. My favorite song is "Code Race". The song really picks up around the 1 minute mark. https://youtu.be/-wQfCuKxC5c

sandeezy

not a music submission or a question! but please take a shot every time ben says “bloomberg” or “jason schreier” this episode. good luck!

inclement heather (edited)

Comment edits

2026-11-12 07:00 https://youtu.be/yFPy8rDmPLM Music: Lana Del Ray's Bond theme for 007 First Light is excellent and, in my opinion, can hang with the best of the movie Bond themes. I enjoy the double meaning of the lyrics, which are simultaneously about the youthful recklessness of this new Bond (a hugely important aspect of the story) and the fact that this is a video game: "is it real or is it fake," "there's one life for you," "dying just to know whether you'll play your life like a game." Lana's voice is a perfect match for the abstract, dreamlike visuals of the opening, which is also incredibly cool and does a remarkable job setting the tone for the story. The only downside is that many of the motifs established in Lana's theme song used to be referenced throughout the game soundtrack, but those moments have been removed and replaced with different music, supposedly for licensing reasons. IOI has never made an official statement on these changes but many players noticed them shortly after release.
2026-11-10 20:48 https://youtu.be/yFPy8rDmPLM Music: Lana Del Ray's theme song for 007 First Light is excellent and, in my opinion, can hang with the best of the movie Bond themes. I enjoy the double meaning of the lyrics, which are simultaneously about the youthful recklessness of this new Bond (a hugely important aspect of the story) and the fact that this is a video game: "is it real or is it fake," "there's one life for you," "dying just to know whether you'll play your life like a game," etc. Lana's voice is a perfect match for the abstract, dreamlike visuals of the opening, which are also incredibly cool and do a remarkable job setting the tone for the story. The only downside is that many of the motifs established in Lana's theme song used to be referenced throughout the game soundtrack, but those moments have been removed and replaced with different music, most likely for licensing reasons. IOI has never made an official statement on these changes but many players noticed them shortly after release.

https://youtu.be/yFPy8rDmPLM Music: Lana Del Ray's theme song for 007 First Light is excellent and, in my opinion, can hang with the best of the movie Bond themes. I enjoy the double meaning of the lyrics, which are simultaneously about the youthful recklessness of this new Bond (a hugely important aspect of the story) and the fact that this is a video game: "is it real or is it fake," "there's one life for you," "dying just to know whether you'll play your life like a game," etc. Lana's voice is a perfect match for the abstract, dreamlike visuals of the opening, which are also incredibly cool and do a remarkable job setting the tone for the story. The only downside is that many of the motifs established in Lana's theme song used to be referenced throughout the game soundtrack, but those moments have been removed and replaced with different music, most likely for licensing reasons. IOI has never made an official statement on these changes but many players noticed them shortly after release.

Swansonge

Hey MinnMax, what do you think is the heaviest unit of currency in video games?

MrBump

I love puzzles but find that puzzly videogames make me feel like a big stupid dumb guy. I've tried and really enjoyed games like Blue Prince, Obra Dinn, Chants of Sennaar, and Outer Wilds and loved them until I hit some wall where I can't progress. This came to a head last night when I spent 30mins searching for a door I missed in the Forest Temple. I want to get better and enjoy these games but i dunno how to improve. Am I just a bit too dumb? Is there a genre you just can't get into dispite wanting too? Or do you have some recommendations to tiny baby step me into puzzle games? help Also Mina the Hollower, A sinking feeling is my track of the year so far and the entire Denchattack ost

Poofydoo

Will loading screens ever become something nostalgic that we will miss?

Nate Voris

Why are people in battles always leaving their swords stabbed into people? Playing Phantom Blade Zero and you come across so many battlefields where bodies are impaled with like 7 swords and it's something that I see a lot in movies/TV as well. Can't soldiers still use those swords? Isn't it a waste of resources to re-arm your troops because half of them left their sword stabbed in a guy? Take your dang sword home!

Jaser Helu

Hey Crew, Not a question! I just read an article that Nintendo of America has opened up a new job position to help preserve and archive its games. Not that Kelsey needs any more work on her plate, but what a perfect job that would be for her!

wittynicknamehere .

