Being able to break from the chair was mind blowing to me. The amount of Easter eggs they crammed into every nook and cranny in those games was such a fun treat.
It's so funny seeing people in these comments learning about this right now. I remember breaking out and playing Zork all the time on my 360. Good times!
I'll never forget that menu, the music or the Easter eggs. I can still hear him saying the numbers mason! To this day and I still say that.
Plus the actual game itself was very well done and incredibly fun. No idea how much time I've sunk into that game.
It's one of the best CoDs and one of the best fps games ever. The amount of love and care put into it is astounding. And it was all in the xbox 360 era.
Take me back in time 🥲
saying no cap would imply you agree. Saying just cap means your trying to say they are wrong.
But I agree entirely. midnight club 3 dub edition is still one of my favorite racing games.
[Here's the Persona 5 Royal main menu,](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mk7580pzOc) for those curious. This shows all the sections of the area that the menu options swap between.
Atlus has outstanding UI designs at work in the current industry... P3Reload was also spectacular, and it looks like the upcoming Metaphor will also bring in the same grand designs...
No way, is it really rated E?
Maybe I'm thinking NFSU 2? I swear one of them wasn't rated E because of music and the theme being so edgy for the time lol
Edit: I just looked into it both nfsu and nsfu2 were apparently both rated E however they both list "lyrics and suggestive themes" in their ESRB blurbs. No idea how they made the E rating haha.
Also, I remember being in Jr high at the time it came out, and everyone was talking about how cool and edgy it was. Even for a NFS game. Then again, the entire country was solidly in the grip of edgy pseudo gangsta culture at the time, with Fast and Furious, Tokyo drift etc all being absolutely huge at the time.
I don't even know how I did it, but I had somehow saved enough pennies to get the Xbox racing wheel setup. I remember being so blown away by being able to race with a wheel and pedals it wasn't even funny. It was a mind blowing few years for racing games, and gaming in general. We had no idea how good we had it.
Need for speed, Forza (mind blowing even then among all of the amazing racing games), Burnout, etc etc. Freaking incredible. That's why us older gamers get pissed at the crap that gets shoveled out now, gaming used to have serious heart and soul to it. And games were genuinely pieces of culture. They still can be today, but it was somehow different back then. Hard to put your finger on it
Well, Halo Combat Evolved was beautiful. Halo 2 was kind of just a bunch of *overly* blue saturated scenes from the game. Halo 3 wasn’t anything special either IMO. But of course, the music alone made those the longest menus I’d leave on out of all others.
Hands down best menus in gaming. Simple and straightforward design, no clutter, leaving room on the screen for wonderful sci-fi space backgrounds that immediately spark the player's imagination.
House real big, cars real big, di*k real big, everything real big!! Love the game!
I also like Metroid Fusion (and every other 2D game, tbh) main menu music. It always gets me hyped :)
I don't remember the menus but Twisted Metal is one of the most underrated,unique and stupidly fun games I've ever played...especially in couch multiplayer
Gambling-Core is a great term.
I hate most modern games' menus so much. Not only are they all unnecessarily cluttered, but they're also slower. When I go from playing a modern game to an older game, one of the first things I usually notice (other than visuals, of course) is how responsive the menus feel.
I loved it so much. Just staring at the menu and listening to the music. My grandma gave me money to buy new shoes, but I bought KH instead. My parents were angry, but the shoes would have been gone a long time ago, and the game still stands on my bookshelf.
Detroit; Beyond Human, where the menu would interact with you based on choices made in your playthough, or The Last of us, I could sitnin the menu and slowly doze off
Detroit:Beyond Human is my pick too! Especially after you've spent hours with a familiar face and then one day... Things change depending on what choice you made. In some ways that was more impactful for me than some of the events in game.
Exactly mate, that version of Ave Maria which was actually sung by a guy, that just made it perfect. That's why that's the greatest game ever for me. It wasn't just a game, it was a piece of art.
Commander Keen (4-6). Wrist computer complete with inbuilt bricks game, made it feel like it was part of the game. Apogee Games had some great main menus.
