Midway's E3 2004 Lineup @ Gaming Target

Written by John Scalzo on May 10, 2004

News: No surprises in Midway's list, but click it if you want the details anyway.

Midway's list offers no surprises, all games that have announced before and covered elsewhere on this site. But just because we know about them doesn't mean they're any less anticipated. A few details courtesy of Midway:

Area 51
The U.S. Army has received a distress signal from Area 51 where a viral outbreak has just shut down the research facility. A small Hazardous Materials unit led by specialist Ethan Cole is sent to investigate. As Cole, players will delve into the mysterious confines of Area 51, discovering a deadly mutagenic side effect of the virus that controls the minds of those infected, as well as an ancient alien colony buried beneath the facility. Chilling conspiracies such as the extraterrestrial crash at Roswell and the staged lunar landing, are investigated in order to solve the enigma of Area 51 before the viral mutagen is released and irrevocably mutates all life on Earth. Area 51 is scheduled to be available for the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system and the Xbox videogame system from Microsoft in fall 2004.

Midway Arcade Treasures 2
Midway Arcade Treasures 2 brings more than 20 all-time classic arcade games to next-generation consoles, many for the first time, including the original Mortal Kombat, and smash-hit sequels Mortal Kombat II and Mortal Kombat 3, Spy Hunter 2 and Gauntlet 2. Additional classics include NARC, Total Carnage, Cyberball 2072, Wizard of Wor and many more. Players can enjoy hours of retro-gaming fun and watch a full-feature documentary on the origins of these interactive pioneers. Midway Arcade Treasures 2 is scheduled to be available for PlayStation 2, Xbox and Nintendo Gamecube in fall 2004.

MLB Slugfest: Loaded
Unlike any other baseball game available, MLB Slugfest: Loaded takes the fast and furious gameplay style Midway Sports games are known for, and adds a deep and rewarding franchise mode through the addition of Baseball Mogul. Also new to this year's version is online multiplayer on both PlayStation 2 and Xbox Live. MLB Slugfest: Loaded is scheduled to be available for PlayStation 2 and Xbox on June 21.

Mortal Kombat: Deception
Delivering the most complete fighting experience and progressing the lethal intensity which the franchise has been known for since its 1992 debut in arcades, Mortal Kombat: Deception is set to revolutionize the fighting game genre. With unlimited online competition, Mortal Kombat: Deception features multiple fatalities per character; multi-tiered interactive backgrounds and extensive new game modes. Plus, for the first time ever, an enhanced free-roaming Konquest mode, an action/strategy board game and a unique puzzle game serve to compliment the improved fighting mode that has established the Mortal Kombat franchise as the ultimate fighting game of all time. Mortal Kombat: Deception is scheduled to be available for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox in fall 2004.

Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy
An all-new battlefield weapon is deployed... the mind. And Nick Scryer, an American psi-operative must use his to defeat The Movement, a deadly terrorist organization. Undergoing an excruciating procedure, Scryer has his mind wiped clean so he can infiltrate the Movement undetected. Aided by double-agent Sara Blake, Scryer wields a whole new arsenal of weapons consisting of Remote Viewing, Telekinesis, Mind Control and Pyrokinesis in addition to the traditional armory needed to strategically defeat this new menace. Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy is scheduled to be available for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox on June 14.

Shadow Hearts: Covenant
The sequel to its critically acclaimed predecessor released in 2001, Shadow Hearts: Covenant takes place over a year after the original ended, and finds Yuri embarking on a new expedition during World War I in a fantastical world of magic and creatures. Cursed by a secret cult that is taking advantage of the war to fulfill their evil ambitions, Yuri's morphing abilities are weakened. Yuri and his companions must journey to find a cure for his curse and defeat the malevolent cult. Shadow Hearts: Covenant is scheduled to be available exclusively for the PlayStation 2 in fall 2004.