I believe Silent Hill Townfall has the most hauntingly, achingly beautiful soundtrack of the year, and the track "Gone" hits like a freight train when it arrives at such a meaningful, revelatory moment in the game. Recognizing you're only going to play maybe 30-40 seconds of it, I suggest skipping to the 5:30 mark of this video, when the odd discordant notes slip into the sound mix. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdslfRXi-c0

Boondock-Bandit

Hi all. Who would survive the civil war when Pew Pew Bang decides to usurp MinnMax?

Vilis

Congrats on the Give to the Max, everyone! In honor of the prize this month, why is Sunset Riders the best title for a Wild West Arcade game which could ever exist, and where is the Remake where they make it less problematic?

Jacob Mazanowski

What game or something about a game makes you go “I see your point… but your wrong”

Matthew

Hello Minnmax! I remember back when the hot coffee scandal came out and GTA: San Andreas had to be temporarily sold as an AO rated game, there was a lot of discourse about how it would kill the game since no retailer would sell games rated above M. Now that GTA VI is fully digital, do you think we'll start to see more AO rated games? Not necessarily more graphic or obscene games, just hard M games listed at AO instead. It feels like some of the most intense M rated games have gone more "adult" anyway over the last few decades, and having more granularity in the rating system could be useful. Thanks!

Toke F.

Keeping on topic with music and soundtracks. What little thing in your life would you like to make a tune when you do it. Tying your shoe? Little victory noise. Walking down stairs? Drums play on each step. Going in reverse to park the car? Dramatic violin.

Axel Jrpg

The best overworld theme I’ve ever heard is from the JRPG YS8! Falcom, The studio that makes the YS and Trails games are known for their rock heavy tracks and they are always a treat for the ears. They genuinely don’t miss : https://youtu.be/QxVvGYuOiJc?is=P5_X2nyqAYcqNVjC

Ryan Stanton

Not a question - but a BetterQuest goal. At my brothers wedding my eighteen month year old nephew was terrified of my beard so after the wedding I shaved it clean off for the first time in five years. Realised after doing that the beard was hiding more chin than I’d cared to admit so immediately on the same day joined my nearest gym and started trying to attend regularly. I haven’t set any weightloss or PB goals - but I have been successfully going three days a week for the past two months and am hoping to do so until the end of the year to build a habit. Keep up the great work, keep getting better, and if anybody on the panel has any BetterQuest goals please feel free to share.

Ryan Stanton

Oh, I also forgot in my BetterQuest to put some of the best music from the most underrated soundtrack of the year , Splatoon Raiders. This little ditty that plays around base is so relaxing and I have, no joke - over 100 hours listening to it on loop while doing work. Perfect bop. https://youtu.be/7Pwspf12Pao

Gérard Depar-duh

Big Walk developer House House admitted this week to using AI to solve a technical problem that had stumped them and the Unity engineers they consulted. They said they made the disclosure reluctantly, not wanting it to be seen as an endorsement of AI. Doesn’t the fact that artists this opposed to the technology find it indispensable suggest it has real value for game development?

RynaGoGo

Howdy MinnMax, When are you going to be like Giant Bomb and do a version of Kinda Funny’s top 100? It was great and would love to see the results of the math. PS: sorry if this has been asked already, I’ve been busy. Throw me a freakin bone here.

Alon Zwick

Hi MinnMax, How many Ben clones would it take to beat a T-Rex in a fight? The Ben clones are not allowed to bring any weapons but they can come up with a plan beforehand and use anything they could reasonably find in the T-Rex's natural environment.

Alex McMillan

Do you think you have played more or less than 50% of the games you will ever play?

Limp Bizquick

Hey Minnesota Nice Maxwell, The settings in ocarina of time have really elevated the experience for me. I wasn’t enjoying the voice acting in English so I changed it to Japanese which genuinely helped with my immersion. That paired with Master Interface setting feels like playing a Hayao Miyazaki movie. What game have you played that was improved the most by changing settings?

Aging_Poorly

The Ocarina of Time budget was apparently $40mm. $50mm with marketing and ancillary expenses. What can Western studios reasonably do to get closer to that number? This is a serious question. The future of non-Nintendo AAA gaming depends on it.

NonBinaryBomb

Hey, gang! I went to a juggling show in Paris last week, and to accompany the performance, a live band played "Big Blue" from Smash Bros. and F-Zero. What's the weirdest place you've encountered video game music?