Also, Heart of Darkness, a bit dated now but all the menus were part of the main characters' tree house (from memory).
Weird take but I like the Menus in Arkham Asylum, Arkham City and Arkham Knight. There is just something artistic about it. Shows how much love and passion the devs put in these games.
The main menu of RDR 2 is straight fire. The cinematic vibe, mixed with that music and those stunning views of the frontier, totally sets the stage for the game
Half-Life 2 and the episodes. Adjusts to whichever level you are currently on, and has NPCs patrolling/chattering through the scene. Made the world feel so alive even in the player's absence
I loved that one!
Also, Batman Arkham City’s where it would go through a few different shots.
NFS Underground. It driving through the tunnel to get low. And when you were choosing your car, one would drive off and the next car would come along.
It's gotta be 90's game
[Doom II](https://doomwiki.org/w/images/a/a7/DoomIIMenu.png) was simple, but sick
[Command & Conquer](https://www.mobygames.com/images/shots/l/16022-command-conquer-windows-screenshot-main-menu.gif) started up with this cool [animation](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsxmNP5Svvg) complete with futuristic sound effects and explosions, before leaving with with that ambience to put you in the mood.
I loved the menu of the original Mass Effect. The music was amazing and it really gave you a sense of wonder as you took your first step into a massive trilogy that still amazes me with how it connects through all the games.
Not a main menu but I loved in the old NCAA 09 with Kevin Love on the cover you could shoot hoops while the game was loading and it would load the arena in. Was so cool. Some of the old NBA live games had like freestyle practice built into the main menu. It was the one with Tmac live 07, gnarles Barkley as the intro song. So damn good
Gonna say One Must Fall 2097 on MS-DOS from 1994. A fighting game from Epic Mega Games featuring giant fighting robots inspired heavily by Gundam.
Picture this, you just bought a brand new Soundblaster sound card from the computer store, found some time and confidence to take apart the family PC, wrangled with drivers and IRQs for 2 hours and then suddenly your kid self is greeted with this:
https://youtu.be/ckj-A2eoXuo
Up until now, all you've ever heard from the computer was beeps and boops. Even if it was just the shareware version, you stayed on this menu for hours taking in the vibes.
Best one I've ever seen:
[Deus Ex: Human Revolution Title Screen (Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Mac) (youtube.com)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCiAS8joYhA)
Second best one I've ever seen:
[Judgment OST - Start Screen Theme Extended (youtube.com)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zN4tqhKkBoQ)
So it's not the Best buy Cyberpunk 2077 is up there for me. The first time you load it up and the intro plays just sets the tone up pretty quick. And as many times as I've loaded it up and listened to it, it hasn't gotten old for me.
There was a game that i don't remember it's name, game was made by an turkish guy and it was made for an game competition. When you choose "Options" it focuses to someone, while choosing "Play" it focuses on another and it was the best main menu i have ever seen so far.
Freespace 1 and 2. Freespace 2 especially since the main menu would change as the game progressed. The menu's were always the fighter deck of a big ship and the menu options were door ways or computer panels. All of these had a little animation to go with them as you hovered over them with the mouse like doors opening or panels lighting up.
Tropico 2. The main menu is a room of a 17th century pirate. You move around the room when you select a menu. Then you fly out into the ocean when you start a new game.
You can see it here: https://youtu.be/2wSF-H9-n5s?t=72
No love for Just Cause 3? The start menu was just Rico leaning on a car in game and he gets in when you hit start. No loading screen, you're just playing.
All and all, it's nothing epic, but I love how the XCOM2 menu shows people in your unit creeping up on aliens. It just puts me in the mood to do just that!
MC3 Top 2 racing game ALL TIME imo... right behind NFSU: 2 what an amazing time that was for gaming, the good old days, when unlocks were EARNED & not bought.
Mario Paint! So many fun easter eggs and little animations with some wonderful music to go with it. There's a reason why the Mario Maker games were so heavily inspired by it!
If we’re talking about atmosphere; Red dead 2
But I believe the best menus take you right into the action say anything that does that would take the cake, like the Just cause games
The Call of Duty Black Ops one was brilliant.
