Midway Brings Stable of Hits to E3

Midway has been behind some of the biggest hits ever to hit electronic entertainment - console versions of Doom and Mortal Kombat have launched the company into gaming's inner circle. Its 1997 E3 lineup has some new and old faces, and Midway hopes that it's just as exciting to gamers as its previous efforts have been.

Midway has a total of eight games ready for the show floor. First is Midway's 3-D fighting game Mace: The Dark Age. A translation of the popular arcade game, Mace will be hitting the Nintendo 64 and PlayStation in September. Packing ten playable and seven secret characters, complete with weapons and interactive backgrounds, Mace promises to inflict some serious pain.

From the mind of Mortal Kombat cocreator John Tobias comes Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero. The game mixes 2-D and 3-D action into an original game starring Sub Zero in his own saga. Billed as a prequel to the first three Mortal Kombat titles, this all new adventure will make its way onto the Nintendo 64 and PlayStation in October.

From the team that created Area 51 comes Maximum Force, a light-gun-based adventure game. One or two players go up against terrorists trying to have their evil way with the world. Maximum Force will be available in September for the PlayStation.

Adding to Midway's continuing line of basketball games is NBA Hardwood Heroes. The game features outstanding dunks and five-on-five play with up to ten players (via multitap) to create a realistic sports gaming experience. NBA Hardwood Heroes is scheduled for a November PlayStation release.

Rampage World Tour has stomped its way through US arcades, and now it's ready to take on the consoles. Available for the PlayStation in November, Rampage World Tour combines all the car-crunching, building-smashing, people-eating carnage of the arcade original in a world tour style. Up to three players can go on a rampage of their own through distant locales around the world.

The home translation of San Francisco Rush Extreme Racing is set to hit the Nintendo 64 and PlayStation in November. Race the streets of San Francisco in your very own high-performance vehicle. A split-screen multiplayer feature allows up to four players to take on the game's many routes to see once and for all who can beat the rush.

The second game in its hockey series,The NHLPA & NHL Present Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey '98 is one of the longest-titled games out there. As the sequel to the hit PlayStation and Nintendo 64 game, this '98 update features new stats, all 26 teams plus logos, uniforms, and players. Wayne Gretzky '98 hits store shelves in November.

Last but not least is Quake 64 for the Nintendo 64. Currently scheduled for a late 1997 release, the game takes all the action of the PC hit and puts it under the hood of Nintendo's 64-bit system. With enhanced graphics and lightning-fast play, Quake 64 looms as a worthy successor to the Doom throne.

Also during E3, Midway will have Wayne Gretzky, Robin Shou (Liu Kang in the Mortal Kombat movies), and some other familiar faces from some of its well-known titles on hand to show off the faces behind the digital personas.