• Top 10 Video Game Quotes

  

  Written by Zeromage 47 Comments
  Last Updated:: November 7, 2008

  Its a well known fact that nerds love quotes, whether they’re video game quotes, movie quotes or almost anything else a nerd likes. Most people who know a nerd personally will tell you that its hard to have a conversation with him or her without hearing a quote from Star Wars or Indiana Jones at some point in the discussion. Whether the conversation is about politics, religion or even what’s for dinner tonight, you’re likely to hear “I find your lack of faith disturbing” or some other random quote from the nerd’s favorite movie. All the staff members here at Old-Wizard.com are guilty of this behavior, and are able to quote all of the original Star Wars movies, Monty Python episodes or Lord of the Rings books on command (and our wives and girlfriends will tell you that we do it all the time). With that in mind, here are our top 10 video game quotes of all time:

  10. “You spoony bard!”

  The internet is abuzz with rumors about what “spoony” might mean. The story is basically the same but with two different endings. The first is that in Japanese there exists a word so foul, so disgusting, and so terrible that it would sully the virgin ears of your average conservative young American. Therefore, the translators had to edit it out, but they not speak English no so good and botched it. The second is that they just plain botched it. The truth is most likely the later, seeing as though the original translations of Final Fantasy 2 were absolutely horrid.

  The first story however is far more interesting, so we here at OW declare it to be truth. And what we say goes. We love the fact that there exists a word that is so offensive that there is no translation for it in the English language. Think of it as the C-word on crack, and if you ever said the C-word to a girl you know what I mean. Now next time you’re in line at your local Walmart and some form of lessor human being (white trash, ghetto trash, trash trash, ….) cuts you in line, call them spoony. They won’t know what you’re talking about, but the Japanese will.

  9. “Hadouken!”

  Hadouken from Street Fighter II is the battle cry used most readily by Ryu (although Ken also has his own variation of the Hadouken ). However this scream of inner power has gone far beyond those bloody streets. Like a lot of old school gamers, I use this term almost everyday. Boss giving you crap for not having your TPS report covers? Lock eyes on him/her from across the room, hurdle cubicles and the receptionist before charging into the douche lord and surge your power and spirit into their gut, making them projectile vomit their pumpkin spiced coffee and bile all over the new guy learning how to use the copier.

  We will now go through the steps that must be taken to learn how to use your own Hadouken against the daily hoards that must be beaten back for the good of your own existence. First, donate all your clothes to Sal-Val, and while there, buy a pair of canvas pants and shirt, with a red belt. Remove sleeves of shirt, and fray. When in attire, bounce lightly back and forth on your heels and bring your fists up to your chest, much like an American boxer would. Feel the energy you have in your soul (not the burritos you ate for lunch bubbling in your small intestine), and channel it. Feel it be pulled into your lungs, into your chest, into your shoulders, down your elbows, and then coalesce in your fists. Point at target. Release energy by thrusting fists forward and yell, as loud as you can, “Hadouken”. The results will be nothing but proper, and chicks dig a battle cry.

  8. “I am Error.”

  Ruto looks like just another town in Zelda 2. There are big and small houses about with the same old magicians and healer women giving Link something that makes him feel better (Sexual innuendos abound). But there’s something peculiar about Ruto that makes it different from other towns. Inside one of the smaller houses is a man with the name of “Error”. No one knows what he’s trying to convey or if he’s just saying his name. Could Error’s parents really have named their child Error, or was Error trying to signify something totally different? Was Error trying to signify that in all video games there is at least one error and in this game we were told that by a townsman? Whatever the case, no one to this day knows what Error was really trying to convey besides an ambiguous amphiboly. The non-conspiracy theorists say it’s just a bad translation and his name should have actually been “Errol”. But C’mon, surely the translators would have known something as noticeable as naming a townsman “Error”! This has puzzled us here at Old-Wizard for sometime. Any other interpretations of this mysterious and almost Biblical phrase would be greatly appreciated by any of the readers of this article.

