the following games are potential titles that I think needs to be re-released even if a MAT4 never gets made. while some might think that NRS wont be doing this again, I would disagree since Rare Replay is the most recent example & it was actually successful. especially when it was able to successfully port Battletoads Arcade for the first time since 1994.
MORTAL KOMBAT 4
the last Mortal Kombat arcade game that has yet to be properly ported to home consoles, this MK game has been on my mind for quite sometime and needs to be released. while some would suggest MK Gold as a port, it's not MK4. much like how both UMK3 & MK Trilogy is an expansion to MK3, and all of them should be released as a true Komplete Kollection, unlike the Komplete Kollection that left those 3 games out. Mortal Kombat 4 is not as fondly remembered as MK II or UMK3, but I always thought it was fun to play and had a great soundtrack. unlike modern MK games where the soundtrack feels less epic as it did before. Mortal Kombat 4 was a tougher game to port to home consoles, but after almost 20 years later, I think that the technology has caught up by now where porting the true arcade game shouldn't even be a problem anymore. until that happens, and until they also include the original MK3 and a fixed version of MK Trilogy, the fans will continue to not have a definitive Komplete Kollection.
THE GRID
a game that looks incredibly fun to play, it has never been ported to home consoles. I've never even had a chance to play it nor do I remember seeing it in arcades near me when they used to be around. The Grid is a chapter of Midway history that continues to be overlooked and almost completely ignored. it's also the very last arcade game released by Midway right before the disaster that is Special Forces came out. I'm not sure as to why this game hasn't been given a decent port, but like what I said about Mortal Kombat 4, that shouldn't be a problem anymore.
TERMINATOR 2
legal issues aside, this is one arcade game that I think deserves to be ported to home consoles. one of the coolest arcade games from the early 90's, it's also pretty difficult. this arcade game also came out 1 year before MK and was one of the first games that John Vogal worked on. this game was released on home consoles by Acclaim, but the original arcade game needs a proper port. I think T2 Arcade would be one of the biggest highlights in picking up a copy of MAT4 (if it ever got made). while legal issues might be a factor, that didn't stop NRS from getting guest characters in Mortal Kombat X from 3 completely different companies (Dark Sky Films - Leatherface / Paramount Pictures - Jason Voorhees / 20th Century Fox - Alien & Predator).
AREA 51
much like Rampage World Tour Edition, Primal Rage, & Pit Fighter in MAT2, this could easily be one of the most simplest things to port to a MAT4 type of game. I've played this game a few times as a kid, and I remember this game coming out during the alien invasion craze that was going on during the mid 90's due to films such as Independence Day & Mars Attacks. I'm not exactly sure if the PSX & Sega Saturn ports are done well or which one is the Best Of The Ports, but I'm sure that they could get a more faithful port very easily if they could.
TRON
I'm not sure if this game has been properly ported, but I'm sure that it would not be difficult to port it now. some will say that they couldn't get the rights from Disney, I will easily disagree since I keep pointing to MKX as a perfect example of multiple companies giving one company permission to use their content. it's yet another movie titled arcade game that could also be one of the biggest highlights to own MAT4. while it has been released on Xbox Live, I'm not sure if it's still available since it's been 8 years since then and the Xbox 360 has been discontinued. still, it's a title worthy enough to be ported to home consoles. also, as a side note, stop with this remake bulls*** and just make Tron 3 already Disney!
NBA JAM
one of the hottest sports titles by Midway in the 90's, no retro Midway collection would be complete without it. while EA retains the license to the franchise (I think), I don't think they would mind of NRS ports this title since they still have some level of ownership. much like Tecmo Super Bowl, NBA Jam is still one of the best basketball game series ever made and a perfect example of a 90's sport game that was fun & competitive.
