Midway sent word today detailing its plans for the Electronic Entertainment Expo, which begins May 10. The publisher has several titles planned for Nintendo DS, Nintendo GameCube, Game Boy Advance and Wii. Although not all of them will be on display, here's a list of games we can expect over the course of 2006.
- Blitz: The League
- (Wii - October 2006) Blitz: The League exposes the harsh and troubling, behind-the-scenes stories of a fictional professional football league. Midway notes the game will not be playable for Wii at E3.
- Happy Feet
(GCN, Wii, GBA, NDS - November 2006) The title is based on Warner Bros. Pictures' upcoming comedy adventure HappyFeet. Midway says the game "puts the player in the "tap shoes" of Mumble, a young penguin born into a nation of singing Emperor Penguins where each needs a Heartsong to attract a soul mate. Unfortunately, Mumble is the worst singer in the world...however, as it happens, he is a brilliant tap dancer! Based on the general storyline of the film, the player will be able to experience life from the point of view of Mumble in music, dance and interaction with the friends and enemies of the penguin's world." - The Ant Bully
(GCN, GBA - July 2006, Wii - November 2006) The game is based on the upcoming Warner Bros. Pictures animated film The Ant Bully. Midway describes the story: "After bullying an innocent ant colony, a young boy named Lucas is magically shrunk down to ant size and embarks on a remarkable adventure. Play as Lucas, experiencing the dangerous and thrilling life of an ant as you battle, explore and forge new friendships with natives and other species in his new ant world." - The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy
(GCN, GBA - November 2006) It's a fighting-adventure game based on the Cartoon Network television show. Battle mode allows up to four players to use a multitude of weapons in destructible arenas. Players also have the option to play on their own or with a friend in mission mode. There are a series of 45 story-based missions which will encourage players to unlock new weapons and characters like the Boogey Man and Jack O'Lantern.
IGN.com interviewed Kraig Kujawa, one of the designers for Midway's upcoming Blitz: The League title. IGN asked if the game would be built from the ground up for Wii, or instead adapted from the other traditional console versions. Kujawa said it would be a mix. "The Nintendo Wii controller challenges us to rethink everything and that's really part of its charm," he said. "For awhile, we were miming in front of a TV with Yo-Yos and glo-sticks trying to wrap our brains around the possibilities, but now that we have the controller and the details, I'm convinced that we can do some amazingly fun stuff with it. As such, many of the gameplay mechanics will be completely built from scratch. As for the rest of the game, Blitz for Wii (affectionately called Blitz: The Wiigue here at the offices) will essentially be a much improved version of the original Blitz: The League. We're adding some cool new features that didn't make it into the last game, and a few special bonuses as well. We're really excited about the possibilities for this product and we think gamers will be equally as happy."