PixlBit

It's hard to choose what to do when that music is sooooo good!

Today we're listening to some of gaming's best menu themes. You pop in the game, turn on the system, the title screen is shown, you press start, and then that menu theme starts. You can't get enough of it, it's so good. These menu themes include typical menus, game maps, or even stage select. I've selected seven of my favorite for you to enjoy. This one was a little harder for me, and I'm sure there's a ton of great menu themes that I overlooked or have never heard, so as always, feel free to share your own in the comments below.

Simian Segue from Donkey Kong Country/Composed by Dave Wise

This is a classic one right here. The map theme for DKC is simple, yet very awesome. It has a calm beat, a piano, and an oboe. That's it. Dave Wise takes these instruments and makes a ditty out of them that is just fun to listen to. This song never becomes annoying; instead it gets stuck in your head! I would say it's one of the best menu themes in gaming.

Menu from Mario Power Tennis/Composed by Motoi Sakuraba

This is the high octane, upbeat, catchy, and simply awesome menu theme that I love! MPT is my favorite Mario Tennis game, and this music seriously helps the game to be at the top in my opinion. It's so vibrant and fun! Sakuraba knows how to make music groove, if you know what I mean. This has to be one of the most upbeat and intense menu themes in gaming.

Menu Select from Metroid Prime/Composed by Kenji Yamamoto

The music for Metroid Prime is fantastic; the reason why is because Retro got the composer of Super Metroid to return to do the music. The menu theme is the main theme for the game. It sounds very alien and mysterious, and awesome too! The main instrument is some kind of weird spacey sound, voices are chanting in the background, and strange alien noises are heard throughout the song. More than anything, this theme sounds like Metroid.

Stage Select from Mega Man 2/Composed by Takashi Tateishi

This has to be the shortest stage select theme ever, but it's awesome! I've always thought it was the coolest of the 8-bit Mega Man stage select themes. It has a sinister bent to it, giving you the impression that Wily is behind it all. Listen to it long enough, and you may start to get a little Wily yourself!

Menu 1 from Super Smash Bros. Melee/Composed by Hirokazu Ando, Tadashi Ikegami, Shogo Sakai, and Takuto Kitsuta

This theme has always stood out to me; perhaps it was because me and my brothers played SSBM so much that this menu theme became embedded in my mind. Nonetheless I think it's the best menu theme in the SSB series. It's adventurous, grand, and has a cinematic sound to it thanks to the fantastic instrumentation (which is synthesized, I'm pretty sure). It's a perfect fit for a cast of all-star Nintendo characters.

World 1 and 2 Map from Super Mario Galaxy 2/Composed by Koji Kondo and Mahito Yakota

All of the world map themes from SMG2 are awesome, but my favorite has to be the world map 1 and 2 theme. The theme is sooooo soothing and beautiful. It has a spacey feel to it thanks to the different sounds used; even the strings sound like "astro strings," if those exist. More than anything, the music in both Galaxy games really set the mood for the game, and that mood was one of beautiful reflection and adventure.

Prelude from Final Fantasy VI/Composed by Nobuo Uematsu

I've saved the best for last. The Preldue is the menu theme for all the FF games, and it is simply gorgeous! FF6 expanded on this great theme by adding a second part to it, which is why it's my favorite version of the theme. A flute comes in with a melody and strings accompany it while the simple arpeggio comtinues to play. Wow! This is it right here: the greatest menu theme in video game histroy!