  7. “Zug zug”

  The cry of the common man. There is some socialist philosophy buried deep in this quote. For those who don’t know its from Warcraft and is the sound bite of the peon, the lowest rank in the all powerful Horde. These poor creatures are born into world of constant work, cutting trees, mining gold, and building houses. Mean while the horde army stands around until they are sent into battle to come back heroes. No peon will ever be a hero. At best they are sent in as a last ditch effort to save the base only to be indiscriminately slaughtered by the invading army.

  This is the perfect quote for when the Boss stops by and drops a ton of busy work on your desk. Or when you just finish cutting down a forest only to be sent to the mine to work until it collapses. Everyone who has ever had a real job knows exactly how the peon feels.

  6. “Thank you, Mario! But our Princess is in another castle!”

  Who can forget the first time they beat the first castle in Super Mario Brothers for the NES? You survived countless pits filled with molten lava, spinning fire sticks, and then ran past a fire breathing half-turtle, half-dragon, expecting to be rewarded by a smokin’ hot princess, and instead you’re greeted by a smug little midget who says “Thank you, Mario! But our Princess is in another castle!” How does this strangely dressed midget even know your name? No matter, you heed his advice and before long you’re in another castle. You run past the half-dragon half-turtle once again and on the other side of the bridge is the exact same midget! WTF? Is it a clone? Or did that same little bastard get caught again? If so how did he get here before you? Again he tells you that the princess is in another castle. Off you go. At the end of the next castle you’re again greeted by another midget. Rinse, repeat. By the seventh castle you begin to wonder if there even is a princess, or if the midgets are just stringing you along, telling you that there’s a “princess” so that you keep rescuing them. Eventually in world eight you save the princess and it all turns out to be worth it. But that phrase sticks in your head for the rest of your life. Its the gamer’s version of “go fish”.

  5. “Finish him!”

  This is one of the most ubiquitous phrases from the video game medium. Warriors are locked in combat. To the death. Blow after kick after blow are landed on the face, torso, and legs. The combatants are slowly losing energy, until one fighter can’t continue. This point is where the rubber meets the road. Where the warrior shows his best move…EVER! The loser of the match is in a daze, not knowing what is going on. Swaying back and forth with pictures of tweedy circling about their face. All of a sudden, an epic phrase is said aloud and written across the screen. “FINISH HIM!” The race is on. You only have seconds to dance your fingers across the game pad in order to unleash pure hell against your opponent. Up down, up down, left right, left. A, A, A, B, A, B, A, Start. Up, Up, Left, Right, Circle the D pad. The combinations are not endless. Finite in their numbers, these moves are meant to inflict the final blow against the loser. These moves vary depending on the player you’re using and your level of skill in being able to accomplish the finger dances needed to successfully finish your opponent. The game of course is Mortal Kombat.

  It is a rather direct, straight forward command. There is no way some one would be able to muck up the interpretation of what is being asked of the MK player. The voice from off screen is not asking you to let your opponent fall to the ground like a sack of dead babies. The voice is not asking you to help resuscitate your fellow combatant so the fight can continue. The voice is demanding that you do the worst, vilest, move that can be imagined in order to fully kill your opponent. I know death is a tough topic for some. But it is what must be done in Mortal Kombat. I mean, come on, the game is called Mortal Kombat. It might as well have “Finish Him” subtitled underneath. But we do appreciate the phrase, it has been used by people while destroying their tuna club at lunch time. Or when putting your thumb and index finger together to smoosh peoples heads from afar. “Finish Him” will not go away anytime soon. And that’s alright by us. I enjoy looking out my window and smooshing heads aaaaaaall day.

  4. “All your base are belong to us.”

  This may actually be the most famous of all video game quotes and only because the Japanese seem unwilling to hire English speakers to proof read their video game translations. Sadly like most popular things this quickly became annoying; spawning t-shirts, music videos, and graffiti. It even made its way into the cheat codes of Warcraft 3 as the instant win command. You can be sure that if own a AYBABTU t-shirt your a geek of unequivocal measure.

