The Mortal Kombat series is no stranger to guest appearances –even a blind person could see that. Everything from alien beasts to UFC stars and the odd horror film juggernaut, the games have seen it all.
But one personality has eluded Ed Boon and his team for 30 odd years, but that all changes with Mortal Kombat 1.
The Muscles from Brussels has arrived to kick arse.
Jean-Claude Van Damme finally returned their calls, and is stepping in to crack some skulls as a super deluxe skin for Johnny Cage. And it isn’t just a likeness – voicework as been provided as well, so the star is present in every way you can imagine.
The braggadocious nature of Johnny Cage is an oddly snug fit for the Van Damminator, with his movie quips and kissing of trophies working a little too well. It’s an example of a cosmetic upgrade that may well threaten to delete Johnny from existence – the Belgian superstar is just that damn (Damme) good.
It’s crazy to think that the original concept for Mortal Kombat as a game was to create a ‘Jean-Claude Van Damme game’, according to Ed Boon in his interview on Hot Ones – something that never eventuated for whatever cosmic reason (though Ed thinks Jean-Claude’s agent never really entertained the idea).
For people who want to slip into those martial arts shorts, you can do so by shelling out for the Kombat Pack – a selection of DLC fighters that will ship at a later date – including guest characters Homelander, Omni-Man and Peacemaker, as well as returning Mortal Kombat characters Quan Chi, Ermac and Takeda. The Jean-Claude skin will unlock immediately to tide you over while waiting for new bodies to bag.
Mortal Kombat 1 releases on September 19th, 2023 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.
Are you a fan of roundhouse kicks from Hollywood superstars? Let us know in the comments or on social media.
Known throughout the interwebs simply as M0D3Rn, Ash is bad at video games. An old guard gamer who suffers from being generally opinionated, it comes as no surprise that he is both brutally loyal and yet, fiercely whimsical about all things electronic. On occasion will make a youtube video that actually gets views. Follow him on YouTube @Bad at Video Games
