What's your favorite main menu screen?

[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.

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...

I think I've run into you on this before... Anyway.

I like the optional ending. It works with the idea of the Fool, an arcanum marked by potential, which can be for good or for bad. It in no way goes against the theme of the game, instead playing on the theme of the silent protagonist and making him more of a social manipulator than what amounts to everyone's therapist. And again, it's OPTIONAL. If your version of the main character wouldn't do it, then nothing has changed. It's just there for those who are curious, and its certainly interesting.
And the new menu screen isn't bad -- it just isn't as iconically good. The music is still great, the visuals are fleshed out (on the Vita, at least; screenshots seem to look terrible, though the widescreen bump is much appreciated) and the extras (music videos, promos, video/music/concept art gallery, in-depth "lessons" on the arcanum and their place in the game/mythology, etc.) are a lot of fun.

It's definitely the best version, IMO. Perhaps not worth buying a Vita for (because that's INSANE), but a must-buy if you do have one.


Also, on-topic, Persona 4 Arena's changing menu screen is worth an honorable mention.

 

[mohit9206]

I will say the Tomb Raider games. They usually have a very interesting and well animated main menu screen.

 

[sylekage]

Ocarina of Time hands down. Wonderful music, it shows a lot of the the places you see, oh so amazing.

 

[uzo]

Rome: Total War

That ominous, threatening music. The shadows of Roman infantry lining up. Javelins flying, shields being bashed, all through a thick red mist.

Just the menu was epic, AND THEN YOU STARTED THE GAME !!

 

[Eduku]

It's probably more nostalgia than anything but this

is fantastic, the first RPG I ever played.

 

[porous_shield]

I really like FTL main menu. Simple but still nice to look at and I like the music as well.

 

[Chester Rabbit]

Mass Effect - it's just such a calming title screen with that music, the blue and seeing all your friends fade into view. It always brings a smile to my face and now heh not a little teary eyed >_> when I think about the chaos that is to come the minute I click start. (God I love this series...)

Blood Dragon ? um, so yeah the music in this game is freaking awesome...

Halo 2 ? I could pretty much say almost the exact same thing about this that I did about Mass Effects.

Syphon Filter - so much green, so much going on, such awesome music.

 

[Zefyrix]

There's a lot of good menus I know but most of them have been posted like the Halo games and the Xenoblade one for example.

But one menu I will always remember is the FFX-2 menu. Well not the menu in itself, actually I can't remember how it looks. But the look isn't important here, it's the great music that plays. I really didn't like this game, but at least this awesome song came out of it!


I love that song!

 

[Jazoni89]

Spoiler

The Zone of the Enders menu, It has such a great design to it. Also the music, my god that chilling music. That's some true goosebump shit right there...


Apparently it's the game's main theme played backwards slowly.

 

[AgentLampshade]

I've played with the Snake Eater start screen for ages just slowing down the CQC moves and changing the colour of the camo. I also liked any of the God of War ones and Arkham ones. I just like seeing the character models up close.

I'll tell what types of menus I hate. Ones that cut to trailers after 10 seconds of no input, here I am chatting to someone who came in and the next thing I hear is a trailer drowning out the conversation. I just don't see why they need to advertise the game I've just bought.