The best one-liners in ‘Star Fox 64,’ which is 20 years old today

Well, Cornerians, it’s Star Fox 64’s 20th Anniversary.

Somehow we’ve made it this far with our literal fox-faced friend, through dinosaur planets, clunky third-person shooters, the Wii U one, and a pretty good couple of handheld games (one was more or less a port of SF64). But this day isn’t about those games. It’s about Star Fox 64, and it’s about Star Fox 64’s amazing dialogue and voice over.

Yes, yes “Do a Barrel Roll” and all that, but what really makes the voice acting so special in Star Fox 64 is it’s supreme self-awareness and campy fun. With this personality in place, Nintendo crafted a rail-shooter that had that fun Nintendo feel, without sacrificing its sly sophistication.

But, yeah, also the Barrel Roll thing is excellent. Below we’ve compiled the choicest dialogue and voice over performances from this wonderful game (not a definitive list, since we're sadly missing ROB 64's "Location confirmed. Sending supplies") listed mission-by-mission (though not every mission) throughout the Lylat System.

Mission: Corneria

Line: “Do a barrel roll!”

Who said it: Peppy

It’s an iconic line that has permeated pop-culture in a way few video game lines have. It became a massive meme -- one of the earliest popularized by 4chan -- and has since become something that even non-Star Fox players know. It’s also a great line, and Rick May's (voice of Peppy AND Andross) delivery suggests that Fox has to do a barrel roll more than he has to do anything else. It’s silly, funny, and totally committed to the Star Fox 64 world. It’s an iconic line because it’s great one.

Mission: Sector Y

Line: “Cocky little freaks!”

Who said it: Unnamed Sector Y Boss

With the exception of Andross and the Star Wolf team, the bosses in Star Fox 64 go unnamed. But it’s impossible to forget the monkey in the mech suit in Sector Y who, whenever you shot at him, would shout “Cocky little freaks!” It was way too aggressive, and a really specific insult, which the mech suit monkey would repeat ad nauseam.

Mission: Aquas

Line: “Slippy’s not such a screw up after all."

Who said it: Peppy

(7:14) Slippy cannot catch a break. Slippy is definitely a bad pilot, but more than makes up for it by analyzing enemy shields and building the Blue Marine. Falco moans about the Blue Marine saying “This thing will never hold together!” about a hundred times, which is also really messed up since Fox is inside the Blue Marine while he’s saying it. Peppy then joins after a successfully completed mission with the Blue Marine. But this teasing was central to the characters and their relationships. Even if it was a bit over the top, it was always fun to watch their banter unfold.

Mission: Fichina

Line: “Annoying bird! I am the great Leon!”

Who said it: Leon

This one was really hard to narrow down -- the Star Wolf gang is full of great lines and great deliveries. The comically cruel Pigma comes to mind, gloating to Fox about betraying Peppy and the getting James McCloud, Fox’s dad, killed. But nothing felt quite as Star Fox as Leon Powalski who, despite no one knowing anything about him, would shout that he is "the great Leon!” It’s true to the spirit of the game – take a menacing situation, and bathe it in goofiness. Also someone made a dope electronic track (above) based off this one line.

Missions: Sector Z

Line: “Make way for Katt"

Who said it: Katt

(4:07) Who the hell is Katt? Without any kind of setup or proper introduction, Katt first zooms onto the scene in Zoneness, bewildering the player. Despite that, it’s obvious she carries a history and relationship to the characters -- what a fun world-building technique. Star Fox’s allies often swooped in and out in an instant, but never felt contrived. Katt’s Cat-Woman-esque personality was charming, on the nose, and brought out a part of Falco that was recognizable but unseen. Bill Grey, the dog pilot on Katina, fit a similar mold, professing to be an old pal of Fox’s with “Just like old times, eh Fox?”. Each character had their own little musical theme that spoke to their personality and what they represented. The story saw no reason to get into these characters. Context is clear -- they’re allies! And their personalities match their animals perfectly.

Missions: Macbeth/Zoneness

Lines: “There’s an enemy base there?” + "So you’re going to attack the enemy base? Great idea, Fox!"

Who said it: General Pepper

(00:34, 00:60) General Pepper is totally incompetent. It’s terrifying for the Cornerian people but hilarious for us.

Mission: Sector X

Line: “I must be complete”

Who said it: The Secret Weapon

(6:03) The Secret Weapon character is pretty bizarre all the way through. In between declaring, “Destroy the enemy,” the robot ponders, “Where is the creator?” and eventually, “Where is the enemy?” Basically, the robot spirals into existential dread as you blast it to smithereens. It’s one of the weirder bits in the game, but it adds that dash of severity that keeps the stakes high.

Mission: Titania

Line: “He can sure be a pain in the neck”

Who said it: Falco

(1:15) Falco says this not once, but at least twice between Titania and Sector X after Slippy is nearly killed. Falco’s annoyed that their friend might be dead, which is pretty funny, and Peppy’s “Don’t be dead, Slip,” really adds to the comical bleakness of the situation. Slippy, for his part, shouts “Ah! I’m hit!” once you find him. Since at that point he doesn’t know you’re there, we can assume Slippy has been shouting this to no one in particular.

Mission: Bolse

Line: “Your carcass is mine!”

Who said it: Slippy???

(00:53) Not a lot of people know that Slippy says this, and for good reason – it is wildly out of character, and tossed in randomly in the beginning of the mission. To be fair, he was almost killed in the last level (Titania) but, also, holy shit where did this come from?

Mission: Venom

Line: "Now you will feel TRUE pain."

Who said it: Andross

(00:27) And then there it is: Andross’ giant, terrifying face. The Thunderbird-inspired puppet look is gross on Andross. With this design, Andross looked more like a haunted doll than a roguish animal space pilot. That small difference was a huge part of what made him a memorable antagonist. The audio on his creepy cackle plays with stereo and surround sound to give him a truly terrifying presence. There is a lot about Andross that is terrifying, and the game does a really good job of building up his boogeyman status.

Line: “Only I have the brains to rule Lylat!”

Who said it: Andross

(2:04) Okay, this is the best line in the whole game. The guy becomes a literal giant brain to say this. It gives this whole boss fight the spookiness it deserves while remaining true to the Star Fox fun. It’s terrifying, it’s funny; it’s exactly what you want.

Line: “Never give up. Trust your instincts.”

Who said it: James McCloud

(6:15) James McCloud appears in a vision(?) to lead his son out of Andross’ base as it self-destructs. His voice is sage-like, low and smooth, and his sunglasses complete the Morpheus-esque look. When he says the words that Peppy has said to you so many times, you really feel it.

End Game Cutscene

Line: “Oh no sir, we prefer doing things our own way. It’s time for us to go now.”

Who said it: Fox McCloud

(10:47) Just as General Pepper heralds them, and offers them a role in the Cornerian Army, Team Star Fox is off on another adventure. Let’s hope the next one they go on makes us feel the way this game still does 20 years later.