a good title screen should give the player an idea of what to expect, excite prospective buyers, and generally create a splash with the player and those watching.
GOOD TITLE SCREENS:
fearful. scary. dramatic. crude in all the right places.
everything about this intro makes an impression. the music. the clip clop of the horse. even with the title logo obscuring the action, it's still obvious what's going on behind it. it creates a sense of wonder and mystery, as well as sets the player up for the exploration and adventure that's soon to come.
BAD TITLE SCREEN:
pretend that Blues Brothers 2000 was going to be put on display at a kiosk. what the heck does this even tell a potential player? that the game looks awful and takes place in nondescript locations? or rather, what would be a totally nondescript location, were it not for that ridiculous reference material in the background. who the hell would put a freeway sign like that in the middle of a park with a fountain? given, i've never been to Chicago, so perhaps this kind of thing is common and acceptable there. maybe people tend to wander into parks there and think that they've somehow accidentally ended up in Detroit or whatever. i'm guessing, however, that this is not the case.
what title/splash screens get you going, whether for all the right reasons or for all the wrong ones?
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