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Games that Sell Themselves on Menu/UI/UX Alone

osnameless

osnameless

Member
Jan 13, 2018
1,928
So, I am talking about menus, menu soundtrack, font choice, menu interactivity, navigation convenience, etc, etc

Doesn't matter if the game is hot garbage or not. It just basically has nice menus.

I will ashamedly admit that this aspect attracts me more than it should.

An example that comes to mind is Hollow Knight.

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Out of the many, many excellent aspects in Hollow Knight, this particular menu surely stands out. The rising background with the beautifully composed themes will always make me happy.

What's yours? and please provide pictures.
 
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DominicanGlory

DominicanGlory

Member
Jul 26, 2018
4,883
Your thread title and content are not the same. Presentation = Graphics/Sound. I'd say your speaking of menus and maybe ui. Anyways on topic, Persona 5
 
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osnameless

osnameless

Member
Jan 13, 2018
1,928
DominicanGlory said:
Your thread title and content are not the same. Presentation = Graphics/Sound. I'd say your speaking of menus and maybe ui. Anyways on topic, Persona 5
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I honestly had that possibility in mind that I got them wrong. 😅

To me, though, presentation has always been tied with those elements.

Anyway, if I got it wrong, could a mod please change it to "Games that Sell Themselves on Menus Alone".
 
MadMod

MadMod

Member
Dec 4, 2017
3,536
The whole reason Cuphead got it's traction. Literally grab a screenshot from any part of the game.

Edit: after reading OPs reply further down, confusing title.

I love menu's that are inside the game. Aka Dead Space. Nothing immerses me more.

Also Fallout 3's pipboy too, which I found clever.

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MayorSquirtle

MayorSquirtle

Member
May 17, 2018
9,395
Equating presentation to just UI elements is pretty strange, but regardless my first thought on reading the title was Hollow Knight based on its artstyle and music.
 
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osnameless

osnameless

Member
Jan 13, 2018
1,928
MadMod said:
The whole reason Cuphead got it's traction. Literally grab a screenshot from any part of the game.

Edit: after reading OPs reply further down, confusing title.

I love menu's that are inside the game. Aka Dead Space. Nothing immerses me more.

Also Fallout 3's pipboy too, which I found clever.

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Tuorom said:
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Like Dead Space?
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Yessss.

I always appreciate when the game somehow incorporates its UI with video game, instead of opting for a "pause".
 
Strings

Strings

Member
Oct 27, 2017
32,699
I wonder how many copies the Persona 5 menus sold. It is not a small number.

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It even spawned memes of people putting it over everything because it made it all seem cool:

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knowyourmeme.com

Persona 5 Battle Menu Parodies

Persona 5 Battle Menu Parodies refers to an exploitable photoshop meme featuring the in-game battle menu from the role-playing video game Persona 5 superim
knowyourmeme.com knowyourmeme.com
 
Spring-Loaded

Spring-Loaded

Member
Oct 27, 2017
19,904
Pretty much every Halo title/start screen.

halome.nu

Halo 1 Main Menu

Have you ever left a Halo title running on your TV, just to listen to and watch the main menu? Now you can relive your favourite Halo title menu in your browser.
halome.nu halome.nu
 
KORNdog

KORNdog

Banned
Oct 30, 2017
8,001
Literally bought persona 5 because it looked so stylish...then hated the pacing and gameplay. So definitely that one for me
 
ciddative

ciddative

Member
Apr 5, 2018
4,640
I really like the GAMECUBE Metroid Prime interface, clean, immersive and intuitive (the Wii releases were not so good)

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On the other hand, the menus and UI in Metroid: Dread were awful, a real eyesore
 
get2sammyb

get2sammyb

Editor at Push Square
Verified
Oct 27, 2017
3,182
UK
I feel like Heavy Rain's floating dialogue decisions and control prompts were pretty iconic and seemed to end up in lots of other movies and games.
 

bes.gen

Member
Nov 24, 2017
3,831
persona the thread, i always fall for the slick style.
and can barely see end of neverending tutorial parts
 
Micro

Micro

Member
Oct 28, 2017
805
I remember watching Persona 5 trailers and everyone freaking out about the menus looking cool. I can't recall that kind of hype for menus anywhere else. And yeah, the menus turned out to be sweet lol

Shout out to the original Halo trilogy and Marvel vs. Capcom 2. Not because of the visual design, but because of the music. I can hear the menus. They're just imprinted for life now. I just think of Halo, and the music plays in my head. I think of MvC2 and "I'M GONNA TAKE YOU FOR A RIDE" starts looping over and over. It's that strong nostalgia that sold me on these games when they were re-released.

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latest
 
Rolento

Rolento

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,679
I still feel like the modern Persona that we know nowadays ripped off an old arcade game called Too Spicy from SEGA... it's not as clean and more of I time capsule of the era, but just my thoughts:

 
J_ToSaveTheDay

J_ToSaveTheDay

"This guy are sick" and Corrupted by Vengeance
Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
19,916
USA
Kain said:
Oh a Persona 5 thread
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First thought here, too.

I went into Persona 5 with more hype than I've held for any other game. A big drive was how stylish AND functional the UI was. It's a super snappy way to handle a JRPG menu system, and it looks great while doing it -- it kinda frustrates me that Yakuza: Like a Dragon is the only high profile example that I can think of that lifted it. Not even Atlus' own SMTV borrows it (though I know that's an entirely separate team of devs).

Persona 5 has a lot of strong criticism held against it that I personally am aligned with after finishing the game in 2017 (and for the record, I bought Royal but still haven't played it lol -- mostly because of the criticism that I developed since my initial playthrough kinda washed a lot of the appeal away)... but UI is definitely is the standing strong point of that game for me.
 
Rolento

Rolento

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,679
One UI that I don't think gets talked about but deserves more love is Hotline Miami

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It's crude and simple(ish) but sets the tone and feel so well.
 
DiipuSurotu

DiipuSurotu

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
53,148
Jurassic Park: Trespasser
en.wikipedia.org

Trespasser (video game) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org

The game has no HUD, no health bar or anything. You have to rely on contextual cues and hand gestures from your first-person character only. Right down to counting down how much ammunition you have left on each of your weapons.
 
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osnameless

osnameless

Member
Jan 13, 2018
1,928
DiipuSurotu said:
Jurassic Park: Trespasser
en.wikipedia.org

Trespasser (video game) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org

The game has no HUD, no health bar or anything. You have to rely on contextual cues and hand gestures from your first-person character only. Right down to counting down how much ammunition you have left on each of your weapons.
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This is off-topic, but I really, really wish this kind of design convention is more mainstream.

the one that relies on your reading of the world, rather than on gamey huds, and values, and data.

Of course it's hard to expect it to catch on, but I just wish more games are comfortable with it.
 
Issen

Issen

Member
Nov 12, 2017
7,043
Gran Turismo menus are dogshit to actually use, but they look, sound and feel so damn nice.
Image3.jpg
 
trashbandit

trashbandit

Member
Dec 19, 2019
3,917
Japanese developers are undefeated in this respect. Maybe not in terms of usability/clarity, but the style, sound and feedback of menus from games out of Japan have never been beat for me. FFXIV in particular, I love the click-y audiovisual design of its UI.

You don't see it much anymore, but fully/mostly diagetic UI's are fantastic too. As terrible as Alone in the Dark was, opening up your coat to reveal your inventory was a fantastic idea and I hope someone else steals it.
 
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