Midway Games was a leading game developer in the 1980s and 90s. They began by creating popular arcade games, and successfully transitioned to consoles with hits like NBA Jam and Mortal Kombat as the gaming industry evolved. Sadly, Midway couldn’t maintain that success and was forced to sell off its most popular games and shut down in 2010. Luckily, many of their games, including some lesser-known titles, are still available today, though they can sometimes be difficult to find.
Here are six Midway games you likely forgot.
6) Hydro Thunder
Midway’s Thunder series let players experience a variety of exciting extreme sports. With games like Offroad Thunder, 4 Wheel Thunder, and Arctic Thunder, Midway dominated the arcade racing scene. Hydro Thunder was the first game in the series and remains the most popular.
The game looked fantastic, particularly on the Dreamcast, and its speedy boat races were impressive – something many game creators found difficult to achieve. While Midway initially thought about making a follow-up, the team ended up working on ports for other platforms. Years later, after Midway went out of business, Microsoft released Hydro Thunder Hurricane on Xbox Live Arcade, giving fans the sequel they’d been waiting for.
5) The Suffering
Developed by Surreal Software, The Suffering was a horror-themed shooter game. The team had previously worked on the video game adaptation of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, but they are perhaps most remembered for a cancelled game called This Is Vegas. Before that project was shelved, Surreal Software achieved some success with The Suffering, a game where a death row inmate is caught up in a strange, supernatural event triggered by an earthquake.
Compared to games like Resident Evil and The Suffering, this game focuses more on action than pure horror. While it might not be truly frightening, it offers enough suspense and engaging gameplay to keep you entertained. The sequel, Ties That Bind, is a good game, but it doesn’t quite reach the same level as the first one.
4) Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy
I absolutely love Psi-Ops! It’s so cool because you get to use all sorts of mind powers – things like moving objects with your mind, seeing things from far away, controlling people, and even creating fire. You don’t just rely on shooting, though. You have to combine those powers with your gun skills and use them to figure out puzzles and overcome all the tough challenges the game throws at you.
You won’t just fight basic enemies; the game features several challenging bosses with psychic abilities, creating some truly unforgettable battles. Psi-Ops received a lot of praise from critics and was nominated for several awards, but unfortunately, it didn’t sell very well. As a result, the developers, Midway, decided not to make a sequel, although some of the game’s technology was later used in another title.
3) NHL Hitz 20-03
Midway created some truly classic arcade sports games. Titles like NBA Jam and NFL Blitz established them as leaders in the genre. In the 2000s, they expanded their focus, releasing games like RedCard, SlugFest, and NBA Ballers to explore different sports and gameplay styles.
Those games are all good, and I especially enjoy the NBA Ballers soundtrack, but none of them compare to NHL Hitz 20-03. That hockey game is as well-made as classics like Jam and Blitz, and deserves just as much recognition. Sadly, because it’s a hockey game, it never quite reached that same level of popularity.
2) Gauntlet Dark Legacy
Gauntlet Dark Legacy improved upon the already-great hack-and-slash game Atari released in 1998. While Midway originally published the console version of the first game, they fully took the reins for this expanded edition. It’s packed with new content, including five new levels, four new character classes, and plenty of hidden unlockables.
Beyond just adding more characters, Dark Legacy improves how the game plays. It now features two kinds of attacks and combo moves, which add a layer of strategy to battles. You can even team up with another player to pull off even stronger combo attacks. Dark Legacy isn’t a deeply complex game, but if you’re looking for simple, enjoyable action, it’s a great choice.
1) John Wood Presents: Stranglehold
I previously noted that even though Psi-Ops was discontinued, its core team didn’t disappear. They moved on to create Stranglehold, a third-person shooter that’s officially a sequel to John Woo’s film Hard Boiled. Chow Yun-fat returns as Inspector Tequila Yuen in this new game. Fortunately, Stranglehold successfully captures the spirit of the beloved movie, largely due to impressive technology allowing for widespread destruction – technology the team initially developed while working on Psi-Ops.
Stranglehold is heavily inspired by the stylish action films of John Woo, like Hard Boiled and The Killer, featuring over-the-top “gun ballets.” Players control Tequila, who uses slow-motion and incredible gunplay to take down enemies in a visually stunning way. The game also lets you interact with the environment – sliding, swinging, and even riding on objects – all while engaging in intense shootouts. Widely considered one of the best games on the Xbox 360, it’s a fantastic choice for fans of action-packed experiences.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
https://comicbook.com/gaming/list/6-best-midway-games-of-all-time/embed/#
Read More
- Epic Games Store Giving Away $45 Worth of PC Games for Free
- 10 Movies That Were Secretly Sequels
- America’s Next Top Model Drama Allegations on Dirty Rotten Scandals
- All The Howl Propaganda Speaker in Borderlands 4
- 5 Best Superman-Centric Crossover Events
- 10 Ridley Scott Films With the Highest Audience Scores on Rotten Tomatoes
- Overwatch Co-Creator Says His Departure Came From “Biggest F*** You Moment” After Meeting CFO
- 32 Kids Movies From The ’90s I Still Like Despite Being Kind Of Terrible
- These Are the 10 Best Stephen King Movies of All Time
- Best X-Men Movies (September 2025)
2026-03-15 00:12