When I start a single-player game, almost all of the time all I want to do is get to the point where I can start a new game or where I can continue my previously staved game. Why do most games put so many obstacles in the way of doing that?
First you’ve got a bunch of splash screens — the publisher, the licensor, the developer, the engine developer, the legalese, the sound technology and what have you — then you’re faced with the utterly pointless “Press Start” screen, then the main menu where you choose “Load”, then the menu to select where you want to load (in the case of the Xbox 360) and then the menu to select the save game you want to load (even if there’s a single one). After a minute or two of this pointlessness, you can finally play.
Is all of this really needed? Can’t a single initial splash screen show all the appropriate logos while the game is loading, only to jump directly into the game afterward? Maybe the “Press Start” screen would actually be useful if the action started immediately after pressing start. It’s a small thing, but it would put fewer obstacles between the player and his entertainment.