Shoes

What is a game you have over 100 hours in, but haven't touched in years?

giuliano

I was thinking about Haley’s Night in the Woods annual playthrough with her special candle. What is the best candle scent?

Mike Lynch

Who do you think is the person most likely to have eaten a cheap, microwaveable pizza: -Dame Judi Dench -Ben Kingsley -Oprah -Sir Anthony Hopkins -Tommy Lee Jones

Bob Buel

Realistically, will any of you ever play Pong ever again for the rest of your lives?

Kevin Cookman

do you ever get the 'Sunday Scaries' for a game release? More than just being worried that an anticipated title will live up to the hype, I mean sweating about how much sheer time and commitment and focus (even when you're not playing it!) a game is going to eat up? Obviously, it's a champagne problem for most of the consumer base who's just going to play, say, GTA 6 for fun at our own pace, but for you guys whose profession is to play it and set the stage for years of discussion to come... any butterflies?

Andy

Hey MM, Have you ever had to part with collectibles in order to catch up with a bill or make space in your hone? I recently had to sell off my action figure collection to pay an overdue bill, and while none of my figures were vintage, they were modern and highly collectable.

Graham Jones

What is the timeline for the second trek to Shrek now that the Shrek 2 video game is getting remastered?

K-Ham

Music submission: The Blaze - Cycle of the Sun from Fire Emblem Fortunes Weave. It plays in the final chapter of each of the Part 1 campaigns and, at that point, it feels like the most amazing culmination of the journey you've had. INSANE. (Start at 30 seconds in)

John Hamman

I have a few for the best music of the year, choose any of these that you'd want to play: Mewgenics has way too many good tracks but I narrowed it down to two. The first is "Flush", the theme for the sewers. Play a bit of the start then go to 2:30 for IMO the best part. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKlAS-jBcew. Next is "Dig Your Own Grave", the final boss theme. I'll let it speak for itself. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgckcE2xNmA. Finally, Risk of Rain 2 got the Hallowed Concepts DLC this year and new prog rock goodness. It's a new stage theme called "She's watching..." It has a long build up, so start from about 1:40 then go to 3:57 for the climax. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgp6leXGLJ0

GrandSol

Music: It came out at the very end of last year but I played it this year, Skate Story has one of my favorite soundtracks and pretty quickly propelled Blood Cultures to being one of my favorite bands. It all really complements the vibe the game is going for and makes the moments when you hit a kind of flow state skate boarding and the music really gets going feel incredible. Its hard to pick a single song from the soundtrack cause its all so good but I'll go with Unarchiver. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vI_xrmc8gE

WootzSteel

Music: Moonlight Visions (Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave) https://youtu.be/UAqSURvbePg?si=Oz0LtKRm6QlHbByu Hi MinnMax, I've been completely enraptured by Fortune's Weave. I'm currently 207 hours deep and making my way through part 3! One of my favorite tracks from the game is Moonlight Visions, which plays during one of the Paralogue battles. I went out of my way to do the same optional mission on all four paths just so I can hear it again! I'm curious to know if Haley De Boom has a favorite track from Fortune's Weave.

Owen Badgley

Music: Say what you will about Tokon overall, but one thing Arcsys never misses on is music. You could pick pretty much any character theme but I like Iron Man's a lot (probably becuase it's done by Mr. Guilty Gear Daisuke Ishiwatari): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDOZuTcaxQQ

LlorchDurden

Crew! I love Pragmata, it's my GOTY, Ben should finish it but I can't really say the music was anything I remember. On the other hand, I hated hated hated Metroid Prime 4, but the music ROCKS. Maybe the best of the prime series or up there with Prime 2 OST. What's the worst game with the best music you can think of?

Wajora

Which game inspired the most people to pick up an instrument?

Mike R.