REVOLUTION X
if MAT4 was ever made, this title should be included. as far as I know, it has not been successfully ported to home consoles, and the arcade game has yet to be ported to modern consoles. one of the biggest things to remember about Revolution X is that it was promoted by Areosmith. and the person who can save Areosmith is Kerri Hoskins aka Sonya Blade from Mortal Kombat 3. I definitely remember seeing ads for this game as a kid, and I only remember playing a few stages in one of the home ports. whether or not the game has any legal issues with Areosmith that could prevent the game from being properly ported, but like I said about T2 Arcade & Tron, I highly doubt that this would be impossible to do. cause, again, MKX worked this problem out between 3 completely different companies. still, it would be nice to include this game in a MAT4 type game.
CARNEVIL
I don't know much about this game, however, I do think it deserves to be given a port since it has never been given that treatment. it's an on rail shooter and it sounds like an interesting game that I actually would like to try. but since it's never been ported to consoles, that's going to be rather difficult to do unless you have a computer powerful enough to run MAME.
WARGODS / MACE THE DARK AGE / BIO F.R.E.A.K.S.
as I tend to call the Obscure Midway Fighters Trilogy, these 3 fighting games should be ported to consoles for those who are curious to try one of their more obscure fighting games that isn't Mortal Kombat. however, not only do I think all 3 titles should be ported to home consoles, but I also think that all 3 of these titles should be candidates for remakes. if not by NRS directly, then at least by 3 separate studios as a competition (even though I think Bio Freaks has the most potential to be revived). hell, if NRS gave me enough money and a crew, I would be happy to give them an idea for a Bio Freaks remake. if they wont do it, then at the very least give someone else the opportunity to remake it for them. why do I think they should do this? because all they currently have to their credit of MK9, MKX, Injustice 1 & Injustice 2..........that's it. while some may think that they don't need to do it since all they need is MK for some reason and that they're now owned by Warner Brothers, I don't think NRS can survive with just these 2 titles alone. they need to offer a lot more than Mortal Kombat & Injustice at some point if they want to stay relevant and expand their IP catalogue.
for those who don't know what these titles are, let me explain:
WARGODS: a fighting video game originally released to arcades by Midway Games in 1995. Ports for the Nintendo 64, PlayStation and Windows were released in 1997. In the game, players control one of ten fighters who have been given great power by a mysterious ore that crashed-landed on Earth from outer space. The object of the game is to defeat all the other fighters to become the most powerful warrior on the planet
Cast: Ahau Kin / Anubis / CY-5 / Kabuki Jo / Maximus / Pagan / Tak / Vallah / Voodoo / & Warhead
MACE THE DARK AGE: a fighting video game released by Atari for arcade machines in 1997 and ported by Midway to the Nintendo 64 in 1997.
Cast: Al' Rashid / Mordos Kull / Koyasha / Lord Deimos / Namira / Ragnar Bloodaxe / Takeshi Tsunami / Taria de Castillo / The Executioner / Xiao Long / & multiple hidden fighters
BIO F.R.E.A.K.S.: a 3D fighting video game released by Midway in 1998. It was originally planned for arcades. Prototypes of the game were tested at arcades, but the final arcade release was canceled (although a ROM image of the prototype was eventually dumped and works in MAME) and the game was later released for the PlayStation, Nintendo 64 and PC. Fun Fact: the composer for Bio Freaks, Aubrey Hodges, also provided the score for the home console ports to PSX Doom, PSX Final Doom, Doom 64, N64 Quake, & N64 Quake II.
Cast: Zipperhead / Bullzeye / Minatek / Delta / Psyclown / Ssapo / Sabotage / Clonus / & Mutilator
well, that's about it. if I left out anything, let me know. whether or not a Midway Arcade Treasures 4 type of game will ever happen, at least I was able to give my opinions on which games should be brought back as a console port and at least suggesting the idea for a MAT4 game to happen since there was a remake back in 2011 of the first game.
in either case, I wish you all a happy Memorial Day weekend. and as always, have yourselves a kick ass day.
