100+ Famous Old Video Game Quotes That Defined a Generation

"I'm about to end this whole miserable existence." – Max Payne

"The legend of Zelda begins!" – The Legend of Zelda (NES)

"You're not good. You're not great. You're me." – Cloud Strife, Final Fantasy VII

"It's dangerous to go alone! Take this." – Old Man, The Legend of Zelda

"Ryu, your journey begins now." – Street Fighter II

"War has changed." – Captain Martin Walker, Spec Ops: The Line

"I have the power!" – He-Man (licensed NES game)

"This is my story…" – Chrono Trigger

"My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." – Super Nintendo version of The Princess Bride game

"Welcome to Night City, chummer." – Cyberpunk 2077 (inspired by retro cyberpunk ethos)

"The day was long forgotten… until now." – Blaster Master

"Your quest starts here!" – Dragon Warrior (NES)

"Game Over. Try again?" – Pac-Man

"You have died. It wasn't even close." – Dark Souls

"Continue? (Yes/No)" – Countless 8- and 16-bit titles

"All your base are belong to us." – Zero Wing

"You've been slain." – King's Quest series

"Press F to pay respects." – Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (retroactively iconic)

"You aren't good enough to play this game." – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES)

"You just lost your last life." – Super Mario Bros.

"Death comes to us all. Even to jockeys." – Kentucky Route Zero

"You have failed your mission." – Metal Gear Solid

"Your body melts into green goo." – Sierra adventure games

"You are dead. But don't worry, death is a part of life." – EarthBound

"In time, you will come to see that I am right." – Ganondorf, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

"When the seal breaks, the sky will fall." – Ancient tablet, Metroid Prime

"Beware the one who carries the mark of evil." – Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

"Only when the five stars align shall the gate open." – Phantasy Star IV

"The past, present, and future converge where time stands still." – Chrono Trigger

"He who controls the Triforce controls destiny." – The Legend of Zelda

"The wind rises when the world cries out for a hero." – Secret of Mana

"When darkness covers the land, light shall follow." – Final Fantasy III

"A child born of shadows shall awaken the ancient flame." – Illusion of Gaia

"Only the pure of heart can lift the blade." – Legacy of the Wizard

"The hero will return when the moon turns red." – Various JRPGs

"From ashes, a phoenix shall rise." – ActRaiser

"You're too slow!" – Sonic the Hedgehog (Dr. Eggman)

"Come on, bring it! Is that all you've got?" – Bowser, Super Mario Bros. 3

"Fool! You think you can defeat me?" – M. Bison, Street Fighter II

"I am the wind! I am the storm!" – Wind Fish, Link’s Awakening

"You cannot win! I am eternal!" – Ganon, A Link to the Past

"You’re already dead." – Sephiroth, Final Fantasy VII

"I’ll crush you like an insect!" – Dr. Wily, Mega Man

"Pathetic. You're nothing compared to me." – Kuja, Final Fantasy IX

"You dare challenge a god?" – Majora’s Mask

"I’ve been waiting for someone like you." – Psycho Mantis, Metal Gear Solid

"Your struggle means nothing!" – Ridley, Metroid

"You’re just delaying the inevitable." – Emperor, Final Fantasy VI

"Everyone has problems. That doesn’t mean we stop smiling." – Mr. Saturn, EarthBound

"Life is like a library full of books. You never know what you'll find." – Old Woman, Final Fantasy VI

"Stay a while, stay forever." – Ghost Host, Haunted Mansion-inspired games

"Be kind to everyone you meet." – Grandma, Harvest Moon

"The best things in life are free. Like sunshine and laughter." – Townsperson, Animal Crossing

"Even the smallest person can change the course of the future." – Galadriel (licensed LOTR games)

