Who Says Main Menu Music Can’t Be Awesome?

Paul Younger

Published: Jun 28, 2012 07:51 am

This article is over 12 years old and may contain outdated information

Who Says Main Menu Music Can’t Be Awesome?

by Menashe (with suggestions from the staff)

Have you ever turned on a game and instead of pushing the start button, you just sat and listened to the Title Screen music for a while?

One of the coolest thing about video games is that there is a separate music track for every single part of the game. And that includes the Title Screen/Main Menu. In a way, video game music is similar to movie scores in that they must use music that fits the scene. But, a Title Screen or Main Menu isn’t actually a scenario in the game itself, it’s more of an appetizer of what’s to come. It sets the tone and whets your appetite, getting you into the mood as you are about to embark on a new adventure. Sometimes the pre-game menu has you creating or customizing a new character, shaping what your avatar will look like over the next 30 hours or so. Other times, the menu tries to push you into the game as quickly as possible.

Whatever the nature of the main menu, we often forget about its place in the game because it is such a transient place to be. But that doesn’t mean the Title Screen of Main Menu music isn’t awesome. So often, we are treated to epic soundtracks that are really inviting, catchy, or stirring, depending on the nature of the game. In this article we will look back over some really great Main Menu music. I think you’ll agree with me that many of them stir up some nostalgia as you recognize them and bring back many pleasant memories.

Since the Enthusiast sites are split up into two, Gaming Enthusiast and Nintendo Enthusiast, we have a Nintendo-specific version of this article on our other site. Click here to read (and listen) to that article when you’re done.

Enjoy! (And feel free to add your own favorites in the comments below.)