The slow buildup and somber tone of Hitman III menu music „Death Awaits“ lives rent free in my head for a while now. Choir and strings in the end 👩🍳👌
All the Zeldas and Marios. Just give me all those.
Divinity: Original Sin main menu.
Fallout 4. Its not the radio stuff we all love... its the almost erie pause screen music that comes on after a while.
Not sure if they are my favorite but these are the 3 first that came into my mind, in this order:
I am pretty sure there are another good ones out there that I can't remember right now (like Time Hollow).
Here's an old favorite of mine. Very chill and the menu will play it all day long if you like...This tune is from one of the sub-menus from the original Katamari Damacy. I think it was the menu where you can explore the various items you've collected. It's called "Katamari☆Stars"
Here's a link to it in the middle of the entire soundtrack on YouTube (an amazing collection of songs in it's own right ♥️) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAA6hq9RL-4&t=3515s
Gran Turismo 2. The different areas of the menu have different music and they're all great.
Dark Souls 1 Character creation music
While the Windows-era Touhou mainline games have their own share of calm and energetic menu themes, the one that sticks out the most for me goes to Imperishable Night. It's iconic for a good reason.
I always liked one of the menu themes in Sonic Advance, which was basically just a slightly different version of Star Light Zone from Sonic 1 lol
I don't think I'd actually say it's my favourite, but the opening cinematic/menu song for Dragon's Dogma is pretty nostalgic for me. And kinda became a meme in the games hardcore community fanbase.
🎶 The wind is pushing meeee 🎶
Flow from Overwatch 2
Demon's Souls character creation theme
i know dark souls has always been more popular but there's something very special about the atmosphere in DeS. This track set the tone extremely well
I really like Wizardry 8 main menu theme and also Gothic 1 and plenty others too.
EDIT: How could I forget Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines?
Two menu songs are tied first place for me.
First is the one that plays on the main menu of Final Fantasy 15. Especially when it plays as the main background theme during the end of the game.
The other one is Nier Automata. Deff a whole mood.
Fallout new vegas
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOUUS6JIRQ0
Have a very nostalgic theme for a very specific group of people. :P
I think A Hat in Time deserves a mention!
Smash Bros Wii U
Metal Gear Solid 2 menu theme. The digital sound fits with the main menu motif like a glove, and evokes a sense of mystery and foreboding of what is to come. And boy, you are in for a surprise!
Star Wars: Republic Commando
Ever since the first time I loaded it up on Genesis, the Streets of Rage 2 menu theme has been an all timer for me. It’s the perfect encapsulation of 90’s techno and sets the mood for one of the greatest beat ‘em ups of all time.
Oh man definitely Cyberpunk 2077 start screen. Gets you right into the mood for tech'ing up and causing some anarchy.
It starts quiet too. But if I'm not past that screen by the time the beat hits, I'm in that menu until the song ends :D
Crusader Kings II
Hard to pick a favourite but: The Legend of Dragoon Goldeneye FFX Halo 2
I think favourite combat music could be a good topic too!
Edit again because I missed what probably actually is my favourite. Baldur’s Gate 2.
That’ll be the next one!
Final fantasy 15, crystalline chill. Can just leave that on repeat. Didn't even like ff15
FF XV is a broken and flawed game at best, and realistically probably closer to objectively bad. But the soundtrack is an absolute banger with some stellar leitmotif work. Dewdrops At Dawn at the very end picking up the line from Sunset Walz/Valse Di Fantastica is probably my favorite.
Some of my favs were already listed, I’d add Cyberpunk 2077, Max Payne 2, and Dark Souls 2 (that portamento).
ARD1FT menu music got me a bit into classical music
Sierra's "Red Baron II" (1998) might not be my favorite but it had some of the most memorable music for me. Repetitive military marches with the main theme being rather jaunty. It didn't hurt that it was my first flight sim and the first PC game I'd ever played online. I was around twelve at the time so it's hard not to remember how cool it all was to me.
Final Fantasy II for SNES (Main title/menu)
Xenoblade Chronicles X character creation music.
A gaming community free from the hype and oversaturation of current releases, catering to gamers who wait at least 12 months after release to play a game. Whether it's price, waiting for bugs/issues to be patched, DLC to be released, don't meet the system requirements, or just haven't had the time to keep up with the latest releases.