Ideas for next Give to the Max/MinnMax-Giving: Two sessions of Trivia-tower within the livestream. Add Community Volunteers and as a gift give them 1 year of MinnMax $10 tier. Lower prices for non-auction stuff (wishes/cheat codes for example) and consider that it does matter how much money is raised and having a high set goal, I sense you are trying to hit $100k, and to me that is setting an unnecessary stress/urgency, is there a hidden incentive/goal trying to push for that high? Is it to compete with other podcast, maybe tax incentive, or something else. Do not stress with higher donation number, because in this case it truly is the thought and consideration that counts and not the high amount of money. Also for the 10th anniversary MinnMax should really consider a "fundraiser" stream to help support the MinnMax show in advance and reduce any burden. And to thank you for all the good work the crew has provided as a team over the years. -M

moon

Music: Endacopia’s soundtrack does a great job of establishing the weird vibe that made me fall in love with the game. My personal favorites off the soundtrack are all related to the same character, the Freelance Surgeon. Every time you meet him he has a new song to sing, and it gives both him and the game tons of character. The one I’ve linked is Beautiful Creature, which plays whenever you first meet him. Link: https://youtu.be/HDhawsTvm4Q?is=gb3dl3dS6aE6JmC5 Link with a clip of what you’re seeing in game (not needed but might make it make more sense lol): https://youtu.be/YSQoabQuPwI?is=l3sQC4CLQm3W1V_W

Random Oil Man

What game soundtrack would you most like to see performed live?

LlorchDurden

All Too Ben (10 mins version)

Random Oil Man

For me my favourite track of the year was from a game I was actually pretty disappointed with, which makes me realise how much I love the track, because it stands on its own separate to the game. It's from Replaced: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBSmpUqZBeg

Roze

Hello Minnmax! I've grown up constantly surrounded by Legend of Zelda—through seeing my friends playing it, hearing about how much others love it, creepypastas, or by playing games that drew heavy inspiration—but I've never actually played a Zelda game myself! I recently bought a 3DS again after giving away my childhood one to my sister a long time ago, and was finally about to venture into Ocarina of Time to begin my own journey with the franchise, but now the Switch 2 port is suddenly releasing and it's made me raise the question: Which version of the game would you recommend to a first time player? Nostalgia aside, do you think the original or 3DS release hold an inherent nostalgia that is essential to the experience and would shine through to even a first timer? Or is the new remake a no-brainer? Imagine you were able to play through all 3 versions again but each playthrough was your first ever playthrough of the game. Which version would you like the most?

Mister Donuts

Music submission - Marathon, Focused Erasures and Sub-routine Resets. The Marathon soundtrack is just fantastic (easily some of the best music from games in the 2020s), not a lot that sounds anything like it. It puts other sci fi soundtracks to shame https://youtu.be/I25WewwjHAg

Sam Haugen

Hi Cohorts, who is a celebrity famous for something specific that you’ve never seen them be a part of. It hit me the other day that I don’t think I’ve seen Tony Hawk actually interact with a skateboard

Jack Seage

Now that the behemoth is nearly upon us, how do you feel about the way that GTA VI impacted games and discussions about games this year? As for music, here's a chill track from Demon Tides I kept coming back to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0Nim1FXsS0

Kelsey Sims

Ahh I know it's last 8, hope it's not too late for music: I just played through Mixtape the day this post went up, and after you finish and get back to the main menu there's a little pop-up that brings you to an old-school computer screen where Slater has his album ready for you to listen to! It's a 20 minute epic about a wizard being hunted down by his old master, and his journey to confront him. I was fully ready to move on to something else but I sat there for 20 minutes and listened to the whole thing, it was such a fun surprise. Here's a playlist of the album, I think the most fun one to play a bit of would be 'Pleasures of the World' or 'The Dead Fear Not Death' https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nsCxxGSqe6RQNUrwwTL89VVWdjL93sH4U&si=VwMlD0KQFOC3J_Xq

Will Keitel

More of a comment than a question, but anyone else notice Sony’s 1P sales approaches last ~18 months? Very rarely discount the base game and put the digital deluxe game on sale, which usually has a higher price point than the base model anyways. Wolverine is current example right now. Obviously, this won’t change when physical stops getting released.

Axel Jrpg

I want to highlight Falcom, and their incredible work they do in not only their games but their OST. They mostly compose the ost in house, and they basically never miss. They are known for the YS and Trails series, which is some of the best music in gaming imo. This is a track from the trials in the sky 2nd chapter remake that released recently : https://youtu.be/cNgCWjS1ivw?is=oUtt3-spapWZKA9v