What's your favorite main menu screen?

[skywolfblue]

I will most certainly agree with the first Halo game and MGS4 having great menus.

But I think I might have to go for Alan Wake.

Spoiler: Alan Wake

I think I'll second that. They did an excellent job making the menu thematic (aka spooky +foggy light) to the game itself.

I kind of like Dragon Age: Origin's main menu. IDK why.

Spoiler

There's just something about it I like.

I like that screen and the music a lot, but it causes a pretty massive dissonance (to me at least) between the menu and gameplay.

The games rather shitty graphics don't match up to it, and we never get to see that scene in game, what is the significance of the swords? Where is that? Ostigar?

So in my mind it kinda sticks out like "we imagined something so much better, but then we had to cut it due to time or technical constraints".


Another game I'd nominate is Starcraft 2. Not for the "main" main menu, but the campaign menu that changed as you went through the story. The place between missions where you can interact with characters and such. It's brilliantly done and I love it.

Spoiler: Starcraft 2 Char screen

 

[Demolition_Human]

Fallout 3s:

Spoiler

Though Skyrim's comes in well for the cool music.

How could I forget Metroid Prime:

And Halo 2:

I have to agree with the Metroid Prime menu screen! It had an eerie feeling to it which made it awesome!

OT: I will go with an obscure choice and say Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon. The video that plays at the title screen just screams B-movie and the theme that plays along with it is epic!

 

[solemnwar]

I kind of like Dragon Age: Origin's main menu. IDK why.

Spoiler

There's just something about it I like.

I like that screen and the music a lot, but it causes a pretty massive dissonance (to me at least) between the menu and gameplay.

The games rather shitty graphics don't match up to it, and we never get to see that scene in game, what is the significance of the swords? Where is that? Ostigar?

So in my mind it kinda sticks out like "we imagined something so much better, but then we had to cut it due to time or technical constraints"

It's not supposed to be anywhere, it's just a really nice picture. The swords are Sten's sword and another sword found in-game. I also didn't find the graphics all that bad, especially when pushed up to max. The menu doesn't HAVE to be something you see in the game.

 

[JayElleBee]

I'm quite fond of ME2?s menu screen. I like menus that seem to exist in a space like that, plus I liked reading the little news articles that popped up daily on the computer.

Do you remember actually using it though? It was a slow, poorly organised menu system. If you weren't connected to the internet, it wouldn't let you do anything until it realised it could not connect to the daily news system which took quite awhile. The Mass Effect games have some of the worst menus in terms of practically.

*shrug* I never noticed any issues. I'm talking about aesthetics anyway, not practicality.

 

[Headsprouter]

For me it can only be Age of Empire 2.

Amazing music.

I stop to listen, every time.

or Oblivion, for the theme and for not looking like shit *cough* Skyrim *coughcough*:

I have that problem with Skyrim, too. I started up the game for the first time and thought..."Well that's an underwhelming start." Oblivion's was more interesting and shows off the map, which is appropriate, and, in my opinion, has a better version of Nerevar Rising.

On a more personal note, this one. Considering I still remember the first time I played the game, all the nostalgia is still there.

Spoiler: Oh, this couldn't be Timesplitters related, could it?

The spinning background showing the guns and machines from the different timezones, the awesome music, the vastly improved look of the interface in general and the cool character select screen for arcade which took place on the same background. EA's influence on TS3 was amazing compared to what they do to games, now!

Or maybe the key thing is that they had little influence on the game? Perhaps...

 

[piinyouri]

Chalk another one up to Metroid Prime, though the music is a big part of why I love the title screen so much.

Spoiler: And this stark vivid masterpiece.

 

[Sunrider]

For me it's the Final Fantasy VII one, not because it's particularly pretty (spoiler: it's not), but because of its simplicity. There really isn't much to it, yet it means so much to me. It's like the calm before the storm that is my favorite game.

Spoiler: Mandatory image of course!

A bit off-topic, but one menu screen I love is the one for the original Valkyria Chronicles game for PS3. The menu screen itself is nice, while not mind-blowing, but I get chills whenever I see it. Why? The music.

Spoiler: Image and song included. The song is only 37 seconds long, you have that much to spare and you know it!

 

[Mark Rhodes]

I love the old Team Fortress 2 menu screen.

 

[LiberalSquirrel]

I will most certainly agree with the first Halo game and MGS4 having great menus.

But I think I might have to go for Alan Wake.

-image snip-

I like how the scenery in the background changes according to where in the game you last were and the simplicity of the menu.

I am fond of Alan Wake's menu. Probably because I adored the game, and the main menu reflected the game perfectly.

But top main menu screen, for me, has to be Spec Ops: the Line.

Spoiler: here, a non-spoilerific menu screen

Watching the way it progressed to mirror the narrative, and just the overall designs of the main menu screen(s) and the way they captured the feel and look of the game... just... they were wonderful.

 

[Fijiman]

I'd probably have to say Bioshock's menu screen.

 

[Sir Christopher McFarlane]

Giant kitchen knife!

