Summer Game Fest is here and it’s kracking (sorry, we had to get one in there). NetherRealm Studios has just shown off Mortal Kombat 1 gameplay for the first time and it’s looking pretty good – and bloody, of course. However, that’s not the real talking point here; we all knew this would be a fighting game, after all. The real reveal is that iconic actor Jean Claude Van Damme is actually Johnny Cage in Mortal Kombat 1. We know, we can’t believe it either – but, it’s true. Following the reveal that Johnny Cage would get a skin inspired by the actor, it has been confirmed that he is-indeed providing the voice for the character. Yeah, this isn’t something we expected to see.
Now, we don’t know about you, but this isn’t what we expected. With Liu Kang being essentially identical to his Mortal Kombat 11 counter-part, we expected all the same facial models and actors to return in MK1. As you’ll be able to see in the trailer below, that isn’t the case; Liu Kang isn’t just changing the timeline, he’s changing people in the timeline.
However, it’s really not necessarily bad thing. Jean Claude Van Damme is known for kicking ass and taking names in movies like Kickboxer (1989), Street Fighter (1994), and Maximum Risk (1996). All of which are classics for fans of action movies – we expect. We’re not going to lie to you, he’s done a lot in his time.
And, he’s also in the Kung Fu Panda franchise, if you needed more convincing that this is an excellent addition to the Mortal Kombat 1 cast. It also makes you wonder who else NetherRealm Studios have roped into the Mortal Kombat 1 cast. If it has managed to bag JCVD, you feel like it could get anyone in the iconic fighting game.
If you want to check Johnny Cage – and the rest of the Mortal Kombat 1 roster in action – you can below:
Yeah, it’s safe to say Johhny Cage isn’t the nicest bloke in this timeline. Although, we would be a little annoyed too if someone was interrupting our movie star life with lethal fist-fighting and all manner of strange – and deadly – abilities. Interestingly, we don’t actually see him utilize his ‘green magic’ in this gameplay trailer. This could be a sign that his moveset is slightly altered to fit into Liu Kang’s new timeline.
As one of the most hotly anticipated upcoming PS5 games – and upcoming Xbox games, of course – being shown at Summer Game Fest on June 8, we’re certainly excited to learn more about this game in the build-up to the Mortal Kombat 1 release date. If you’re already ready to buy, you can find out more Mortal Kombat 1 pre-orders – and what each special edition of the game comes with – here.
Is this going to be one of the best fighting games available when it eventually comes out? Well, if Mortal Kombat 11 is anything to go by, then NetherRealm Studios should have things handled. If you can’t wait until launch, you can find out more about the Mortal Kombat 1 beta right here.
