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02-05-2008, 08:29 AM
|  | News ID | | Join Date: Nov 2002
Posts: 25,282
| |  The 10 Most Meaningful Videogame Quotes of All Time
Destructoid brings us a list of what they feel are the most meaningful videogame quotes of all time, with Fallout's "War. War never changes." coming in at #3 and BioShock's "Would you kindly?" coming in at #1. Even after most of the world has been turned into nuclear ash, even after the world governments have crumbled and the social infrastructure decays into anarchy, even when, after the greatest and most horrible war of all, the human race has every reason to band together in an effort to save one another from total annihilation -- they don't.
War never changes.
Fallout may be one of the most cynical, nihilistic game franchises in existence, which also makes it one of my personal favorites. Rather than half-assedly cultivating a world-weary tone through a sepia color scheme and needlessly gruff-sounding protagonists (I'm looking at you, Gears of War), the Fallout series tells the tale of some people who try to act with common decency in a world utterly lacking in it, and who are subsequently tortured and killed and exiled for their troubles. Cormac McCarthy would be proud.
In the world of Fallout you can do varying amounts of good on your quest through the Wastelands but, more often than not, your efforts can be just as easily undone by bad luck or the corruption of others. You can save the Ghouls of Necropolis from starvation, only to hear of their slaughter at the hands of Super Mutants. You can help the Brotherhood of Steel find new technology, but they'll use it to further their war-driven, quasi-fascist agenda. And no matter how much good you do in the original Fallout -- no matter how quickly you save the denizens of Vault 13 from dehydration and destroy the Super Mutant base -- you will always be cast out by a hypocritical, bureaucratic Vault Overseer who claims that your heroism will make you a bad role model for the other Vault Dwellers.
Without getting into a current sociopolitical discussion, let me just say that the themes suggested in Fallout (punishment of morality in an immoral world, the hypocrisy of authority, the petty and violent nature of humankind) can be seen quite clearly even today. Wars are driven by greed, necessity, stupidity, or fear -- and even after the cities have been burnt to cinders and the countryside irradiated, war will never change. Personally, I would have given "What can change the nature of a man?" the top spot.  |
02-05-2008, 08:47 AM
|  | Exalted Member | | Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 2,118
| | "Would you like to see my batteries?" 
PAL-18, Anachronox. Either GIR was based off his character, or it was the other way around.
As for the article, I'm not particularly impressed. Seems like they threw a few things together that would stick, including a classic for venerability. I think we could do better, even if it's just for a laugh.
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Last edited by Tricky; 02-05-2008 at 08:55 AM.
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02-05-2008, 09:08 AM
|  | Super Moderator | | Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: The sun, the moon, and the stars.
Posts: 28,424
| | Quote:
Originally Posted by GameBanshee News  Personally, I would have given "What can change the nature of a man?" the top spot. | Me, too. It has added resonance for both of us, though, in that it isn't just a quote, but the theme running through PS:T. Arguably the only RPG to ever point its story at the adult mind, instead of the "I'm the center of attention, the long lost king, who wins everything" child mentality of just about everythng else.
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To the Righteous belong the fruits of violent victory. The rest of us will have to settle for warm friends, warm lovers, and a wink from a quietly supportive universe. |
02-05-2008, 09:38 AM
|  | Moderator and Twisted Sister | | Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: The maelstrom where chaos merges with lucidity
Posts: 18,185
| | | I agree..
And the thing is to ask "What can change the nature of a man?" has depth and scope far beyond any video game as well..
These are questions that have long haunted humanity.. To ask something like this has a deep and universal meaning.
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testingtest12Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.
testingtest12.......All those moments ... will be lost ... in time ... like tears in rain. |
02-05-2008, 09:56 AM
|  | Exalted Member | | Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Frag Town
Posts: 4,906
| | | A pointless and forgettable article. I've seen better quotes than the ones mentioned in that article.
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"Every time I hear a person saying, 'PC games are dying,' or 'PC games are dead,' particularly if they're a competitor, I fully agree with them--and I encourage them to get out of the space as soon as possible, just so I don't have to compete with them," -Tim Holman, Senior Producer for Company of Heroes
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02-05-2008, 11:00 AM
|  | GameBanshee Editor | | Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Liberty City, the Netherlands
Posts: 821
| | | Bit of an insult to my intelligence, that article. Partially because he mixes and matches the lulz with the philosophical without having a clear line.
Missing "what can change the nature of a man" is pretty dumb. Not to mention including BioShock over System Shock. Hello?
Furthermore, he fell into the paperthin plot excuse used in BioShock to explain away a horribly unnecessary mechanic, namely railroading cutscenes - one of the features that contribute to BioShock's inferiority to its spiritual daddy System Shock 2 - and pretends it's some kind of lesson to us all. No it isn't, they're using a stupid mechanic and making lame excuses for it. | | Thread Tools | | | | Display Modes | Rate This Thread |  Linear Mode | | 
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