Spoiler

 

[BM19]

Definitely Persona 4. It's all yellow and cool and shit. I have no idea how they thought it up but bright (but not too bright) yellow is the main aesthetic of the game. It's totally awesome.

I mean it's brilliant in several other sorts of ways as well (like how all the characters are silhouettes in the background, I think they aren't even there depending on how far you are into the game and you have to REALLY squint to get a glimpse of Naoto)

Oh and that's the second screen. The first screen is the Swagtagonist being swaggy running in slow motion on the left and a giant P4 on the right.

Agreed; honestly, the menu screen I think is the only advantage the original PS2 version has over Golden. Same for the title video, though P4G's grew on me.

Ocarina of Time has a good one; Majora's Mask has a really minimalist/creepy and tone-setting one as well.
... In fact, all of the 3D Zelda's have pretty sweet intro/menu screens.

 

[TheEndIsNear5115]

How could I forget Metroid Prime:

I jumped right on this game the moment I saw the thread title, but you beat me to it. Rats!

The original Metroid Prime still clocks in as one of my best games of all-time, and as such, I played it a lot. Consequently, I created this little mythos to myself concerning the origin of the title screen: it was all that was left of the original metroid study done by the scientists of the Ceres Space Colony before the total destruction of the facility by Ridley. Given that Ridley was one of the primary antagonists of the story, it fit well.

Also! Not that it was a main menu, but does anyone remember the "Hero Side/Dark Side" selection screen for Sonic Adventure 2: Battle? It was a screen that you were only supposed to stay on for a few seconds, but it has one of the better tracks on an already-fabulous OST. Here's a little earworm for you:

 

[bliebblob]

Both half life 2 and portal 2 did this thing where the menu screen was just a straight up image representing the area you last played in. And it wasn't a still image either: headcrabs scittering by, striders in the distance or whatever was appropriate for the area. It was great to pull you right back in to the atmosphere.

Secondly all the final fantasies I've played had a very nice and sober main menu, with only a few cryptic images that once you knew the full story became very meaningful. And on top of that the stellar music... To this day those menu screens make me more emotional than most entire games. And don't even get me started on the intro cutscenes that would seamlessly end in the menu screens...

 

[Arnoxthe1]

By practicality? Unreal Tournament's UWindows, HANDS DOWN. Just look:

All functions you need in an unobtrusive, easy to access, intuitive menu. And THAT is how you do a game menu on the PC.

As far as just style goes... Hm. Too many good ones really so I'll just leave the original Login Screen for WoW here and leave it at that.

 

[Tactical Pause]

That would definitely be the menu screen for Spec Ops: The Line. The image (with the flag that degrades as you progress) combined with the Jimi Hendrix cover of Star-Spangled Banner is just so fitting and beautiful in a macabre kind of way.

EDIT: Forgot about Dragon Age: Origins. That one's up there as well, though perhaps not quite as high.

 

[RedDeadFred]

Gotta go with Borderlands 2. It gives you a nice view of a large portion of Pandora and lets you pan around your character.

 

[ShinyCharizard]

Current favourite would have to be Metal Gear Rising just for the epic music that plays over it.

 

[Signa]

Borderlands 2 had a great one from recent memory. Great color pallet, and it showed most of the world in one interactively rotatable screen.

I still think that Zelda: OOT has one of the best title screens ever. Most games try to be in your face all Brawndo-style "YOU'RE PLAYING OUR GAAAAAME!!! *Explosion*" OOT knows it's badass without doing anything more than showing some nature scenes and flute music.

I know it's a little past the title screen, but Bioshock's "Sweat of your brow" speech at the beginning is worth a mention. I don't think I've ever played a game that started out better than that.

 

[The Wykydtron]

Definitely Persona 4. It's all yellow and cool and shit. I have no idea how they thought it up but bright (but not too bright) yellow is the main aesthetic of the game. It's totally awesome.

I mean it's brilliant in several other sorts of ways as well (like how all the characters are silhouettes in the background, I think they aren't even there depending on how far you are into the game and you have to REALLY squint to get a glimpse of Naoto)

Oh and that's the second screen. The first screen is the Swagtagonist being swaggy running in slow motion on the left and a giant P4 on the right.

Agreed; honestly, the menu screen I think is the only advantage the original PS2 version has over Golden. Same for the title video, though P4G's grew on me.

Ocarina of Time has a good one; Majora's Mask has a really minimalist/creepy and tone-setting one as well.
... In fact, all of the 3D Zelda's have pretty sweet intro/menu screens.

Oh what? They changed the menu for Golden as well? I tell you, everything I hear about this so called "best" version is hardly persuading me to get a Vita to play it. Next you'll tell me there's a new super bad ending where the main character betrays everyone to cover up the killer's crimes, completely breaking the entire theme of the game for no reason. But really, what possible reason could they have to even think of putting that into the game?

Oh wait...

OT: Thinking about it, I have to mention Dragon's Dogma. I stand by the fact that having such weird J-Rock as the very first thing you hear was the very best possible intro they could have had. Especially considering the circumstances leading up to its release.