“What is better — to be born good, or to overcome your evil nature through great effort?”
-Paarthurnax, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
“It’s time to kick ass and chew bubble gum… and I’m all out of gum.”
-Duke Nukem, Duke Nukem Series
“Would you kindly?”
-Atlas, BioShock
“Stand in the ashes of a trillion dead souls and ask the ghosts if honor matters. Their silence is your answer.”
-Javik, Mass Effect 3
“The right man in the wrong place can make all the difference in the world.”
-G-Man, Half-Life Series
“Kept you waiting, huh?”
-Solid Snake, Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes
“War. War never changes.”
-Various, Fallout Series
“Wake me when you need me.”
-Master Chief, Halo 3
“There’s two ways of arguing with a woman, and neither of them work.”
-John Marston, Red Dead Redemption
“Wanting something does not give you the right to have it.”
-Ezio Auditore da Firenze, Assassin’s Creed II
“There’s always a lighthouse. There’s always a man. There’s always a city.”
-Elizabeth Comstock, BioShock Infinite
“That was too close. You were almost a Jill sandwich!”
-Barry Burton, Resident Evil
“Finish him!”
-Announcer, Mortal Kombat
“Cake and grief counseling will be available at the conclusion of the test.”
-GLaDOS, Portal Series
“It’s-a-me, Mario!”
-Mario, Super Mario Franchise
“I wouldn’t know right from wrong if one of them was helping the poor and the other was banging my sister.”
-Max Payne, Max Payne 3
“Do a barrel roll!”
-Peppy Hare, Star Fox 64
“You’ve met with a terrible fate, haven’t you?”
-Mask Salesman, The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask
"Kept you waiting, huh?"
- Solid Snake
Street Fighter Series
"Hadouken!"
- Ryu
Pokémon
"Now is not the time to use that!"
- Professor Oak
"What is better: to be born good, or to overcome your evil nature through great effort?"
- Paarthurnax
Mass Effect 2
"I'm commander Shepard, and this is my favorite store on the Citadel."
- Commander Shepard
The Legend of Zelda
"It's dangerous to go alone! Take this."
- Old Man
BioShock
"Would you kindly?"
- Atlas
Dead Rising
"I've covered wars, you know."
- Frank West
Overwatch
"It's high noon..."
- McCree
Pac-Man Series
"Wakka wakka wakka wakka..."
- Pac-Man
Team Fortress 2
"Spy's sappin' my sentry!"
- Engineer
Far Cry 3
"Insanity is doing the exact same fucking thing, over and over again, expecting shit to change."
- Vaas Montenegro
Spec Ops: The Line
"The truth, Walker, is that you're here because you wanted to feel like something you're not: a hero."
- Colonel John Konrad
The Oregon Trail
"You have died of dysentery."
- Message
Half-Life 2
"The right man in the wrong place can make all the difference in the world."
- G-Man
Diablo II
“Stay a while, and listen!”
- Deckard Cain
Fallout
"War. War never changes."
- Intro
"War has changed."
- Old Snake
Halo 3
"Wake me when you need me."
- Master Chief
Assassin's Creed II
"Requiescat in pace." - Ezio Auditore da Firenze
Resident Evil
"That was too close. You were almost a Jill sandwich!"
- Barry Burton
Gears of War 4
"Ah shit, they're gonna mess up my fucking tomatoes!"
- Marcus Fenix
Mortal Kombat Series
"Finish him!"
- Announcer
BioShock Infinite
"There's always a lighthouse. There's always a man. There's always a city."
- Elizabeth Comstock
Portal
"The cake is a lie."
- Paranoid wall
Super Mario Series
"It's-a-me, Mario!"
- Mario
Zero Wing
"All your base are belong to us."
- Cat
Star Fox 64
"Do a barrel roll!"
- Peppy Hare
Call of Duty: Black Ops
"You can't kill me!"
- Frank Woods
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
"You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?"
- Happy Mask Salesman
"I used to be an adventurer like you, but then I took an arrow to the knee."
- Guards in Skyrim
Half-Life Series
"..."
- Gordon Freeman
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
"Remember. No Russian."
- Vladimir Makarov
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
"Hey, listen!"
- Navi
Super Mario Series
"Thank you Mario! But our princess is in another castle!"
- Toad
"Fus-ro-dah!"
- Dovahkiin
"Snake? SNAAAAAKE!"
- Various
Mortal Kombat Series
"Get over here!"
- Scorpion
Destiny
"That wizard came from the moon!"
- Dinklebot Ghost
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
"I never asked for this."
- Adam Jensen
About the author
Sven Boonen
As a self-proclaimed semi-adult, Sven likes to balance the pressure of journalism with the joy of video games.