CHICAGO – March 8, 2004 – Midway Games Inc. (NYSE: MWY), a leading software industry publisher and developer, announced today that The Suffering, the all-new, action horror game today has shipped for the PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system and the Xbox(R) video game system from Microsoft.

“The Suffering captures the disturbing and terrifying nature of the horror genre in a compelling third-person action/adventure game set in the mature and gritty world of a maximum-security prison,” said Steve Allison, chief marketing officer, Midway. “The Suffering has already generated massive awareness and backed by a multi-million dollar marketing campaign, we are confident that the game will be well received.” By alternating periods of tense and terror-filled exploration with frenetic combat sequences, The Suffering creates the ultimate experience of terror. In the dark world of The Suffering, creatures jump out of shadows, fall out of trees, and erupt out of the ground, attacking the player in the most frightening ways possible. Along with a cast of uniquely hardened criminals and guards, players must battle not only the ghoulish apparitions besieging the prison but also the demons of their own forgotten past.

The player controls the prisoner Torque, a hardened inmate in his late 20s, sentenced to die for a murder he may or may not have actually committed. Underneath Torque’s tough exterior hides a man who is not quite psychologically balanced, who fears far more than he would ever admit to. As a side effect of his mental instability, Torque has flashbacks to the events from his past, throbbing images that depict the events that lead up to the crime for which he was imprisoned. Torque is also subject to black outs where he becomes extremely violent and transforms into a massive monster hell-bent on destruction.

The Suffering has been receiving high praise from the media:

• “…The Suffering is, hands down, the scariest and most unnerving video game I have ever played, out-horror-ing Silent Hill, Resident Evil and Fatal Frame combined.” – 94/100 – PSE2 Magazine
• “The Suffering has made prison even scarier.” – Game of the Month – Stuff Magazine
• “In a genre that's overrun with sequels and lame attempts at horror, The Suffering is a breath of fresh death rattle.” – 8.5/10 – IGN.com
• “Enter a prison haunted by executed inmates, and try to escape using what few wits a psychologically tortured prisoner can muster.” – 4/5 stars – Maxim

The Suffering marketing highlights include:

• National television advertising campaign on multiple mainstream broadcast and cable networks including FOX, UPN, MTV, Comedy Central, Cartoon Network, ESPN, and FUSE among others
• Aggressive online campaign to top enthusiast Web sites including Gamespot.com, IGN.com, UGO.com, and Gamespy.com among others
• Dedicated web presence at www.thesuffering.midway.com
• Print advertising campaign across multiple major video game and consumer publications
• National point of purchase programs at major game retailers including EB Games, GameStop and Toys R’ Us.

The Suffering Key Features:

• 9 gritty and terrifying levels—transverse indoor and outdoor terrain and horror lurking in every dark corner.
• Amazing character morphing effect—fills your rage meter and transform into a hideous and powerful creature.
• Over 10 deadly weapons from the shiv to the flamethrower to help you survive this nightmare.
• A dozen horrific monsters—each representing the means of execution that befell them—stalk your every move.
• Blood and gore galore, dripping, pooling and splattering every level of your frightening journey.
• Interact with hardened criminals featuring advanced AI; garner their assistance or end their life on your path to freedom—it’s your choice.
• 3 distinct endings depending on how you play the game. Are you a cold-blooded killer, a man wrongfully accused or something else?
• Intricate levels featuring moveable and destructible environments.