"NHL 98 scores a solid 9."

NHL 98 by EA Sports was released for Sega Genesis in 1997. It had a hard past to follow from NHLPA 93 to NHL 96. EA had been known for great hockey games and they didn’t disappoint with NHL 98.

Gameplay: 9
NHL 98 has great gameplay. Once again as in all of the NHL games you can pick from every team in the league and features all the players. Things may be a little quicker then you are used to but it’s easy to pick up. I really like this game because there isn’t a single pattern to use to score goals, in an earlier year you could just wrap around the net and dump it in for a goal. In this title you must really try new things and get creative to score your goals. Controlling players is tricky at first because of the speed of the game but as I already mentioned is easy to pick up on. You can also control your goalie which I really like, now you can’t blame the computer if someone scores on you.

Story: --
Take you’re favorite team through A Season or Playoffs and try to win the Stanley Cup and be the best team in the league.

Graphics: 8
The graphics are really nice although you must remember it is Genesis so the graphics can’t be too high quality. I believe NHL 98 is the best you could do with Genesis’ capabilities so that’s why it received a high mark.

Sound: 8.5
EA Did a really nice job on the sound for this game compared to some of the other games. Now remember this is still Sega Genesis, but EA threw in some popular songs that are used in all arenas, the sound affects are somewhat scratchy but they get the job done so you know what actually happened. Overall the sound was well done for the Genesis.

Replay: 9
Finally a hockey game that is hard to get sick of, with many modes including a season mode which used to not be included in EA’s hockey games is here. Also many other modes such as shootout, playoffs, and exhibition mode. Two player games will keep the game fun if you have some friends that like to play the game. If you win the Stanley Cup with your favorite team it is always fun to come back and do it again with a new team just to experiment.

OVERALL: 9
I’m sure you can find this game very cheap anywhere you go and it is definitely worth it. This is one of the best hockey games to grace the Sega Genesis, so I encourage you to go pick this game up and you may get hooked. The Season mode can take up a lot of time so you shouldn’t get too bored playing it. So call up some friends and have a two player game or start a new season with your favorite team and I will bet you will have a great time.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 02/13/03, Updated 02/13/03