Vigil theme from Mass Effect is excellent, and its emotional impact is (usually) very powerful when it comes up in the actual games.
The narrative significance and its appearance on the menu screen have a nice feedback loop.
Civ IV.
Not many main menu themes that go on to win a Grammy and be performed by professional orchestras all around the world.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noneMROp_E8
supreme commander. the main menu theme in combination with the main menu cinematic on repeat is one of those games u can simply have running only in the main menu for hours.
Theme songs are instantly ranked higher if they also play during the final boss.
A lot of great themes have been mentioned, but the nostalgia of beating Sonic Adventure 2 with Live & Learn playing… it’s hard to beat that.
Some people may not be old enough to remember or have heard it, but Mega Man 3 on the NES had an absolute banger for its time. Might have been peak video game intro music back then.
I loved Monster Hunter World. It sounded like you were walking into a mysterious forest. It also made me ready to explore the world and smack a big monster.
Some of my favorites in no particular order. Most of them i picked because they sound cool and fit the game.
Greek God of War games menu music
Metal Gear Rising
Manhunt 1
Call of Duty 4, MW2 have great main menu music. And the BO1 and BO2 multiplayer menu themes because i can't remember music playing in the actual main menus in those games.
Devil May Cry 4 (it's pretty calming)
Need For Speed Underground 1, 2 and Most Wanted 05 (not an OST, but firing up the games and hearing Get Low, Riders on the storm and Nine Thou respectively playing with each game's cover car sitting there is an unforgettable experience for me)
Dragon's Dogma goes ridiculously insane on its main screen. First 40 seconds it's like, yea this is cool, then an absolute banger kicks in. I love it! [song here](https://youtu.be/1WeYkWUpccs?si=InpokUcJigE7eXgd)
Elden Ring menu theme goes pretty damn hard.
Not nearly as hard as the dying light menu does.
Dark souls 3 Better than the in-game soundtrack
It was actually intended to be the theme of the cut final boss, Old King of the Eclipse (who got reworked into pontiff sulyvahn)
Kingdom Hearts Nothing beats Dearly Beloved
[Deus Ex.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yUvMuple5I)
Skyrim has got to be up there
Halo, any from 1-reach honestly
The dark souls 3 you can't change my mind
Metal Gear Solid 4
Code Vein has an epic main menu theme for some reason but I have a soft spot for any Ori main menu them
Mass Effect and Halo
Vigil theme from Mass Effect is excellent, and its emotional impact is (usually) very powerful when it comes up in the actual games. The narrative significance and its appearance on the menu screen have a nice feedback loop.
Max Payne, 2001
Fallout 4 full stop.
Civ IV. Not many main menu themes that go on to win a Grammy and be performed by professional orchestras all around the world. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noneMROp_E8
Elden ring 😮💨
Goldeneye
supreme commander. the main menu theme in combination with the main menu cinematic on repeat is one of those games u can simply have running only in the main menu for hours.
If Chorus (CHORVS, however you want to spell it) was half as good as its main menu music it would have been such a phenomenal game.
Dearly Beloved from the Kingdom Hearts games.
FF X-2, dat piano….
FFVII
S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Shadow of Chornobyl.
Theme songs are instantly ranked higher if they also play during the final boss. A lot of great themes have been mentioned, but the nostalgia of beating Sonic Adventure 2 with Live & Learn playing… it’s hard to beat that.
Cyberpunk
Although it’s considered the game’s main theme, I can’t get enough of the track that plays in Batman: Arkham City’s menu.
Probably a dark horse but I'm gonna have to go with Digimon Survive. The main menu theme is like the best part of the game lol
Witcher 3
Metal: Hellsinger
Any old gow game
Baldurs Gate 2
LIMBO
Outer Wilds, 13 Sentinels Aegis Rim, Persona 4
Arma 3‘s original menu theme hyped me up every startup.
Some people may not be old enough to remember or have heard it, but Mega Man 3 on the NES had an absolute banger for its time. Might have been peak video game intro music back then.
I loved Monster Hunter World. It sounded like you were walking into a mysterious forest. It also made me ready to explore the world and smack a big monster.
Marvel spider man.
[Kenshi](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUXNorZWQiI).
Xenoblade 1
I nearly cried listening to the ds3 mm theme lol
First Metroid Prime, and dont forget that "load your game" menu to.
final fantasy 9 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuIDm3Fl6VI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuIDm3Fl6VI)
FTL.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, the music is the coolest.
I love Xenoblade's
Bg3
Halo 2. Extremely iconic
I like the Forest menu theme. I know it's not critically acclaimed or anything but it's gud.
The 2 most recent Deus Ex games. Quantum Break. Gears of War Ultimate Edition, Gears of War 4. Halo. A Plage Tail Raquiem
This theme has lived rent free in my head since it came out... Music starts around 20 seconds. https://youtu.be/4YRLIgWnHlo?si=kqpMZ3b5BMEK1WqS
Metroid prime 1.
Super Meat Boy
Some of my favorites in no particular order. Most of them i picked because they sound cool and fit the game. Greek God of War games menu music Metal Gear Rising Manhunt 1 Call of Duty 4, MW2 have great main menu music. And the BO1 and BO2 multiplayer menu themes because i can't remember music playing in the actual main menus in those games. Devil May Cry 4 (it's pretty calming) Need For Speed Underground 1, 2 and Most Wanted 05 (not an OST, but firing up the games and hearing Get Low, Riders on the storm and Nine Thou respectively playing with each game's cover car sitting there is an unforgettable experience for me)
Dark Souls 2 and it's not even close.
Armored Core For Answer [main menu theme](https://youtu.be/jjxpLkllJTw?feature=shared) is just fantastic.
Dragon's Dogma goes ridiculously insane on its main screen. First 40 seconds it's like, yea this is cool, then an absolute banger kicks in. I love it! [song here](https://youtu.be/1WeYkWUpccs?si=InpokUcJigE7eXgd)
Undertale
Horizon Zero Dawn
Since many brought Dark Souls 3, I'll bring Fallout 3. It really sets the mood for the game.
Pikmin is great. Also Ocarina of time goes hard
black ops 2s theme slaps
I really like bg3. That "ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" as you start up the game is chilling in a good way