Catchphrases are one of those things that can make a video game memorable and if they are good enough you can apply them in you daily life. Well, it also depends on if the catchphrase is not weird enough to use it.
These phrases and terms are usually associated with a specific character and the catchphrase itself can encapsulate its personality and traits. Nowadays, catchphrases have been integrated into modern society, usually in memes but despite that, there are no many catchphrases in gaming. Nevertheless, they exist and many of them are easily distinguishable.
Today we are going to rank the 10 most iconic video game catchphrases, so let’s begin!
10. Endure and Survive – The Last of Us
The Last of Us is one of the best video games ever made and those who have played the game would say that this game doesn’t have a catchphrase… But it has one.
“Endure and Survive” is what Ellie says after Joel kills the hunters in the bookstore, and since that, that phrase becomes Ellie’s mantra throughout the game.
She says that this phrase originated from a comic book called Savage Starlight, and she exclaims that this phrase is something that “the hero says after a big battle”. One of the most tender moments in the game.
9. Do a Barrel Roll! – Star Fox 64
Star Fox 64 is one of the most famous titles for the Nintendo 64, and in the tutorial portion of the game, the retired Peppy Hare created a meme.
In the tutorial when Fox McCloud is trying to avoid lasers, our bunny teammate insists we do a barrel roll to evade the lasers. Nobody ever thought that this innocent but urgent moment created one of the funniest and remembered memes in video games.
Peppy Hare insists that Fox must perform the somersault move to avoid all the lasers, and the phrase became so popular that gamers say when they are loss for words.
8. Press “F” to Pay Respects – Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
This meme is not a catchphrase itself, but it became so famous that now we used it as a catchphrase in our daily lives. “Press “F” to pay respects” is probably Call of Duty’ greatest legacy and it originated in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare when you are in Will Irons’ funeral.
The player is given the order to “press “f”” to pay their respects to you fallen friend. The moment was so panned and infamous that it became our catchphrase when something bad happens: “Oh, you forgot your food? F”.
The F now is used to convey solidarity to someone in a bad situation all over the internet.
7. The Cake is a Lie – Portal
In 2007, the critically acclaimed Portal gave us a catchphrase that became famous thanks to the inside joke within it.
“The Cake is a Lie” is a phrase that we encounter as a graffiti written by Doug Rattman to warm us that GLaDOS is deceiving us. The phrase, implemented by Valve’s developers, is a minor reference that make us understand that we will never receive the cake GLaDOS is talking about, and also that she is the true antagonist of the video game.
Because of the popularity of the game, modders began making hyper-realistic cakes to fool the player.
6. “Waka, waka, waka” – Pac-man
No, we are no talking about the Shakira song from 2010, we are talking about an onomatopoeia made by Pac-man. Originally called Puck-man, Pac-man was released back in 1980 in Japan and remains as one of the best-selling video games of all time.
While not a catchphrase per se, it is one of the most identifiable sounds in the entire pop culture, not only in the gaming world. This is the sound he makes when he is eating ghosts and pellets and this “language” has been accepted by the society, calling it “wakanese”.
5. Objection! – Ace Attorney
You don’t have to be a lawyer or something like that to understand what “Objection” means. Whenever a lawyer objects or disagrees to a statement they stand and yell “Objection!”.
In the acclaimed Ace Attorney series, the “Objection!” bubble is frequently used, becoming the catchphrase of the series, and it is now used as a meme when somebody perceive an invalid or disagreeable statement.
Thanks to the image of the protagonist Phoenix Wright shouting “Objection!”, the Ace Attorney series’ popularity skyrocketed and now more people than ever know this amazing video game series.
4. ! – Metal Gear
This is the only entry in this rank that doesn’t need words, in fact, is just a sound. The Metal Gear fans know what “!” means because is the most popular and recognizable sound in the whole series.
The “!” is a sound effect that warn us that we have been spotter by the enemy and we have to run of kill them. This sound effect has been used throughout the series from start to finish, and we hope that the developers never get rid of it.
When you see a Reddit comment consisting of a single exclamation point, they are referring to this.
3. It’s Dangerous to go alone! Take this – The Legend of Zelda
The first Legend of Zelda video game left an incredible legacy and inspired a lot of video games, but also gave us with one of the most overused catchphrases of all time.
In the beginning of the game when Links enters a cave, he meets an old man who give us a sword to help us in our quest to save Princess Zelda.
What made this moment immortal is what he says when he gives us the sword: “It’s dangerous to go alone! Take this”. This moment became a meme and a synonimous of gaming.
2. FINISH HIM!! – Mortal Kombat
Everybody has played Mortal Kombat at least once in their life, and anyone who has played this fighting game will be familiar with the phrase I am talking about right now. “FINISH HIM” is what we heard when we defeat our opponent and we are about to execute our fatality on him, making this moment even more epic.
This catchphrase is now used as a meme when somebody is about to say or do something before defeating the opponent. What MK fans may not know is that Steve Ritchie, pinball designer and original voice of Shao Kahn is the one who says this line.
1. It’s a-me, Mario! – Mario
The most recognizable and famous video game character ever obviously has the most recognizable catchphrase in the history of video games.
“It’s a-me, Mario!” is Mario’s catchphrase and he says it every time since Super Mario 64, when this line made its debut. Everybody in the whole world can recognize this phrase even if they haven’t played a single Mario video game. And I personally think that is virtually impossible, Mario has been in our life since the beginning in our way or another, and “It’s a-me, Mario!” is sempiternal.
