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[Creamium]

This is one of my favorites. As are: Halo Reach, OoT, TLOU.

I also really like the Bulletstorm main menu (theme). It's over the top and cheesy, but that music man... I sometimes just left the title screen on for minutes before I started the game.

On the flip side, my arch enemy is the Hard Reset loading screen. it was badass, but the 10 second animations between every menu option got annoying real fast.

They patched that out. There's a fast menus setting somewhere in options.

 

[Gigarator]

Definitely the main Final Fantasy XI menu. It has to have the Vana'diel March song though or else it is no longer my favorite.

Unity is the one I associate most with the good times in that game. Whenever I hear it all the memories come flooding back.

 

[greatgeek]

Mass Effect 1 GOAT
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_JVEXDrJYg&feature=youtube_gdata_player

 

[giapel]

Metroid Prime has been the only answer for the last 10 years.

 

[KYZR]

R E A C H

 

[Yuuichi]

They patched that out. There's a fast menus setting somewhere in options.

And this is what happens when I haven't played a game in ages.

 

[RiZ III]

I can't seem to find a picture of video of it, but the main menu from Virtua Fighter 5 was really really nice. It had a really soothing track playing (below) and water ripples as you moved through the menu.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZ2ENWqiS2Y

 

[CTLance]

Secret of Mana has been mentioned, right? Right? I'm on mobile and gaf is 502'ing me like there's no tomorrow...

 

[Alric]

I couldn't find anything video/image wise that showed the full thing but this game has great menu animations and great music. Very memorable.

Beat me to it. I loved the way it was so organic.

 

[Baron von Loathsome]

Thought it was so cool as a kid. It's still awesome.

 

[leroidys]

Heavy Rain pre and post patch:




Crysis 1:




Twilight Princess:

Good lord, 88 posts until Twilight Princess. COME ON.

 

[Jazzkokehead]

The first thing that popped into my head was Max Payne 2, if only for that music. It's been over 10 years, and it's still one of the most memorable and haunting things I've ever heard in a game. I remember sitting at the main menu just to listen to it.

 

[Snookie]

NHL 94 for the Sega CD

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QIN4uFvWdM

 

[maxcriden]

Also, this :

The Banjo-Kazooie main menu looked creative and fun.

Yes! This one is so great.

I loved the random, occasional transitions that occurred sometimes when you selected a file, like Banjo's kitchen swiveling into a secret room.

 

[Dion Blaster]

 

[gngf123]

Oh! One great one that I had forgotten.

 

[KillerDark]

I'm sure someone posted it already but the Kingdom Hearts title screens. Dearly beloved is amazing.

 

[Doug Heffernan]

Mafia II, mainly due to that music.

 

[Kocolino67]

• the musical ilomilo menu
  
• and the Eve of Destruction menu ... music - just awesome

 

[Cheeky]

Sort of the same as mgs4's. Supposed to be really sad for people who completed the game or know what it means.

I just realized the song that plays at the main menu is called "Successor" which ties in with the whole image and what it means. Sounds good too.


Anyway, for a somewhat different entry, Conkers bad fur day. While not as special, minimalistic or mysterious as some, it is a perfect way to show the crazy shit that is about to happen.

Another i really enjoy is Shadowman. Which has the voodoo feel of the game woven into the menu. When you wait a little it goes into a flyby of the world accompanied by the amazing Main Theme giving you a pretty good feel of the world.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBdO0680PHQ&hd=1

 

[Ridley327]

Killer7, easily. Very simple, but also very eerie; after some odd, ambient start-up music, the letters just keep dripping down on the menu. When you select an option, you hear the laughter of the Heaven Smiles, as well. Really sets the mood for the game.

That game has the best difficulty select ever. The music getting more and more intense the higher you go is some next-level stuff.

 

[klinkcow]

Final Fantasy VIII

I respectfully disagree. I think this is an example of bad design - plain and simple. The awkward screen crop, typeface, kerning in the title, difference in font colors/clarity.


...and I loved that game.

 

[Manu]

TLOU was already posted, so...

Resident Evil 5 and 6's menus are great, especially 6, with the menus changing for each campaign.

 

[kittens]

A fly-through inside a Metroid membrane doesn't seem notably corny. If it were like the Batman Arkham series menus with Samus replacing Batman, it'd be inappropriately aggressive.

The fly-through isn't a bad idea, but the presentation is corny. And I'm not sure why you brought up Batman, but I definitely agree. Something with the beauty and simplicity of TLOU or Halo Reach would be nice for Metroid. Something that centerpieces the beauty (and alienness) of an in-game landscape. Or take the polar opposite route and go for the heavy sci-fi feel of the original Metroid title screen.