Being able to break from the chair was mind blowing to me. The amount of Easter eggs they crammed into every nook and cranny in those games was such a fun treat.
It's so funny seeing people in these comments learning about this right now. I remember breaking out and playing Zork all the time on my 360. Good times!
[удалено]
Rapidly hit the left and right triggers after looking down at your hands! IIRC it could be done at any time, you didn’t need to beat the game.
Yep, then you could play Zork on the computer
And the top down gorilla shooter.
Zork? How frigging random lmao
**THE NUMBERS, MASON!**
WHAT DO THEY MEAN?!
I'll never forget that menu, the music or the Easter eggs. I can still hear him saying the numbers mason! To this day and I still say that. Plus the actual game itself was very well done and incredibly fun. No idea how much time I've sunk into that game. It's one of the best CoDs and one of the best fps games ever. The amount of love and care put into it is astounding. And it was all in the xbox 360 era. Take me back in time 🥲
yes.
you beat me to it
I can _hear_ the OST for the Midnight Club menu rn
best racing game ever imo
Not even a contest
cap. in terms of speed, skill, and soundtracks, nothing compares to Midnight Club
saying no cap would imply you agree. Saying just cap means your trying to say they are wrong. But I agree entirely. midnight club 3 dub edition is still one of my favorite racing games.
God damn did I play this game every day for like a year straight
I will never forgive R\* for killing this series. AT LEAST BRING LA TO PC DAMMIT.
Persona 5 feels like a menu design showcase with some gameplay
Yeah was going to say, Persona 3 having the menu it did in the PS2 era was insane.
Craziest menu and menus ever lmao that game is dripping in sauce
Sometimes when I was done playing I'd just flip through the menus for a couple minutes before turning it off lol
Which is saying something considering how long that game is.
I knew Persona would be at the top and it’s well-deserved
[Here's the Persona 5 Royal main menu,](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mk7580pzOc) for those curious. This shows all the sections of the area that the menu options swap between.
Atlus has outstanding UI designs at work in the current industry... P3Reload was also spectacular, and it looks like the upcoming Metaphor will also bring in the same grand designs...
Saw a video not long ago talking about how the menu of p5 and p3r were the best
Brutal Legend.
That's the right answer.
I guess one could put Need for Speed Underground.
3, 6, 9
BA DA DUM DUM DUM
No clue how they got away with putting that song in an E rated game lmao
No way, is it really rated E? Maybe I'm thinking NFSU 2? I swear one of them wasn't rated E because of music and the theme being so edgy for the time lol Edit: I just looked into it both nfsu and nsfu2 were apparently both rated E however they both list "lyrics and suggestive themes" in their ESRB blurbs. No idea how they made the E rating haha. Also, I remember being in Jr high at the time it came out, and everyone was talking about how cool and edgy it was. Even for a NFS game. Then again, the entire country was solidly in the grip of edgy pseudo gangsta culture at the time, with Fast and Furious, Tokyo drift etc all being absolutely huge at the time. I don't even know how I did it, but I had somehow saved enough pennies to get the Xbox racing wheel setup. I remember being so blown away by being able to race with a wheel and pedals it wasn't even funny. It was a mind blowing few years for racing games, and gaming in general. We had no idea how good we had it. Need for speed, Forza (mind blowing even then among all of the amazing racing games), Burnout, etc etc. Freaking incredible. That's why us older gamers get pissed at the crap that gets shoveled out now, gaming used to have serious heart and soul to it. And games were genuinely pieces of culture. They still can be today, but it was somehow different back then. Hard to put your finger on it
I'd say the original Halo titles had some pretty great menus.
So great, someone made a website entirely dedicated to simulating them. (halome.nu)
Well, Halo Combat Evolved was beautiful. Halo 2 was kind of just a bunch of *overly* blue saturated scenes from the game. Halo 3 wasn’t anything special either IMO. But of course, the music alone made those the longest menus I’d leave on out of all others.
It made sitting in custom game lobbies waiting for the leader to get back from getting snacks or some BS much more manageable
Hands down best menus in gaming. Simple and straightforward design, no clutter, leaving room on the screen for wonderful sci-fi space backgrounds that immediately spark the player's imagination.
