MLB SlugFest 20-04
Posted by Ben on Monday, January 13 2003

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 13, 2002--

St. Louis Cardinals(R) Star Jim Edmonds Brings His Adrenaline-Style

Play to the Game as MLB SlugFest 20-04 Cover Athlete

Midway Sports(TM), the sports brand of software industry publisher and developer Midway Games Inc. (NYSE:MWY), announced today that MLB(TM) SlugFest(R) 20-04 is currently in development for the PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system, the Xbox(TM) video game system from Microsoft, Nintendo GameCube(TM) and Game Boy(R) Advance.

Officially licensed by Major League Baseball Properties and MLBPA, MLB SlugFest 20-04 is the exclusive aggressive-style baseball videogame experience, delivering a proprietary blend of hardcore, lightning-fast, adrenaline-style gameplay combined with key baseball features that please even the most hardcore sports fan. MLB SlugFest 20-04 also features cover athlete Jim Edmonds, of the St. Louis Cardinals(R) along with real MLB players, teams and stadiums.

"In this year's MLB SlugFest 20-04, the new features are substantial, offering even more of what made SlugFest a best-seller the first year it was introduced," said Helene Sheeler, vice president of marketing, Midway.

MLB SlugFest 20-04 features enormous athletes with over-the-top abilities, including turbo-powered running, play-of-the-week caliber fielding and out-of-the-park hitting. In addition, all-new features add plenty of adrenaline to this year's experience: new modes include Create-A-Team, which allows gamers to form their own All-Star team; Customizable Instant Replay, allowing gamers control of the camera and the ability to view their towering home runs and diving catches; and Home Run Derby(TM), which pits gamers' favorite MLB players against the most feared long ball hitters in the league.

Graphically, MLB SlugFest 20-04 combines more than 1,500 animations combined with revolutionary player models, resulting in each player being mapped to his exact likeness. Stadiums are also rendered to perfection. Authentic batting stances and pitch motions also add to the realism of the game as players in the field look and swing, and batters and pitchers look and throw, like their MLB counterparts.

MLB SlugFest 20-04 also features music from hot bands along with original DVD content that includes the behind-the-scenes making of the game and Jim Edmonds highlight footage: A Day in the Life with Jim Edmonds.

About Jim Edmonds

Entering his tenth full Major League Baseball(R) season, Edmonds has made his mark on the baseball world since his 1993 rookie season. In 1998, his over-the-shoulder, diving catch received an Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly (ESPY) award as the Play of the Year. Edmonds has won five Gold Gloves in the past six seasons, including three in a row since joining the St. Louis Cardinals in 2000. Edmonds finished the 2002 season with a career-best .311 batting average, helping to lead the Cardinals to the National League Championship Series. He ended the season ranked in the National League top ten in batting average (9th), slugging percentage (10th), and on-base percentage (6th). During his three seasons as a member of the Cardinals, Edmonds has accumulated better than a .300 batting average, hit over 100 home runs and collected more than 300 RBI.

MLB SlugFest 20-04 Key Features:

-- NEW -- Create-A-Team: Create your own All-Star team SlugFest

style. Combine your favorite players from both leagues into
one powerhouse ball club, then work your way to a World Series
championship.

-- NEW -- Customizable Instant Replay: Relive those towering home
runs and diving catches. Take control of the camera and view
highlight-quality plays from any angle you desire.

-- NEW -- Home Run Derby(TM): Square off against the most feared
long ball hitters in the league and decide once and for all
who is the king of swing.

-- NEW -- Play-By-Play and Color Commentary: Same popular
announcers. All new dialogue!

-- NEW -- Authentic Batting Stances and Pitching Motion: The
batters look and swing, and the pitchers look and throw, like
their real MLB counterparts.

-- NEW -- Fantasy Stadiums and Characters.

-- NEW -- Music featuring hit songs.

-- NEW -- Expanded Rosters: Now 20 players per team including six
pitchers.

-- Challenging Adrenaline-Style Gameplay: Turbo running,
fielding, batting, and throwing. Midway pumps the adrenaline
up a notch with hard-hitting batters, gas-throwing pitchers,
and plays-of-the-week-caliber fielding to provide the best
possible baseball videogame experience.

-- Unmatched Player Animations: More than 1,500 player animations
and nine motion capture actors deliver the smoothest running,
fielding, batting, and pitching animations of any baseball
videogame.

-- Revolutionary Player Models and Graphics: MLB SlugFest is
recognized for having the most beautiful graphics of any
baseball videogame. Players have faces mapped to their exact
likeness and every stadium is rendered to perfection.

-- MLB- and MLBPA-licensed product: All your favorite MLB teams,
players and stadiums.

-- Updated Schedules, Uniforms and Stadiums.


-- Cover athlete Jim Edmonds of the St. Louis Cardinals.

-- Original DVD content that includes the behind-the-scenes

making of the game and Jim Edmond's highlight footage: A Day

in the Life with Jim Edmonds.

Midway Games Inc. is a developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software. Midway videogames are available for play on videogame platforms including the PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system, the Xbox(TM) video game system from Microsoft, Nintendo GameCube(TM) and Game Boy(R) Advance.

For more information about Midway Games visit www.midway.com.

MIDWAY and SLUGFEST are trademarks of Midway Amusement Games, LLC. Major League Baseball trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of Major League Baseball Properties, Inc. You can reach Major League Baseball on the web at MLB.com. (c) MLBPA-Official Licensee, Major League Baseball Players Association. Visit the Players Choice on the Web at www.bigleaguers.com. The MLBPA logo is a trademark of the Major League Baseball Players Association.

"PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Xbox and Microsoft are trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries. Nintendo GameCube and Game Boy Advance are trademarks of Nintendo. (c) 2001 Nintendo. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Midway has provided the www.bigleaguers.com and MLB.com links solely as a convenience for you. The information on these sites has been prepared by third parties, and Midway does not monitor, endorse or accept responsibility for the content on non-Midway sites.

This press release contains forward-looking statements concerning future business conditions and the outlook for Midway Games Inc. (the "Company") based on currently available information that involve risks and uncertainties. The Company's actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements as a result of these risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, the financial strength of the interactive entertainment industry, dependence on new product introductions and the ability to maintain the scheduling of such introductions, technological changes, dependence on major platform manufacturers and other risks more fully described under "Item 1. Business - Risk Factors" in the Company's current Transition Report on Form 10-K and the other filings made by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission.