Developer: Software Creations Publisher: Midway
Released: December 4, 1997 Rated: E 7/10
Okay, so I had a lot of good things to say about the first entry in the Gretzky 3D series. And sure, all of those things are still true about Gretzky 98. But stop me if you’ve heard this one before: there isn’t a whole lot going on in this version of the game other than a roster update. Sure, there’s a new “simulation mode” that offers a more traditional 5-on-5 experience with options for rules and penalties, though it’s not going to deliver the same level of sim-style approach as either Acclaim or EA’s options, and was never the reason folks would opt for this series. So its inclusion is an effective contrast, but not any reason to put it in because it offers “more” than its predecessor. In fact, it’s one of several games in the N64 library that tries to place feet in both camps in the interest of variety and value, but while most of the “new” content in ‘98 comes from the simulation features, playing it this way is still completely at odds with how it actually feels to skate, check, and shoot.
Without any changes to the actual gameplay from the previous iteration, changes to the structure of a game that being Gretzky ‘98 in line with more traditional hockey — 5-on-5 gameplay, slower pace/larger rinks, penalties, player fatigue, etc. — are as out of place as a Stanley Cup in Toronto. With Tim Kitzrow still barking his high-energy commentary phrases, turbo boosts rocketing players down the ice, and goalies being practically unbeatable on regular shots, nothing about Midway’s actual execution of hockey is conducive to using these settings. It’s a lot of extra fluff that was probably pretty easy to add in and sell the game as a new, enhanced iteration, but even in a time where simulation hockey games weren’t exactly a thing yet, nothing about this franchise is going to get you there.
But Gretzky ‘98 at least doesn’t mess with the formula of its arcade side, leaving an effective way to experience the series, even if it’s not necessary to experience both entries or both styles. It’s still fast and user-friendly, up until you notch a one or two-goal lead and it rubber-bands back on you, often even harder than the original ever did. And for fans of a very particular era of hockey, the original game and the ‘98 version offer two interesting sides of the same coin, with the aesthetic of the league changing pretty drastically in only a year since the first game’s N64 port, following the relocation/rebranding of four teams in one of hockey’s most transitional and star-studded eras ever.
Additional Information
Saves: Controller Pak
Compatible With: None
Players: 1-4
Print Guides: None
Aggregate Critical Reception (GameRankings): 62.25%, based on 8 reviews
Other Releases: EU, June 1, 1999
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One response to “Wayne Gretzky’s 3D Hockey ’98”
[…] Okay, now this is just lame, Midway. If you haven’t done so first, check out the profiles of the two Wayne Gretzky’s 3D Hockey titles, where you’ll find a tremendous amount of enthusiasm for the first game, and a noticeable reduction of this enthusiasm for the follow-up. I’m still not the type to get too negative about a game that’s simply not much of an update, but this is egregious, as many publications of the time were apt to point out. This may have been given to a different developer, with a rookie team at Treyarch handling the jersey swaps, player building, and Olympic formatting, but from a gameplay perspective, it is practically identical to Wayne Gretzky’s 3D Hockey 98. […]