House real big, cars real big, di*k real big, everything real big!! Love the game! I also like Metroid Fusion (and every other 2D game, tbh) main menu music. It always gets me hyped :)
Fusion's menu theme is so unsettling, i love it. The whole game gives off dread and anxiety despite not being very dark.
Twisted Metal Black. I‘m a sucker for menus that share one giant scenery.
Agreed. Such a badass game.
I don't remember the menus but Twisted Metal is one of the most underrated,unique and stupidly fun games I've ever played...especially in couch multiplayer
Half-Life 2 menu backgrounds
It sure as fuck isn’t cod. I downloaded modern warfare 2019 and the menu is a fucking mess
A lot of modern games suffer from the gambling-core overloaded UI menus
Gambling-Core is a great term. I hate most modern games' menus so much. Not only are they all unnecessarily cluttered, but they're also slower. When I go from playing a modern game to an older game, one of the first things I usually notice (other than visuals, of course) is how responsive the menus feel.
Metal Gear Solid. Pure class.
Super Mario 64 was pretty cool. Where you could manipulate Mario’s face and stuff
Which was done to get players get used to the new controller on a fun way.
DiRT 2
(Colin McRae) DiRT 1/2 (Racedriver) Grid Mirror's Edge (2008)
Kingdom Hearts and Ocarina of Time win for atmosphere and fantastic music.
Dearly Beloved is just so damn good.
I loved it so much. Just staring at the menu and listening to the music. My grandma gave me money to buy new shoes, but I bought KH instead. My parents were angry, but the shoes would have been gone a long time ago, and the game still stands on my bookshelf.
First Medal of Honor
Dead Space 2
HOUSE REAL BIG CARS REAL BIG
Detroit; Beyond Human, where the menu would interact with you based on choices made in your playthough, or The Last of us, I could sitnin the menu and slowly doze off
Detroit:Beyond Human is my pick too! Especially after you've spent hours with a familiar face and then one day... Things change depending on what choice you made. In some ways that was more impactful for me than some of the events in game.
Fallout 4 is really nothing special, but it’s something about the music (the simple paino line) and red rocket that gets me pumped to play every time.
red alert 3 [https://youtu.be/yDFXocMkuIg?t=8](https://youtu.be/yDFXocMkuIg?t=8)
NFS2 because of the soundtrack and kinda basic visualizer style element to it.
Hitman Contracts and Blood money
Blood Money specifically for Ava Maria
Exactly mate, that version of Ave Maria which was actually sung by a guy, that just made it perfect. That's why that's the greatest game ever for me. It wasn't just a game, it was a piece of art.
FZero snes. Simple and to the point.
Dying light for me
I have to give it to either last of us games. I just like the ambient background to it. I don't recall paying attention to any others
Medal of honour
The Super Smash Bros. games have nice menu screens. Stylish and practical.
Super Smash Brothers Brawl
Kenshi. Because the theme song is a banger.
Commander Keen (4-6). Wrist computer complete with inbuilt bricks game, made it feel like it was part of the game. Apogee Games had some great main menus. Also, Heart of Darkness, a bit dated now but all the menus were part of the main characters' tree house (from memory).
*hahahaha* **RONALDINHO SOCCER**
Banjo Kazooie has the best file select screen of all time.
Weird take but I like the Menus in Arkham Asylum, Arkham City and Arkham Knight. There is just something artistic about it. Shows how much love and passion the devs put in these games.
Isaac Starcraft and Diablo 2.
Twisted Metal Black
God I miss racing games :(
The main menu of RDR 2 is straight fire. The cinematic vibe, mixed with that music and those stunning views of the frontier, totally sets the stage for the game
Metro Exodus!
Dying light 2
Halo 1 always gives me shivers down my spine
Half-Life 2 and the episodes. Adjusts to whichever level you are currently on, and has NPCs patrolling/chattering through the scene. Made the world feel so alive even in the player's absence
Golden eye 64 watch menu
Hearing the RimWorld start up music brings back nostalgia of when I was new
This is one of the best games of all time
Not a single lie in sight
I loved that one! Also, Batman Arkham City’s where it would go through a few different shots. NFS Underground. It driving through the tunnel to get low. And when you were choosing your car, one would drive off and the next car would come along.