"Don’t forget to eat your vegetables!" – Mother, various RPGs

"Kindness is magic." – Fairy character, numerous platformers

"Every day is a new beginning." – Monk, Seiken Densetsu

"Hope is the only thing stronger than fear." – Oracle, Golden Sun

"Love is the greatest treasure of all." – NPC in The Legend of Zelda

"Sometimes, doing nothing is the bravest thing." – Hermit, Chrono Trigger

"Great. Just what I needed. Another hero." – Clank, Ratchet & Clank

"Oh no, a button! Whatever will I do?" – GLaDOS, Portal (retro-style delivery)

"Well, that escalated quickly." – Duke Nukem

"Congratulations. You found the exit. Now leave." – Text adventure games

"I’m not saying I hate you, but I would unplug your life support to charge my phone." – Wheatley, Portal 2 (spiritually retro)

"Nice try, genius." – Various sidekicks

"You’re the worst hero I’ve ever seen." – Shopkeeper, Dragon Quest

"Oh look, another guy with a sword. How original." – NPC in Hyrule

"You call that a jump?" – Narrator, Impossible Game

"Did you really think that would work?" – Enemy AI, retro shooters

"Wow. That was almost impressive." – Robot companion

"Spoiler alert: You’re gonna die." – Narrator, retro horror games

"Let’s rock!" – Mega Man

"For freedom!" – Marth, Fire Emblem

"Get over here!" – Scorpion, Mortal Kombat

"I won’t lose!" – Ryu, Street Fighter

"Time to kick ass and chew bubblegum… and I’m all outta gum." – Duke Nukem

"Believe in your strength!" – Master Chief (spiritual quote)

"Victory or death!" – Contra

"I fight for the light!" – Link

"Power up!" – Samus Aran, Metroid

"I am vengeance!" – Spawn (video game adaptation)

"Justice will be served!" – Captain Commando

"I’m going in!" – Solid Snake

"All your base are belong to us." – Zero Wing (translation fail)

"I can't believe it's not butter!" – Misheard line, Banjo-Kazooie

"Would you like to play a game?" – Skynet voice, mistakenly used in many ROM hacks

"Error: Hero not found." – Fake crash screen meme

"Your mom is a hamster." – Parody of British insult in modded games

"I once was lost, but now I'm found. Wait, wrong game." – NPC self-aware glitch

"Insert coin to continue life." – Arcade logic gone wrong

"Hello, this is dog." – Pokémon localization meme

"The cake is a lie." – Portal (adopted into retro culture)

"I am error." – Dr. Wright, SimCity

"Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, Start." – Konami Code (often misquoted)

"PC LOAD LETTER? What does that mean?" – Printer joke in office-themed mods

"I'll always be with you. In your heart." – Aerith, Final Fantasy VII

"Don’t cry. I’ll be watching over you." – Mother, Chrono Trigger

"Goodbye, my friend. Our journey ends here." – Robo, Chrono Trigger

"Thank you… for everything." – Shadow, Final Fantasy VI

"Live well. For both of us." – Lucca, Chrono Trigger ending

"I had a dream… about stars." – Gau, Final Fantasy VI

"You gave me purpose. Thank you." – EDI-type AI in retro fan fiction

"The road ends here. But the memories remain." – Geralt (retro-styled Witcher mod)

"Take care of the world for me." – Dying mentor, countless RPGs

"I'm not afraid anymore." – Child NPC, Final Fantasy X (spiritual ancestor)

"We’ll meet again… in another life." – Love interest, Suikoden

"You made me believe in heroes." – Villager, ending sequence

"Press Start to play." – Virtually every console game

"Insert Coin" – Arcade cabinets

"Player One: Choose your fighter." – Street Fighter II

"Use SELECT to choose mode." – NES instruction screens

"Avoid pits. They are bottomless." – Manual, Donkey Kong

"Jump on enemies to defeat them." – Super Mario Bros. manual

"Hold A to run." – Early RPGs

"Password: Enter to continue." – Save system text

"Do not press RESET during gameplay." – Warning, NES titles

"Batteries not included." – Game cartridge boxes

"© 198X by COMPANY NAME. All rights reserved." – Title screen footer

"Now loading…" – CD-based PS1/Saturn games