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E3 06: Midway Blitzes E3 with Wii games

Next-gen Blitz: The League heads to 360, Wii, PSP; Nintendo's new console also finds inner child with Happy Feet, Ant Bully.

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Earlier this year, Midway held an event in Hollywood showcasing its upcoming lineup of games for 2006. Shown off was the company's new slate of next-gen games, including Unreal Tournament 2007 and John Woo Presents Stranglehold, but it didn't take a genius to figure out that the Chicago-based publisher had more up its sleeve.

Today the company revealed its E3 lineup, and lo and behold, there were a few surprises mixed into what was previously announced.

The biggest bit of news from Midway's lineup tackles next-gen sports fans. Blitz: The League, the infamous nonlicensed, over-the-top football game that was a surprise hit in 2005, is coming to the Xbox 360, Wii, and PlayStation Portable. Midway released only a vague description of the game, which sounds eerily similar to the current-gen version. Gamers will have to wait until E3 to find out if it's a straight port or if it will include new gameplay and features.

That's not all for the Wii. Midway has been very active in trying to tap into the children's market and has secured licenses for games based on two upcoming Warner Bros. computer-animated movies, The Ant Bully and Happy Feet. Both games will appear on the Wii, with The Ant Bully also in the works for the PlayStation 2, GameCube, Game Boy Advance, and PC and with Happy Feet also dancing onto the PS2, GameCube, GBA, DS, and PC.

Midway's two previously announced next-gen games will also appear at E3 in some form; however, it's still not clear when they'll hit shelves. The three versions of Stranglehold (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC) are now set for a "Winter 2006" release period, which likely means that the company is pushing for a release sometime during the all-important holiday shopping season. Unfortunately for first-person shooter fans, Unreal Tournament 2007 for the PS3 and PC, which gamers hoped to see sometime in 2006, was noticeably missing any release period.

The full list of Midway's E3 games with the latest release dates are below:

Blitz: The League - Xbox 360, Wii, PSP (October 2006)
John Woo Presents Stranglehold - PS3, Xbox 360, PC (Winter 2006)
Unreal Tournament 2007 - PS3, PC
Happy Feet - PS2, GameCube, Wii, GBA, PC, DS (November 2006)
The Ant Bully - PS2, GameCube, GBA, PC (July 2006), Wii (November 2006)
Mortal Kombat Armageddon - PS2, Xbox (October 2006)
Spy Hunter: Nowhere to Run - PS2, Xbox (September 2006)
The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar - PC
Rise & Fall: Civilizations at War - PC (June 2006)
The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy - PS2, GameCube, GBA (November 2006)
MLB SlugFest 2006 - PS2, Xbox (May 2006)
RUSH - PSP (September 2006)
Mortal Kombat: Unchained - PSP (September 2006)
NBA Ballers: Rebound - PSP (May 2006)

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