It sounds like Rage 2, the upcoming first-person shooter from id Software and Avalanche Studios, will be in the running for two coveted awards when the end of the year rolls around: best pre-order bonus and best cheat code.
Publisher Bethesda Softworks announced Monday that Rage 2 pre-order customers will receive a “cheat code” that will bring Tim Kitzrow — best known as the voice of the NBA Jam franchise — to the game. Dubbed “He’s On Fire,” the code will unlock play-by-play commentary from Kitzrow in Rage 2. (Yes, it happens to be April Fools’ Day, but a Bethesda representative assured Polygon that “this is 100% real, it is not a prank.”)
As you tear through Rage 2’s post-apocalyptic wasteland, Kitzrow will spout iconic NBA Jam lines like “he’s heating up” and “boomshakalaka” as well as Rage 2-specific commentary such as “you just sliced her head right off.” In the gameplay trailer accompanying the announcement, which you can watch above, the commentary appears to be impressively responsive and contextual. After a dodge, Kitzrow goes, “Can’t touch this.” The player pushes an enemy into the air as Kitzrow shouts “fly like an eagle,” and then he yells “bang” when the player snaps their fingers to light up the bad guy.
What remains to be seen is just how varied the commentary ends up being. After all, the novelty could wear off pretty quickly if Kitzrow yells “from downtown!” every time you fire down at an enemy while in midair. And it’ll be interesting to play Rage 2 and find out what, if anything, Kitzrow says during the downtime between battles.
Rage 2 is set to be released May 14 on PlayStation 4, Windows PC (via Steam), and Xbox One. For more on the game, check out our impressions from January.