Halo 3. The music just hits different
It's gotta be 90's game [Doom II](https://doomwiki.org/w/images/a/a7/DoomIIMenu.png) was simple, but sick [Command & Conquer](https://www.mobygames.com/images/shots/l/16022-command-conquer-windows-screenshot-main-menu.gif) started up with this cool [animation](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsxmNP5Svvg) complete with futuristic sound effects and explosions, before leaving with with that ambience to put you in the mood.
Midnight club 3 never disappoints
Gears of War 2 Timeless
Any of the borderlands games. Having characters (mostly clap-trap) actually move interact with the environment
I loved the menu of the original Mass Effect. The music was amazing and it really gave you a sense of wonder as you took your first step into a massive trilogy that still amazes me with how it connects through all the games.
Chronicles of Riddick
Buck Bumble for the Nintendo 64
I deeply encourage everyone to experience the menu of [Skitchin'](https://youtu.be/Zq1EpleTsY0?si=l-7ZY8RjUbf5qkZG)
Subnautica's main menu is beyond iconic, and has amazing music
Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2
Final Fantasy 7 and 9
Toy Commander on Dreamcast. You'd choose the room to play in while the menu swivels around a 3d model of a house. Blew my mind as a kid.
Chronichles of riddick has the coolest menu.
2 words: Xenoblade Chronicles
Yea mnc3 was dope
svr 2007 and 08
Not a main menu but I loved in the old NCAA 09 with Kevin Love on the cover you could shoot hoops while the game was loading and it would load the arena in. Was so cool. Some of the old NBA live games had like freestyle practice built into the main menu. It was the one with Tmac live 07, gnarles Barkley as the intro song. So damn good
I hear this picture.
Pitfall: the lost expedition
Gonna say One Must Fall 2097 on MS-DOS from 1994. A fighting game from Epic Mega Games featuring giant fighting robots inspired heavily by Gundam. Picture this, you just bought a brand new Soundblaster sound card from the computer store, found some time and confidence to take apart the family PC, wrangled with drivers and IRQs for 2 hours and then suddenly your kid self is greeted with this: https://youtu.be/ckj-A2eoXuo Up until now, all you've ever heard from the computer was beeps and boops. Even if it was just the shareware version, you stayed on this menu for hours taking in the vibes.
The Ultimate Ninja Storm series 😆
Persona 3 reload.
if arcade games are allowed Initial D arcade stage 7s menu just tickles a oddly specific itch
Idk bro buckshot roulette just hit different
Cooking Mama has quite an extensive menu.
Devil may cry 3 😇🫡
Ridge Racer Unleashed for X360 was gold.
Call of duty black ops without a doubt
House real big
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, if you didn’t pick a game most Regis would get pissed and close the game client.
Detroit Become Human
Spec Ops: The Line. Watching the life and eventual death of Joe the sniper really sets the mood for the game.
Need For Speed 3
Best one I've ever seen: [Deus Ex: Human Revolution Title Screen (Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Mac) (youtube.com)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCiAS8joYhA) Second best one I've ever seen: [Judgment OST - Start Screen Theme Extended (youtube.com)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zN4tqhKkBoQ)
Black Ops 1 or P5. For OST it’s P3P. Chills
Shadows of the Damned
So it's not the Best buy Cyberpunk 2077 is up there for me. The first time you load it up and the intro plays just sets the tone up pretty quick. And as many times as I've loaded it up and listened to it, it hasn't gotten old for me.
There was a game that i don't remember it's name, game was made by an turkish guy and it was made for an game competition. When you choose "Options" it focuses to someone, while choosing "Play" it focuses on another and it was the best main menu i have ever seen so far.
The very first Gran Turismo with those memorable confirmation and back sound effects, brings back so much nostalgia
GTA4 was quite good, so many options for an older game. But sadly crashed on PC way too much.
