If there’s one thing that makes a video game memorable, it’s anunforgettable catchphrase. Sometimes, gamers even apply the morality and principle of a good catchphrase to their daily lives, though some are much harder to use in everyday social situations; it’s rather uncommon for someone to randomly shout: “It’s high noon!” Catchphrases are terms and phrases that are typically associated with one specific individual, thereby encapsulating their personality or acting as a recognizable trait.
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Especially in recent years, catchphrases have been integrated into modern society, often in the form of memes — an element of culture passed from one person to another via imitation. There aren’t many catchphrases, particularly in the gaming industry, that won’t be immediately distinguishable upon hearing or reading them.
9"It’s A-Me, Mario!"
Nintendo mascotMario’s iconic catchphrase — “It’s a-me, Mario!” — originated fromSuper Mario 64, the first-ever Mario game to feature 3D gameplay, where he was voiced by Charles Martinet. Martinet made his official debut as Mario in 1992’sSuper Mario Bros.pinball machine, but he was uncredited for the role, and it wasn’t untilSuper Mario 64that the world was exposed to Mario’s voice properly.
Martinet also voices Luigi, which makes a lot of sense, but Luigi’s catchphrase — “Let’s-a go!” — isn’t nearly as popular.
8"Finish Him!"
Anyone who’s anyone has played theMortal Kombatgames at least one in their lives, and anyone who’s anyone who’s played theMortal Kombatgames will be familiar with finishing moves known as “Fatalities.” During a fatality, the opponent’s health has reached zero, leaving them vulnerable to an end-of-round attack performed by the player’s chosen character.
When a fatality initiates, a booming voice shouts: “Finish him!” WhatMortal Kombatfans may not know is that Steve Ritchie — the best-selling pinball designer in history —provides the voice of the announcer, whose voice has reached millions worldwide.
7"The Cake Is A Lie!"
In 2007’s insanely popularPortal, the catchphrase become famous from an in-game encounter where Doug Rattman leaves behind graffiti that reads: “The cake is a lie!” Rattman does this to warn Chell that GLaDOS —the game’s antagonist— is deceiving them.
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It was intended to be a minor reference and inside joke implemented by Valve, the developers, that implied the player would never receive their promised reward — their “cake.” It relates somewhat to the idiom “have one’s cake and eat it.“Portal’s well-known phrase became an instant meme that recently experienced a resurgence after content creators began making hyper-realistic cakes to fool viewers.
6"It’s Dangerous To Go Alone! Take This.”
Perhaps one of the most overused catchphrases of all time, 1986’sThe Legend of Zeldawas responsible for the fabled quotation, which occurs right at the beginning of the game. When the player-character Link enters a cave, he meets an unnamed old man who bestows upon him a sword toaid in his quest to save Princess Zelda.
Naturally, the moment became a well-established internet meme in pop culture and become synonymous with gaming in the 35 years since the interaction occurred. Eventually, the image template fromThe Legend of Zeldabirthed hundreds of memes that swapped out Link’s sword with variations of kittens, owls, bunnies and more.
5"Do A Barrel Roll!”
The infamous “do a barrel roll!” quote came straight from the hare’s mouth. In the tutorial portion of 1997’sStar Fox 64, Peppy Hare, the retired sole member of the current generation’s Fox team, instructs Fox McCloud to do a barrel roll. What appears to be such an innocent moment became a universal response to a situation in which there is no solution.
Hare insists that Fox perform the somersault move to avoid lasers and other such projectiles. The urgency of the demand is what inspired the internet meme; other definitions describe the quote as a phrase “some gamers say when they are at a loss for words or don’t know what else to say.”
4"Endure And Survive."
Not nearly as old-school as some others, butThe Last of Ushas a short, sweet and simple catchphrase — spoken by Ellie herself. The critically-acclaimed action-adventure comes from Naughty Dog, developers of theUnchartedseries, and takes on quite an unconventional approach in allowingplayers to control 14-year-old Elliein the fight against the Infected.
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In one particular scene, after Joel kills the hunters in the bookstore, Ellie says “To the edge of the universe and back, endure and survive,” then elaborates in saying that the quote originated from a comic book she’s reading called Savage Starlight. During that tender moment inThe Last of Us, Ellie claims it’s “what the hero says after a big battle,” but it also acts as a mantra of hers throughout the game.
3"Waka Waka Waka!"
Originally called Puck Man (which doesn’t have such a nice ring to it), the Japanese arcade gamePac-Manreleased in 1980 and remains one of thebest-selling and highest-grossing video gamesever made. “Waka waka waka!” (and not the Shakira version) is the sound produced byPac-Manas he eats pellets and ghosts in a labyrinthian maze.
It isn’t necessarily a catchphrase per se as just pure gibberish, but it’s still one of the most instantly identifiable sounds in the entirety of modern culture — not just gaming. In fact, society has accepted that Pac-Man’s native language is called “Wakanese.”
2"Press ‘F’ To Pay Respects."
Despite becoming an internet phenomenon, not many users know where the “Press ‘F’ to pay respects” catchphrase originated from. In 2014’sCall of Duty: Advanced Warfare, there’s a segment where Private Jack Mitchell attends the funeral of his best friend and comrade in arms, Will Irons, who died fighting in South Korea. Then, the player isgiven a prompt to “Press ‘F’ (or on console, press ‘X’) to pay their respects to the fallen soldier.
ThatCall of Dutymoment was panned by critics for being out-of-place, awkward and more importantly, an unnecessary interaction for the funeral service. The meme evolved into “Press ‘F’ in the chat,” but both versions convey solidarity or sympathy — sarcastic or not — to someone in a difficult situation.
1"Objection!”
It isn’t required to have a bachelor’s degree in Law to understand the term “Objection!” In court, whenever a lawyer, be it the defense or prosecution, disagrees or ‘objects’ to a statement, they stand and yell, “Objection!” In theAce Attorneyvideo game series, the “Objection!” speech bubble has been used frequently, usually accompanied by the finger-pointing gesture.
Fans of the series and meme-makers alike began attaching the image of Phoenix Wright to various threads or arguments online where they perceived an invalid or disagreeable statement to have been made. In the months and years following,Ace Attorneyskyrocketed in popularity just based on the image of Phoenix pointing and the common “Objection!” phrase.
