 | Release: | May 3, 2007 - PlayStation 3 (US) June 29, 2007 - PlayStation 3 (EU) |
| Delisting (approx.): | July 1, 2010 (Available For: 3y 1m) |
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| Developer: | Midway | |
| Publisher: | Sony Online Entertainment | |
| Available On: | Retail (See Below) | |
| Links: | US PlayStation Blog Post |
Delisting
In January of 2007 Midway Games and Sony Online Entertainment announced a collaboration to bring six downloadable Midway titles to the PlayStation 3. In the wake of Midway’s bankruptcy and closure in 2009 all six titles were delisted after their Xbox 360 counterparts. The games were put on sale one final time through the last week of June 2010 and were likely delisted shortly thereafter. The six games include:
- Championship Sprint
- Gauntlet II
- Joust
- Mortal Kombat II
- Rampage World Tour
- Rampart
On February 17th, 2010 Larry “Major Nelson” Hryb announced on Twitter that nine Midway Games had been removed from Xbox Live “due to publisher evolving rights and permissions”. The nine games include:
- Cyberball 2072
- Defender
- Gauntlet
- Joust
- Paperboy
- Robotron: 2084
- Root Beer Tapper
- Smash TV
- Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3
These “evolving rights” related to Midway’s bankruptcy and financial woes as the company shut down operations through 2010. After filing for bankruptcy in February of 2009, Midway received a bid of more than $33 million from Warner Bros. for the majority of the company’s assets. With the sale completed by July 10th the remaining studios were either closed or sold off (namely to SouthPeak Games and to THQ who would themselves file for bankruptcy in 2012).
Warner Bros. Consolidation
While these original releases are currently delisted almost all of them are available in new digital bundles or on physical discs. Midway Arcade Origins contains 30 titles and was released to retail by Warner Bros. on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It is currently available to download on Xbox 360 as well.
Warner Bros. has also re-released Mortal Kombat II and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 in the Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Paperboy is available in the downloadable version of Midway Arcade Treasures Extended Play, published digitally in 2010 for the PlayStation Portable. This leaves only Rampage: World Tour that cannot currently be downloaded.
Before all of this Midway released dozens of arcade compilations on numerous platforms as far back as the Sega Genesis and Game Boy Color.
About the Game
“Play as the Warrior, Valkyrie, Elf, or the Wizard in Gauntlet II™! Enter a dungeon with several hundred levels as players defeat monster generators that churn out wave after wave of enemies. Players can destroy them to clear the level and find their way to the exit! Collect food for health and magic items for power-ups while plowing through the dungeon. Brought back and available for download exclusively on the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, it’s time to re-experience this classic Midway arcade title.“
- Replay All Your Favorite Characters – Choose from one of four characters, either Thor the Warrior, Merlin the Wizard, Thyra the Valkyrie or Questor the Elf.
- Dungeon Crawling Action in 100+ Unique Levels – Players will fight their way through levels in new ways by having the playfield turned in steps of 90° or the classic invisible walls.
- Control Your Enemies’ Fate, Control Your Own – Players will race to make the enemy “It” and avoid becoming “It” themselves! Release the curse that draws all enemies towards you by touching another player or entering the exit. The medieval game of games is on!
- Multiplayer Action – Play online against other players through the PLAYSTATION Network. Track wins, and see how everyone stacks up against other players through dedicated leader boards.