About

"I've Covered Wars, You Know." is a phrase originating from the Capcom game Dead Rising, released on August 8, 2006 for the Xbox 360, and it was uttered for the first time by the game's main protagonist Frank West.

Why this line was found so hilarious, depends on the perspective. It can be seen as another cheesy line from a Capcom game, like Jill Sandwich. But it can also be funny due to the fact that being a journalist on the warzone, doesn't mean you are suddenly able to use a handgun like a pro, or be capable of amazing feats of strength.

Origin

In the beginning of the game, there's a scene where Frank West, comes across one of the other characters, Jessica McCarney, in the back warehouse of the Willamete Mall, where the events of the game take place. Frank almost kills her, mistaking her presence for that of a zombie.

After apologizing to her, Frank tries to help her up, but she had sprained her ankle as result of Frank's actions. Since this means she's unable to proceed with her mission, she agrees to let Frank go on her place instead. As Jessica hands Frank a pistol, the following dialogue occurs:

Jessica: "You know how to use this?"

Frank: "Kinda."

Frank: "I've covered wars, you know."

Usage

This line is often associated with the character of Frank West, but it can also used as a response or a statement, to give the user more credibility in a humorous manner.

"I've Covered Wars" in Other Capcom Games

After introducing the line in Dead Rising, the developers of Capcom have started using the line as an inside joke of sorts, leading it to be seen in other Capcom games. So far, variations of the line have been seen in Lost Planet 2, and Dead Rising 2.

The game Lost Planet 2 features a special Noms de Guerres named "I've Covered Wars", having Frank West as an unlockable character (both available if the player has Dead Rising saved game data), and Dead Rising 2 has an achievement named "He Hasn't Covered Wars…", earned by using every single type of firearm in the game on a zombie.

In Dead Rising 2: Off the Record, by completing the achievement/trophy "Full Camera" (earned by taking 30 pictures that fills up the camera's memory), the description changes to "You can cover wars, you know."

The phrase has also been mentioned on the ability section of Frank West's biography, on the website of the game Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3.^[4]

Cutscenes From The Dead Rising Games

In a scene where Chuck Greene, the main protagonist of Dead Rising 2, saves the journalist Rebecca Chang from an exploding van, he says the following:

Chuck: "You've got a real knack showing up at the right time, don't you? Have you covered wars or something?"

In a scene from Dead Rising 2: Case West, while Chuck and Frank are waiting for their contact to get back them, Chuck is clicking a pen, irritating Frank to the point where he gets up, snatches the pen from Chuck's hand, and tosses it across the room. To which Chuck responds:

Chuck: "You know, you're a little high strung for a guy who's covered wars."

The phrase was used once again in the trailer of the game Dead Rising 2: Off The Record, which is a part of the opening cutscene. It is also used later in the game, when Stacey Forsythe warns Frank, before he goes to fight a psychopath named Brandon Whittaker:

Stacey: "Frank…"

Stacey: "Be careful. It looks like he's gone off the deep end."

Frank: "I've covered wars, you know."

Other Games

Volition and THQ's Saint's Row: The Third features a game mode called Whored Mode (an obvious parody of the Gears of War franchise's Horde Mode). On the Zombie Island map, the 4th Wave is titled "Hank East" (parody of Frank West) and has the subtitle "He's covered wars ya know":

In Other Media

Arin "Egoraptor" Hanson used the quote in his famous Awesome Series of videogame parodies, when he did a parody of Dead Rising, entitled Awesome Rising.

The song "His Name's Frank" by Lifeseeker contains the phrase in its lyrics (52 seconds into the song):

He's covered wars, you know?

Oh, of course you do!

I'm gonna say his frickin' name

'til I'm hoarse and blue.

Meme Mutations

The phrase is sometimes altered, by changing the word "Wars", with something else.

The examples are courtesy of TvTropes^[1].

I've shopped at stores, y'know.

I've opened doors, y'know.

I've had smores, y'know.

Zombies are carnivores, y'know.

I'm covered in sores, y'know.

I've polished floors, ya know.

External References

^[1] TvTropes – Dead Rising

^[2] Wikia – Dead Rising

^[3] Uncyclopedia – Frank West (may contain NSFW content)

^[4] Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 Official website – Frank West Bio