Midway Sports Hits It out of the Park with 20-04 Version of Top-Selling Baseball Videogame Franchise MLB Slugfest

Exclusive Aggressive-Style Baseball Videogame Returns with Proprietary Blend of Lightning-Fast Gameplay, Key Baseball Features and Cover Athlete Jim Edmonds of the St. Louis Cardinals®

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 17, 2003-- Midway Sports™, the sports brand of software industry publisher and developer Midway Games Inc., announced today that MLB™ SlugFest® 20-04 has shipped for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, the Xbox™ video game system from Microsoft, Nintendo GameCube™ and Game Boy® Advance.

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

"MLB SlugFest debuted as the best-selling PlayStation 2 baseball videogame its first year on the market," said Helene Sheeler, vice president of marketing, Midway. "MLB SlugFest 20-04 will be another crowd-pleaser with its simultaneous launch across all gaming systems -- including Game Boy Advance -- and even more hardcore action combined with a robust list of all-new baseball features."

MLB SlugFest 20-04 offers real Major League Baseball® athletes with over-the-top abilities, including turbo-powered running, play-of-the-week fielding and out-of-the-park hitting. In addition, all-new features add plenty of adrenaline, including new modes such as 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™, which pits gamers' favorite MLB players against the most feared long ball hitters in the league (PlayStation 2, Xbox and Nintendo GameCube versions).

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

MLB SlugFest 20-04 also features music such as Hoobastank's "Crawling In The Dark," plus 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 (PlayStation 2, Xbox and Nintendo GameCube versions).

About Jim Edmonds

Entering his tenth full Major League Baseball® 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 PlayStation 2, Xbox and Nintendo GameCube 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! "Jimmy Shorts" and Tim Kitzrow return with all-new SlugFest-style humorous color commentary.

• 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 Hoobastank's hit song, "Crawling In The Dark."

• 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 2003 Season 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.

NEW MLB SlugFest 20-04 Game Boy Advance Key Features:

• 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.

• Fast-Action Batter/Pitcher Interface: Some of the fastest baseball you've ever seen.

• Strategic Contact: Chin music, fist-first or spikes high? Your decisions affect the game's momentum and final outcome.

• Control: Intuitive, fast-action, adrenaline-style controls.

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

• Revolutionary Pitcher/Batter Interface: Carefully select your pitch or choose to put the batter on his back.