Besides having awesome gameplay that is an excellent way to pass the time, video games are also compelling narratives with strong stories and interesting characters. Like with all storytelling meetings, the way a lot of these stories and characters Express themselves is through dialogue.
It's also not uncommon for a lot of these lines of dialogue to stand out as both iconic and catchy. Some of these quotes are profound moments of Storytelling that reveal character depth and themes. Others are just sound bites that become iconic as the characters themselves. Here's a list of some of the best quotes in gaming.
10 Solid Snake
"It's easy to forget what a sin is in the middle of a battlefield."
Metal Gear Solid storytelling is some of the most profound in all of gaming. It's about soldiers being used as tools on the battlefield while also trying to carve a path for themselves in a tense geopolitical world. Solid Snake's journey through this world is a complicated one.
He began it as a soldier himself working under a mentor that eventually turned on him. Then he began to become a mentor himself both to Meryl and Raiden. This line is emblematic of the lessons he's learned along the way.
9 Andrew Ryan
"No gods or kings. Only man."
Amidst the gigantic scuba suits, creepy little girls, and strange supernatural powers, BioShock actually has a very compelling story with a strong moral narrative. Andrew Ryan lies at the center of the story. He's kind of an aloof character that hangs over the story but isn't directly connected to it.
As the founder of Rapture, he wanted to create a world where anybody could pursue any sort of experiment they wanted, moral restraints be damned. This quote sums up his philosophy fairly well.
8 Duke Nukem
"It's time to kick ass and chew bubblegum... and I'm all outta gum."
There was an explosion of first-person shooters in the early days of PC gaming. Titles like Wolfenstein and Doom come to mind. But none were quite like Duke Nukem. Rather than focus on a compelling story or a horrific atmosphere, Duke tried to create the male caricature of an action hero.
Nothing exemplified this more than Duke ripping off an alien's head and doing his business in it. But this line, quoted from They Live, has become pretty much synonymous with the character and his light philosophy.
7 Peppy Hare
"Do a barrel roll!"
A lot of times quotes can take on a life of their own. People who have no idea where it came from or why it exists will often say it simply because it's become a part of the cultural consciousness. This is one of those lines. It's spoken by Peppy Hare in StarFox.
It's used as a line of advice for Star Fox to avoid incoming missiles. It's actually an invaluable tactic as it's a great way to evade not just enemy fire but also fast-coming obstacles.
6 Assassin's Creed
"Nothing is true. Everything is permitted."
The first Assassin's Creed is actually inspired from a novel titled Alamut. A lot of the elements from the book remain in the game, most notably its setting and the lifestyle of the assassins. This quote also came from the novel, but rather than it being the philosophy of a single character, the game used it as the motto of the entire Creed.
The franchise has moved very far away from the original novel it came from. But the quote remains an essential part of the franchise.
5 Pokemon
"It's super effective!"
This was a quote that didn't immediately pop out as anything special when the first Pokemon game was released. But in a game that was all about strategy, seeing this quote pop up meant good things for the player's battle. It has since been used time and time again to refer to an extra strong attack in the franchise.
But it's grown in popularity among the Pokemon fan base to refer to anything that's super effective. Not everybody can recognize it, though, so it's a little bit of a wink fans can give each other.
4 Mario
"It's-a-me. Mario!"
For a character that barely speaks, it's surprising how many catchphrases Mario has, yet none are probably more recognizable or iconic than this. It's really just him saying his name. But Mario's voice actor, Charles Martinet, has done such a great job bringing the character to life with so few words that even non-gamers can recognize what it's from.
The way the line is delivered gives such feelings of jovial youthfulness that it's hard not to get excited by this jumping plumber whenever he shows up.
3 Legend Of Zelda
"It’s dangerous to go alone, take this!"
This is a line forever cemented in gaming culture that may slide under the radar of the mainstream. Almost any gamer will recognize it as the iconic line that kicked off not just the first Legend Of Zelda game but the entire franchise.
However, it's almost ironic that such an iconic and popular line is unknown to so many outside of the gaming community. What makes the line so special is that it's a precursor to a journey, and it can be applicable in so many real life instances.
2 Scorpion
"Get over here!"
It's kind of strange to think that Mortal Kombat, a game without any real dialogue, has created one of the most memorable catchphrases in all of gaming. It's so simple and yet delivered with such force that it's perfect for a fighting series drenched in violence.
It also has some mainstream appeal as non-gamers can recognize it, too. This line, delivered by Scorpion as he uses his rope attack, is arguably even more iconic than Mortal Kombat's infamous fatality preamble of "finish him!"
1 Toad
"But our Princess is in another castle!"
When it comes to the rise of console gaming, it's hard not to place the original Super Mario Bros at the top of the conversation. The game's simplistic plot involved Mario traveling from land to land in search of a kidnapped princess.
When he reached the castle at the end of the level, the princess was somewhere else, and this line was delivered. It stood at the forefront of the console revolution and kick-started not just Mario's success, or Nintendo's success, but also the success of the entire industry.