''Midway Arcade Treasures 3'' is the third and final compilation of classic

arcade game An arcade game or coin-op game is a coin-operated entertainment machine typically installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are presented as primarily game of skill, games of skill and in ...

s published by Midway for the

GameCube The is a PowerPC-based home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on September 14, 2001, in North America on November 18, 2001, in Europe on May 3, 2002, and in Australia on May 17, 2002. It is the suc ...

PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...

, and

Xbox Xbox is a video gaming brand that consists of four main home video game console lines, as well as application software, applications (games), the streaming media, streaming service Xbox Cloud Gaming, and online services such as the Xbox networ ...

. This compilation includes 8 racing games that were not in the 2003 and 2004 releases ''

Midway Arcade Treasures ''Midway Arcade Treasures'' is a video-game compilation of 24 arcade games, emulated from the original printed circuit board, PCBs. The compilation was developed by Digital Eclipse and issued by Midway Games, Midway for the PlayStation 2, Xbox (c ...

'' and '' Midway Arcade Treasures 2''. Like the first and second installments, however, the Xbox version is not backwards compatible on the

Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the Xbox (console), original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, with detail ...

. Unlike the other installments in the ''Midway Arcade Treasures'' series, it is rated E for Everyone by the ESRB. It also differs from the other installments by focusing on one specific genre (3D racing games), while the first two featured games from a wide variety of genres. The Xbox version has the exclusive ability to upload scores to an online scoreboard to

Xbox Live The Xbox network, formerly known and commonly referred to as Xbox Live, is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft Gaming for the Xbox brand. It was first made available to the origina ...

. In line with other online-enabled games on the

, online support was available to players until April 15, 2010. ''Midway Arcade Treasures 3'' is now supported online again on the replacement Xbox Live servers called

Insignia An insignia () is a sign or mark distinguishing a group, grade, rank, or function. It can be a symbol of personal power or that of an official group or governing body. An insignia, which is typically made of metal or fabric, is a standalone sy ...

Games

The games included in ''Midway Arcade Treasures 3'' are: * ''

Badlands Badlands are a type of dry terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils have been extensively eroded."Badlands" in '' Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 47. They are characterized by steep slopes, ...

'' (1989) * '' Offroad Thunder'' (1999) * ''

Race Drivin' ''Race Drivin'' is a sim racing arcade video game released by Atari Games in August 1990. Players test drive several high-powered sports cars on stunt and speed courses. The game is the sequel to 1989's '' Hard Drivin and was part of a new ge ...

'' (1990) * '' San Francisco Rush the Rock: Alcatraz Edition'' (1997) * '' S.T.U.N. Runner'' (1989) * ''

Super Off Road ''Ivan 'Ironman' Stewart's Super Off Road'' is an Arcade game, arcade video game released in 1989 by Leland Corporation. The game was designed and managed by John Morgan who was also lead programmer, and endorsed by professional Off-road racing, ...

'' (including its upgrade/add-on pack, ''Super Off Road Track Pack'')

989 Year 989 ( CMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Emperor Basil II uses his contingent of 6,000 Varangians to help him defeat Bardas Phokas (the Younger), who suffe ...

* '' Hydro Thunder'' (1999) * '' San Francisco Rush 2049'' (1999) While most of the games in this collection are emulations or recreations of the arcade versions, ''Hydro Thunder'' and ''Rush 2049'' are based on the console versions, specifically ports of the

Dreamcast The is the final home video game console manufactured by Sega. It was released in Japan on November 27, 1998, in North America on September 9, 1999 and in Europe on October 14, 1999. It was the first sixth-generation video game console, prec ...

releases. Additionally, ''San Francisco Rush: The Rock'' was re-programmed from the ground up; while the tracks and vehicles are the same as the arcade version, the physics engine is slightly different, and the audio has been replaced, save for the "What's Your Name?" high score music, but this version runs at 60 frames per second, which is faster than the arcade. ''Super Off Road'' and its ''Track Pack'' is the only game on this collection, and in the entire trilogy, that was not developed by Midway, Williams Electronics, or

Atari Games Atari Games Corporation was an American producer of arcade video games, active from 1985 to 1999, then as Midway Games West Inc. until 2003. It was formed when the coin-operated video game division of Atari, Inc. was transferred by its owner Wa ...

. It was developed and published by the

Leland Corporation The Leland Corporation was an American video game company formed on June 5, 1987, from the assets of Cinematronics. It was a subsidiary of arcade and home game producer Tradewest, which acquired those assets out of the former company’s bankrup ...

, the predecessor of

Midway Studios San Diego THQ San Diego, known as Midway Studios San Diego until 2009, was an American game developer based in San Diego, San Diego, California. It was the successor to the Leland Corporation and Cinematronics. History In 1994, Midway Games parent WMS ...

, which was acquired as part of the purchase of

Tradewest Tradewest, Inc. was an American video game company based in Corsicana, Texas that produced numerous games in the 1980s and early 1990s. The company was the publisher of the '' Battletoads'' and ''Double Dragon'' series in North America and the PAL ...

in 1994. For legal reasons, the image of "Ironman" Ivan Stewart has been altered in the two Super Off Road games; he now has sunglasses and a mustache and both games are now known as simply ''Super Off Road'' (the original arcade versions were known fully as ''Ironman Ivan Stewart's Super Off Road''). "Ironman's" Speed Shop was renamed Off-Road Speed Shop, and Ivan himself (the gray, AI-controlled racer) was renamed "Lightning" Kevin Lydy. Ivan's name does, however, remain intact on the high score list ("IVN") and game credits.

Reception

''Midway Arcade Treasures 3'' received mixed reviews with 66.05% for the PlayStation 2 version, 67.29% for the Xbox version, and 65.61% for the GameCube version from video game aggregator

GameRankings GameRankings was a video gaming review aggregator that was founded in 1999 and owned by CBS Interactive. It indexed over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 video games. GameRankings was discontinued in December 2019, with its staff bei ...

References

External links

* {{Midway Arcade 2005 video games Backbone Entertainment games GameCube games Midway video game compilations Multiplayer and single-player video games PlayStation 2 games Video games developed in the United States Xbox games Midway Studios San Diego games