  The quote itself comes from the European version of some terrible game that no one here at OW has ever played. Personally I’ve never used this quote, though I did find it fun for five or ten minutes when it first came out. But like most geeks do, internet geeks took it way too far and it is no longer interesting or even funny. I call this George Lucas syndrome. Ever see a really, really, really nerdy guy with a girlfriend. He holds on to her so tight it looks like they might actually be physically attached. That’s what I feel this quote and the internet nerds at large are like.

  3. “Take it slow.”

  Starcraft is one of my all time favorite games. DM, classmates, and myself used to have epic battles during CAD class on the networked computers. On the rare occasion that I choose the Terrans I always wanted a massive amount of two things; nuclear weapons and battlecruisers. Though I always wondered why the Russians seemed to have control over the upper ranks of the Terran airforce. Maybe in the future Russia finally takes over the world and leaves us as zergling foder.

  Take it slow certainly captured the Terrans, constantly subject to zerg rushes. However, once you got a few tanks you could watch the little bastards splatter on approach. Sadly many times throughout my life I have used Starcraft quotes, “take it slow” being on the top of the list but followed closely by; “Go, Go, Go,” “Commander”, “My life for aiur,” and “Somebody call for an exterminator?”. This game has an endless list of quotable quotes we may have to do a list of top 10 Starcraft quotes, but this one is our favorite.

  2. “Its a secret to everybody.”

  Until I unwrapped that shiny gold cartridge on Christmas morning, video games had a very simple and logical premise: You were a good guy and you fought the bad guy. This cut-and-dry protagonist role helped to form the foundation of my moral grounding. In class there were friends, and there were enemies. There were groups of kids you would run to, and groups of kids who you would run from. This life was safe, it was comfortable, and it was about to be shattered. My innocence was lost, and I came of age that Christmas as I picked up my sword and made my way into the lush 8-bit wilderness of The Legend of Zelda. Things started out normally. I was a good guy. The wizard in the cave, who vanished after bestowing the sword onto me, was a good guy. The spined jerks spitting boulders at me were bad guys. The ogres chasing me from the fairy who replenished life were bad guys, or so I thought…Jump to an hour later. I had my sword, a large shield that didn’t seem to be any better than my small one, a boomerang I could not throw very far, and a blue candle that could spit fire, mysteriously, only once per screen. Then it happened, my fire ball burned a bush and a staircase appeared. Following the staircase I found my self face-to-face with an ogre. A bad guy. Surely this was my demise. Then came those words, that phrase that took away my childhood ideals of good and bad flashing across the top of the screen, “It’s a secret to everybody.” The bad guy handed me 30 rupees. Why? He was bad! Maybe sometimes bad is good? Possibly no one is always bad? I walked back into my family filled living room and scanned my families faces, were any of them possibly bad? I had left my childhood, and it was a secret to everybody.

  1. “Pick a box. Its contents will help you on your way.”

  “Pick a box. Its contents will help you on your way” may be the most hyped line in video game history. When The Wizard, with Fred Savage, came out in 1989, every video game playing kid had to see it. It was basically a 90 minute Nintendo commercial. The movie gave us two previews, the power glove, and Super Mario Bros. 3. In the movie’s finale, SMB3 was unveilled and there was one screen-shot of Mario entering a mushroom hut (where you were allowed to choose treasure chest containing a random power-up) and across the movie screen in eight glorious bits read “pick a box, it’s contents will help you on your way.”

  After seeing that quote everyone wanted to play Super Mario Brothers 3. It might have been the one time that the hype surrounding a video game was worth it. Mario 3 turned out to be one of the best video games of all time. And “Pick a box. Its contents will help you on your way” is unquestionably the most memorable line from that game.

