E3 2004: Midway Preview

Brand new Mortal Kombat outing, plus some classic arcades revived.

Posted by Staff
Psi-Ops
Psi-Ops
It's a diminutive line-up from Midway in comparison to some of the larger rosters at E3, but that's not to say the company's stand won't be worth a visit. Psi-Ops is the only totally new title on show and it could well be the most exciting. Although it would be wrong to dismiss the other games out of hand, franchises like Slugfest: Loaded, Shadow Hearts 2 and Mortal Kombat: Deception will most likely be on similar lines to previous versions.


Area 51 [Xbox, PS2]
The original Area 51 was an on-rails sci-fi shooter. This 2004 update has opted to morph into a FPS with all the usual trimmings. The ability to mutate sounds like a good wheeze, but that could be a mere token gesture towards originality rather than a central game mechanic.

Midway Arcade Treasures 2 [Xbox, PS2, GC]
Compilations like this make sense in an industry that seems to tolerate retrospective piracy. Hardcore gamers will always yearn for some nostalgic back tracking, and this latest Midway anthology will include some of the following favourites: Mortal Kombat 1 & 2, NARC and Total Carnage (the oft-forgotten follow up to Smash TV)

MLB Slugfest: Loaded [Xbox, PS2]
Midway's exaggerated sports games (NHL Hitz, NFL Blitz etc) are often more entertaining than some of the stuffier licensed 'simulations', especially if you're not a devotee of that particular pastime. So in Slugfest: Loaded we have a baseball game that even Brits might enjoy.

Mortal Kombat: Deception [Xbox, PS2]
The Mortal Kombat series has plenty of keen fans, and they should be pleased by the re-release of the original MK games as well as this brand new Deception title. It will doubtlessly inklude nasty fatalities, laughable babalities and maybe other things ending in '-ality' (as well as many words miss-spelt with a K). Importantly, it will also be the first MK game to include online play.

Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy [Xbox, PS2]
This cleverly fuses the 2 most faddish phrases currently propelling the games industry: 'stealth-action' and 'psychological-thriller'. If such telekinetic gameplay is as exciting as promised, this could be Midway's key showing at E3.

Shadow Hearts: Covenant [PS2]
The first Shadow Hearts game was a reasonably satisfying RPG, and its sequel takes place six months on (retaining a World War One setting). However, Midway may be disheartened by the fact that SHC will be very much overshadowed by the enormous girths of titles like Fable and Final Fantasy XII.

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