April 1st seems like the last day any game developer would want to announce something outlandish for one of its games that is in fact real. However, that's exactly what Bethesda and id Software did with the latest pre-order bonus announced for their upcoming over-the-top shooter, Rage 2. In the almost unbelievable reveal, anyone who pre-orders open-world sandbox shooter Rage 2 will get the "He's on Fire" cheat code, which adds in-game narration from the infamous announcer from the classic game NBA Jam.

The announcement came via a new trailer for the game, showing off many of the voice lines that will come along with the cheat code. It includes the lines that will be most recognizable to fans of NBA Jam, like "He's heating up!" and "Boomshakalaka!" and of course, "He's on fire!" For those unfamiliar with the SNES classic NBA Jam, these lines were heard when players went on scoring streaks in Midway's 1993 arcade basketball game.

Other lines shown off in the trailer, include some that are twists on lines from NBA Jam, others that are associated with the actual NBA, movie references from Anchorman and 90's basketball movie Space Jam, 90's music references, plus some that were recorded referring directly to Rage 2's gameplay:

  • "Rejected!"
  • "Burn baby burn!"
  • "Let's rage!"
  • "Woah, baby!"
  • "From downtown!"
  • "See ya!"
  • "You just sliced their head right off!"
  • "Fly like an eagle!"
  • "Chang chang boomerang!"
  • "Boom! There it is!"
  • "Loud noises!"
  • "Like gravy on a biscuit!"
  • "Can't touch this!"
  • "Talk to the hand!"

The man behind the voice is Tim Kitzrow who has also been the announcer voice in NFL Blitz, NHL Hitz, and MLB Slugfest. He has also been on ESPN and Fox Sports, as well as worked with NBA teams for their arena announcements. This isn't the first time his voice has appeared as an extra, as Kitzrow was included in Dota 2's NBA Jam Announcer Pack last year.

rage 2 gameplay

Bethesda confirmed on YouTube with the trailer, both in the comments and in the description that this is not an April Fool's joke. All players need to do to secure the "He's on Fire" cheat code is pre-order any version of Rage 2. Other pre-order bonuses include an exclusive mission, the Settler Pistol, Nicholas Raine armor, and the Mutant Monster Truck skin. Players who buy the Deluxe or Collector's Edition of Rage 2 will get more on top of that.

Rage 2 releases on May 14, 2019 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

Source: Bethesda