News
Midway: Arctic Thunder™ Delivers Intense Combat and Incredible Speed to the Xbox™ Videogame System From Microsoft
Arctic Thunder Launches as Only Next-Generation Snowmobile Action-Racing Game with Weapon Combat
CHICAGO – November 15, 2001 – Midway Games Inc. (NYSE: MWY), a leading software industry publisher and developer, announced today that Arctic Thunder™ will ship tomorrow for the Xbox™ video game system from Microsoft. Arctic Thunder shipped for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system on September 18.
Pushing the limits on speed, hand-to-hand and weapon combat, Arctic Thunder is a fast-paced, battle-intensive snowmobile racing game. Players can choose from racing veterans – Agent 5, Candy, Dirty McKurdy, Mai Zhou Lin, Ponzo and Willie Quinn – or unlock more than ten additional hidden characters. Each character possesses unique skills and personalities which are matched with his or her own custom snowmobile. To add more intensity to the racing action players can obliterate opponents with an arsenal of weapons including atomic snowballs, proximity missiles and super attacks.
“Simply put, this game is 100 percent fun,” said Helene Sheeler, vice president of marketing, Midway. “It is exhilarating to be able to ride your sled at such dangerously fast speeds, and all the while fire off your incredible arsenal of weaponry!”
In addition to the high-speed combat action, Arctic Thunder features a multi-player battle arena mode, where players battle head-to-head in an enclosed ice arena. Players must use an array of explosive weaponry and strategic weapon combat tactics in order to destroy their opponents.
Arctic Thunder lets you shred through 12 wild, nail-biting courses (each with a unique setting) including six open courses: Blizzard in DC, Lost Himalayan City, Chernobyl Meltdown, Swiss Alps, Haunted Forest and Alaskan Pipeline. Players are able to unlock up to six hidden tracks: Sports Arena, Logging Camp, UFO, China, Atlantis and Theme Park. During the race, players perform tricks to earn points to upgrade sleds and achieve victory.
Arctic Thunder Xbox Key Features
Weapons – Use weapon power-ups such as atomic snowballs, proximity missiles, super attack, snow bombs and more
Hand-to-hand Combat – Punch and kick opponents off their snowmobiles
Additional Power-ups – Collect boosts for speed, shields for defense and health power-ups
Twelve Tracks – Six open including Alaskan Pipeline and Blizzard in DC, and six hidden
Fifteen-Plus Characters – Six released including Willie Q., Candy and Agent 5, with more than ten hidden
Tricks – Perform cool tricks while getting major air to gain points and upgrade the sled throughout the game
Upgrade Shop – Increase the snowmobile’s power and the number, strength and accuracy of power-ups
Battle Arena – Two to four players battle head-to-head on several unique, enclosed ice arenas
Amazing Air – Jump off edges of cliffs into lushly-detailed worlds
Six Different Modes – Race, Points, Battle Arena, Upgrade Shop, Training and Arcade
Midway Games Inc. is a leading developer, publisher and marketer of interactive entertainment software. Midway videogames are available for play or scheduled for release on all major videogame platforms including the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, Xbox™ video game system from Microsoft, Nintendo GameCube™ and Game Boy® Advance.
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ARCTIC THUNDER, all character names and MIDWAY are trademarks of Midway Amusement Games, LLC.
Xbox and Microsoft are trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries. “PlayStation” and the “PS” Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective companies.
This press release contains certain 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 certain risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, the financial strength of the amusement games 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 “Risk Factors'' in the Company's annual report on Form 10-K filed on September 28, 2001 with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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