47 Comments

1. #1 George says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 3:18 pm

   Yeah, FF2, or 4 for you translation assholes, was ridiculously dumbed down. It had most of it’s script cut, and the difficulty was really lowered, but the DS version is much closer to the original if you want to play.
2. #2 TheMountain says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 3:29 pm

   Great article. I’m going back to youtube to list to all your base are belong to us
3. #3 Solid Snake says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 3:49 pm

   How about,…

   LIQUID!!!
4. #4 Bandcoot says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 4:02 pm

   Excellent article. Humorous and good research combined.
5. #5 LinkLock says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 4:45 pm

   At first I didn’t like you guys, but each new article you guys are winning me over
6. #6 Wow says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 5:54 pm

   Another terrible list from the terrible site
7. #7 Jerry says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 5:56 pm

   Zeromage you suck, you should stop submitting your shit to N4G, save this bullshit for forums.
8. #8 Chase357 says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 6:03 pm

   When you are about to finish a female kombatabt in an MK game it actually says “Finish Her!”.

   Great list, but I can’t believe you left off any Resident Evil quotes. What about the “master of unlocking”, “itchy tasty”, or “Jill sandwhich” quotes?

   What about “Do a Barrel Roll!” from Star Fox?
9. #9 Zeromage says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 6:19 pm

   “Zeromage you suck, you should stop submitting your shit to N4G, save this bullshit for forums.”

   We actually don’t submit anything to N4G. Others do that for us.
10. #10 waxmaster says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 6:46 pm

    How about my favorite from counterstrike, “It’s gonna blow!”

    Duke Nukem has an arsenal of great quotes too, unfortunately most of them were lifted from or based on pre-existing quotes.
11. #11 LinkLock says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 6:51 pm

    Ha. Take him down Zeromage
12. #12 David Macphail says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 7:10 pm

    The best quote i can remember from a video game (Off the top of my head)?

    “I had everything under control until they blew up the boat!” – Nathan Drake – Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune.
13. #13 DwayneT says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 7:23 pm

    In an old 80’s movie called ‘Caveman’, “Zug Zug” had a different meaning…
14. #14 wow says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 10:23 pm

    no barrel roll?!?! fail again
15. #15 Weekday Warrior says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 10:59 pm

    i’m going to hadouken! jerry in his face. then maybe a tiger uppercut into his crotch region

    in what MK version do they use “her” instead of “him”? always appreciate insight into expanding my cortex of knowledge…
16. #16 James says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 11:35 pm

    Other ones:
    “Do a barrel roll!” <– agree with this one
    “It’s dangerous to go alone! Take this.”

    From some newer games:
    “So zetta slow!” / “SOHCAHTOA!” (The World Ends With You)
    “Objection!” (Phoenix Wright)
17. #17 Rocky Rock says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 1:45 am

    This list is dumb. These are some pretty known game quotes but to consider them the “Top Video Game Quotes”?? You gotta be kidding me.. This list is a joke
18. #18 Joey says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 1:46 am

    SNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKE!!!!
19. #19 ooolllollololooooooo says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 3:50 am

    Come on guys, metal gear solid is 10 years old… I know you only do REALLY old games, but metal gear is 20 year old. How the heck could you leave out………………..
    SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSNNNNNNNNNNNNNNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!
20. #20 bob says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 4:15 am

    From the NES game bad dudes. opening credits goes something like that. “the president has been captured by ninjas. are you a bad enough dude to save the president. i cried.
21. #21 rory says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 4:53 am

    with out any question ” would you kindly ” from Bioshock has got to be the best quote of all time
22. #22 Silva says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 7:06 am

    dude stop doing old games. there are new games with way better quotes.

    wolud you kindly -Bioshock

    a cornerd fox is more dangerous than a jackal.-MGS
23. #23 KWarp says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 10:09 am

    What about “Do a barrel roll!”?
24. #24 pileatedsnagret says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 12:37 pm

    you forgot the third possibility for the origin of ’spoony’: that is an actual honest-to-God English word and it’s stupid that everyone makes such a big deal out of that line.