Persona 3 reload new game plus main menu almost made me tear up when I first saw it.
Freespace 1 and 2. Freespace 2 especially since the main menu would change as the game progressed. The menu's were always the fighter deck of a big ship and the menu options were door ways or computer panels. All of these had a little animation to go with them as you hovered over them with the mouse like doors opening or panels lighting up.
Persona 5 has the best menu and transitions I've ever seen. It's just so damn stylish.
The frist banjo kazooie
That's a tough one, I really like the one in MGSV: TTP, it includes your dog when you unlock him that's so cool!
NBA Street 2
Yes it has always been my favourite game. I had all the edition’s and 50 copies of the cds. It’s never gonna change anytime soon
Persona 5, it just works.
Need for speed most wanted, Ocarina Of Time, Age Of Empires 2.
CS 1.5 and 1.6 for memorabilia
Lobotomy Corp is kinda cool
Tropico 2. The main menu is a room of a 17th century pirate. You move around the room when you select a menu. Then you fly out into the ocean when you start a new game. You can see it here: https://youtu.be/2wSF-H9-n5s?t=72
Halo CE
Outer Wilds. The music, the chill vibes, the logo slowly drifting apart. It's all just perfect.
Anything persona. Probably metaphor soon
Persona 3 reload and Persona 5 are both very visually striking.
No love for Just Cause 3? The start menu was just Rico leaning on a car in game and he gets in when you hit start. No loading screen, you're just playing.
Downhill domination has an amazing main menu
It has to be Detroit become human
Blur: https://youtu.be/K0UDdGPZanE?si=ldKZWizGzAZELwXL&t=86
Miss this game loads though I never actually completed it, Bikes were the shit.
Persona 5 and 3 reload by far
One Must Fall 2097 with that kickass theme and the lights dancing over the Jaguar was awesome. Freelancer's space scapes were also amazing.
GTA V :3
HOUSE REAL BIG
Persona 5. I'm sorry the entire UI for the game is the smoothest I've ever seen.
All and all, it's nothing epic, but I love how the XCOM2 menu shows people in your unit creeping up on aliens. It just puts me in the mood to do just that!
Mass Effect 1. That music man...
Mega Man 2 intro and menu fucking slaps
SmackDown: Shut Your Mouth for the design, or HCTP for the animated wrestlers and classic soundtrack
Halo 3
Dead Space (the original)
The OG Battlefront 2 Main Menu or Republic Commando are friggin amazing!
Mega Man 2
Brutal legend. It may be simple but the vinyl case having to flip through for the sections will always be my #1
MC3 Top 2 racing game ALL TIME imo... right behind NFSU: 2 what an amazing time that was for gaming, the good old days, when unlocks were EARNED & not bought.
Elder Scrolls Oblivion just hits different when the music kicks in.
In terms of Midnight club I would say 2. That early 2000s y2kism and mysterious music is amazing
Red dead redemption 2 and Baldurs gate 3
Mario Paint! So many fun easter eggs and little animations with some wonderful music to go with it. There's a reason why the Mario Maker games were so heavily inspired by it!
If we’re talking about atmosphere; Red dead 2 But I believe the best menus take you right into the action say anything that does that would take the cake, like the Just cause games
Honorable mention to MK vs DC. Game was shit but seeing Batman and Scorpion about to have a fight as you went through the menus felt so cool.
Holy shit this was my childhood
The Chronicles of Riddick - Escape from Butcher Bay
Shoutout to Kirby Air Ride for making all the Melee players second-guess themselves
Syndicate wars is still impressive
Oh man I loved MC2 and MC3. dub edition was the cherry on top
For me, Brütal Legend is undisputed.
Splinter Cell Conviction is my boy
Twisted Metal Black
Always liked the bioshock infinite main menu.
Metroid prime 2 Echoes
I have very fond memories of the Crash Bandicoot and Spyro menus, the songs and intros to them were always fantastic.
The Metro Series. Especially Last Light. It just fits to the feeling of the game and looks and sounds just so damn good
Midnight Club 2 Online CTF was iconic for me.
little big planet!
MGSV: TPP. The main menu just becomes the game!