 

[Tenrius]

Mafia 1 had a really nifty one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLtxU7vFEb8

 

[Acrylic7]

Killzone 3 is so fucking bad. Red in every fucking direction. Just so bad.

My favorite has to be Psychonauts, Kingdom Hearts ( I would leave it at the start menu just to hear that damn song), of course Super Mario 64.

 

[Laranja]

Killzone 2 Main Menu
It's simple and clean, has great music to accompany it and looks like it could be an interface straight out of the game's universe.

Yeah, this was pretty cool. I loved how the menus would move slightly if you tilted the controller.

 

[lem0n]

Call of Duty Black Ops II

That music... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7KBNAnq5sg

Midnight Club 3 DUB Edition

I thought the menus on the sides of the buildings was the coolest thing when I was younger lol.

This song always played too haha... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4lcBHED9hE

 

[Chettlar]

It would be wrong not to include the best menu that not only showed off the mysterious Halo ring, but it also had the best theme

Why did you have to do that? Now I'm getting chills just from listening to that. I can't believe it still does that to me. Halo 3's piano section with the cellos (about the third track that plays in the main menu I believe) is also excellent.



Maybe somebody should make a favorite and not so favorite Main menu Themes thread?

 

[GiantEnemyGoomba]

Xenoblade and Halo Reach definitely. Halo 3's is also great if only for the music.

 

[The Real Abed]

The Katamari Damacy games had some really cool openings. From the intro song video to the file select screen, it was pretty weird and cool for the time.

I'd love a HD rerelease of the Katamari series on one disc. (All PS2, PSP and 360 versions) I'd probably even buy a console for it. (Though a Steam version would be amazing.)

 

[DJIzana]

and

 

[EteRnal PAL]

No love for Braid?

 

[Soma]

As far as just title screens go, I really loved Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne's.

Just so damn intimidating, a lot like the game itself.

 

[R0nn]

Something that hasn't been mentioned yet:

Metro 2033
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9-IZtjDPtY

 

[BLACK AMERICAN PSYCHO]

As far as just title screens go, I really loved Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne's.

Just so damn intimidating, a lot like the game itself.

hell yes

 

[klinkcow]

No love for Braid?

I'll back this one. And the fact that it was a seamless transition into the game was a very cool idea.

 

[Chettlar]

Yes! This one is so great.



I loved the random, occasional transitions that occurred sometimes when you selected a file, like Banjo's kitchen swiveling into a secret room.

Why does he have a picture of his sister in his bedroom?

 

[R0nn]

Why does he have a picture of his sister in his bedroom?

I think you just ruined many people's childhood with this simple observation.

 

[AlteredForms]

 

[maxcriden]

I think the Kirbys danced around a bit on this one. Very charming.

Why does he have a picture of his sister in his bedroom?

You've never had a picture of a family member in your bedroom?

 

[Chance Hale]

The lego game menus look like the same one founds in old, low budget N64 games.

 

[Ricky 7]

Super Mario Bros. 3
Super Mario World
Zelda Ocaarina of Time
Metroid Prime
Xenoblade

These are the first ones that come to my head.

 

[astrogamer]

Surprised this one wasn't mention especially with all the interactivity that were hidden in it. i also liked that zooming down the tree right before

 

[Slixshot]

Why did you have to do that? Now I'm getting chills just from listening to that. I can't believe it still does that to me. Halo 3's piano section with the cellos (about the third track that plays in the main menu I believe) is also excellent.



Maybe somebody should make a favorite and not so favorite Main menu Themes thread?

It puts a smile on my face watching that video. God, that game means a lot to me and my childhood. Big part of my gaming past. Lol and as I type this, I'm realizing I'm going to have to eventually buy an xbox one to play halo 5... great.

edit:

As far as just title screens go, I really loved Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne's.

Just so damn intimidating, a lot like the game itself.

DAYUM.

 

[zkylon]

one of my favorites gotta be kane & lynch 2's

it's just super slick

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uUO6YNEUic
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcQZ833zF8s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cadJ_pewXr8

 

[klinkcow]

While I think that ICO and Shadow of the Colossus had great menus respectively, I thought the ICO & Shadow of the Colossus HD collection was brilliant. Not the still shot of each game, but how they connected the two games:

ICO's side looked like this:

SOTC's side looked like this:

But Team Ico went ahead and connected the two worlds (

Spoiler

which we know happens in the fiction)

like this:

Video Link
image:

 

[Leckan]

Wipeout Fury.

Dat bass.

 

[DiipuSurotu]

 

[PaulExcellent]

F-Zero X.

You just had to boot the console and bam! You've reached the main menu in less than 3 seconds. Plus dat music. Always gets me pumped when I'm starting the game.

Played this for the first time ever a few days ago.
Fucking awwwwwwwwwesome menu.