Most memorable NPC dialogue

I have these… waking moments, and in such fleeting glimpses into the sublime, David Warner contemptuously belts out, "understand this as you die, ever-pathetic, ever-fools." And then I awake.

How about you?

Planescape: Torment: Ravel.

Florence's whining in JA2. It's been a while since I played that game, but her nagging still haunts me. Second place is Grunty's monologue on the death of the in the same game.
I also liked the bit about fighting in hospitals between Mordin and Garrus in ME2.

Nothing can top the dialogues of the master ( With high CH and IN character ) for me. It was masterfully written, doesn't get boring even a little bit, had a great and memorable conclusion and of course, Master's weird way of talking with his constant change of voice and repetition of a word made the whole conversation more unique and interesting.

An example:
The Unity will bring about the master race. Master Master! One able to survive, or even thrive, in the wasteland. As long as there will be differences, we will tear ourselves apart fighting each other. We need one race! Race! Race! One goal! Goal! Goal! One people… to move forward to our destiny. Destiny

Ahh, there are too many to list from over the years of playing RPGs. Irenicus is very quotable though - you can download some neat little remix tracks which feature his voice online.

For now, I'll also go with some npc banter taken from BG II: Throne of Bhaal.

Last time I played it - just after creating an absolute bloodbath inside the Gromnir barracks, an amusing banter arose in which Korgan attempted to get all chummy with Edwin:

Korgan:
"Ahh tis a grand ol' fight eh mage? Can you better cap a life than with blood betwixt the toes and the flames of Hell itself! Ha!

Edwin's hysterical reply:
"Would someone please get this bile soaked freak away from me?!" (Brilliant voice acting by Jim Meskimen)

Moments like these is when I think the BG series shines.

Spectator from BG2.

"Well, he screamed 'my chest', as I recall. A spear was being thrust through his own chest at the time, though, so he could have been referring to that."

"Chalk up another for The Maniac!"
The Maniac… from one of those Wing Commander games

"Let me kill the meatbags, master!"
HK-47 in Knights of the Old Republic

"Magic is OK but now Minsc leads! Swords for everybody!"
Baldur's Gate (2?)

"The parasites say 'Noooo!'"
Andrew Ryan in BioShock 2 (actually, quite a few things he said)

"You've been a slave to your employees for too long, shouldn't it be the other way around?"
Advertisement for EndetureTech in Mass Effect 2

"No tests on species who's members capable of calculus. Simple rule: never broke it."
Mordrin - Mass Effect 2

"I talk to people, you know? Ask them if they have big problems that only I can solve! You'd be surprised how many people are just waiting for someone to talk to them. <pause> Sometimes I poke through crates, too - you know - for extra credits."
Conrad - Mass Effect 2

And, of course, Cave Johnson's recent tirade about lemons.

Most recently was just about anything in Dragon Age. I also remember one in Titan Quest.

One of the merchants as you closed the buy/sell window would say:

"Travel Far…!

(away from here)

"We are watching you scum!"

Hmm, that's a tough one. I very rarely respond well to NPC dialogue.

I loved the Shodan stuff in the System Shocks - both of them. I also have a great fondness for some of the writing in BioForge. HK-47 was great for its time, but I don't think it holds up so well today, as it's a bit too extreme for effect.

Much of the dialogue in The Witcher 2 was very strong for a game, and that goes for pretty much all characters. Maybe not Dandelion so much - but I have a special fondness for Zoltan (Zoltar? The dwarf dude).

I find most Obsidian/Black Isle writing a tad too "unique for the sake of being unique". That was certainly the response I had to Torment - and it has gotten steadily worse through NWN2 - MotB - FO:NV. It's still good, but just not THAT good.

I prefer down-to-earth stuff, rather than pretentious or "grandiose/strange" writing.

The original Fallout, however, was also very, very good.

I can't think of too many specific quotes, but there are lots. Your original quote is definitely one I remember well. In fact, I really like the whole scene:

Jon Irenicus breaks free from the Cowled Wizards:
"I cannot be caged."
- Kills a Cowled Wizard.
"I cannot be controlled."
- Kills the second Cowled Wizard.
"Understand this as you die, ever pathetic, ever fools."
- Kills the final Cowled Wizard.

I always liked Irenicus as a villain.

Originally Posted by Maylander
I can't think of too many specific quotes, but there are lots. Your original quote is definitely one I remember well. In fact, I really like the whole scene:

Jon Irenicus breaks free from the Cowled Wizards:
"I cannot be caged."
- Kills a Cowled Wizard.
"I cannot be controlled."
- Kills the second Cowled Wizard.
"Understand this as you die, ever pathetic, ever fools."
- Kills the final Cowled Wizard.

I always liked Irenicus as a villain.

agreed - I love the way he referred to them as 'magelings', how's that for condescending. I thought the voice casting was spot on too.

I also loved Ravel in PS:T…"Go away…dead I be…" ;-)

Most of the Portal 1 & 2 NPC writing+voice acting is really funny.

Not RPGs I know.

My alltime favorite must be visiting Ravel in her maze tho Fjull forked tongue in the same game is a close 2nd.
All the npc's in pst had a few memorable moments.
Random examples:

Nordom: "I think therefore I am… I think

Nordom: "I estimate Fall-from-Grace to be found attractive by the male sex of over 321423 separate species. Give or take 5

Nordom: Attention Morte: How do you stay aloft?
Morte: Flatulence

Nordom: "Attention: Morte. I have a question. Do you have a destiny? A
purpose?"
Morte: "Is Annah still wearing clothes?"
Nordom: "Affirmatory."
Morte: "Then the answer is yes

Originally Posted by Biff The Understudy
My alltime favorite must be …

It's ironic your namesake didn't earn a mention

All this talk of Torment really does get the rusty gears of my memory turning. I still fondly remember Ravel putting forth her question to the Nameless One. Such a personal experience, that.

I'm getting an itch to replay Torment from just reading these quotes, as I only ever played through the once back in the day. Some classic humour and profound moments, for sure.

On the topic of Ravel - I always found that aspects of her archetype and personality have 'echoes' and have reappeared in some respect in other Obsidian/Black Isle games. I think Chris Avellone has even confirmed as much in interviews.

For example, I really liked the blind Seer from Icewind Dale's expansion, Heart of Winter. She has some nicely prophetic dialogues that I really liked:

"A woman knows a woman's heart, and a strange, beautiful, and cruel thing it is. But the cruelest of all is a heart of winter, for it beats not with love, but with loss, and *nothing* may comfort it."

"When a human heart breaks, it may heal and forgive. When a heart of winter breaks, it is like ice… it shatters and can never be made whole again."

The Baldur's Gate series is always on the top of my list:

http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Baldur%27s_Gate_series

Pick your favorite

Just thought I'd bring this thread around full-circle as it were, with a fun little Irenicus remix. Enjoy for those who haven't heard it before, as his words become more and more fervent!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Z3aY0uELTQ

"I saw a mudcrab the other day…"

You said memorable, not necessarily good

Not really a dialogue but I enjoyed the commentary of the malkavian Patriarch on the tapes he had left throughout his mansion. Felt like listening to Hannibal Lecter hehe.