    (hint: this is the correct answer!)
25. #25 Gunsn1per says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 1:49 pm

    Nice one. For me, it’s either CS quotes, or the other one is the “Snake!” shouting, haha…
26. #26 aidstrain says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 6:07 pm

    what about

    “howdy doody time kiddies, the bad man is here”
27. #27 sharpe 334 says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 1:12 pm

    nice list keep up the good work
28. #28 Jon The Wizard says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 4:57 pm

    “Is that like one of those 3D puzzles? ‘Cause I could never do those…”
    -Razputin, ‘Psychonuats’
29. #29 Maggie says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 1:44 am

    This is a pretty good list! I like #8, #6, #4, and #1.
    these are some of my other favorite quotes from other games:
    1.”May the stars shine down on you” -Rosalina, Super Maro Galaxy
    2.”Remember to use B to beat up the bad guys that hate you!”-Stuffwell, Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time(all bad guys hate you XD )
    3.”I’m pretty sure she’s still locked up in the caves somewheres”-Kylie, Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time (she was supposed to say “somewhere”
    4.”What’s this ‘A’ button, you say? Well I’m sure of you that we are being watched by beings from another dimension. They will know what is is.”-Bestovious, Super Paper Mario (i dont thik i typed it right. oh well.)
    5.”It’s too dangerous to go alone! Take this!” -that old dude from The Legend of Zelda
30. #30 Alexx says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 4:15 am

    How about when Slippy from Starfox goes Snaaaaaake! In the new Smash Bros for Wii? Thats hilarious.
31. #31 Edbad says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 12:39 am

    Definition of Spoony according to a Dictionary:
    adjective, Informal.
    1. foolishly or sentimentally amorous.
    2. foolish; silly.
    1805 word
32. #32 Mr. Vorhias says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 6:30 pm

    “How Appropriate. You Fight Like A Cow.”
    - The Secret of Monkey Island

    “Snake, Can You Hear Me? Snake?! SNAAAAAAAAAKE?!”
    - Metal Gear Solid (Series)

    “I Hunger.”
    - Sinistar

    “It’s MEATLOAF DAY!”
    - Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal
33. #33 Timbo says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 4:08 pm

    As a fan of melodramatic voice acting, I was hoping these would get on there:

    1. Snake? SNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKE!?!- MGS
    2. What is a man? A miserable little pile of secrets. But enough talk; HAVE AT YOU!- Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
    3. Here’s a lockpick (with emphasis on ‘pick’ not ‘lock’). I figured you, “the master of unlocking” could do something with it- Resident Evil
34. #34 Leonard says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 12:58 am

    How about:

    “BARF!” – Bad Guys from River City Ransom
35. #35 SK(*) says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 10:40 am

    Zug zug,
    truly a great quote.
36. #36 Mike says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 10:27 pm

    How about “HEY! WATCHOUT! LISTEN!” from orcarina of time?
37. #37 Party Time says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 10:41 pm

    kick punch its all in the mind…
38. #38 walmartcartpusher says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 5:17 pm

    “You spoony bard!” is a direct translation from the Japanese symbols of the word “spoony”. Spoony means “Lustful for Women”. So saying it to a women in japan would most definitely be a bad idea if you call a women spoony in Japanese.

    Lustful for women in Japanese:
    ?????????

    Spoony in Japanese:
    ?????
39. #39 Justin says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 5:44 am

    omg! i had no idea what zug zug meant till i saw this article. Zug Zug is my favorite song by The Herd!
40. #40 LeeN says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 1:23 pm

    1. Snaaaaaaake !!!!

    2. Succeding you, Father (arthas)
41. #41 gnawb says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 5:24 am

    common man whers chrono??? u forgot Janus’(magus’) best 1 , although theres alot of good 1’s in there , i love this 1 “If history is to change, let it change! If the world is to be destroyed, so be it! If my fate is to die, I must simply laugh”
    also , this is a great site zug zug,,,,awsome(y)
42. #42 Zaroff says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 4:16 am

    You do know that spoony is in the dictionary, right?
43. #43 nophilip says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 11:01 am

    Best Starcraft quote: “Nuclear Launch Detected”.
44. #44 Fedricco Rabaya says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 1:15 am

    Red Alert? I bet there are good quotes there.