A reminder that N64 just isn’t the console for simulation sports.
Nintendo 64
Released in 1998 by EA Sports
Grade: C+
I already reviewed the PS1 version of NHL 99, which is ugly as hell and really doesn’t stand the test of time. The N64 version looks more polished but suffers from the same gameplay flaws.
Where it falls in the series
It’s EA’s only NHL game on N64, which is odd since they released 97 through 2001 on PS1, and since other EA Sports titles have multiple N64 installments.
Praises and gripes
The general hockey ingredients aren’t bad. Skating, passing, and shooting feel about right, although slightly jumpy. Hitting guys to steal the puck isn’t as intuitive as it should be though.
The game logic is okay, with a big exception being that you can often skate up to the goalie but rarely score on your 1-on-1 opportunity. You’ll rely on one-timers to score.
I don’t know how video games are actually made, so I never know why games differ on different consoles, but there’s a tangible difference in gameplay between this and the PS1 version. The puck is more floaty, which is bad, but the camera is more steady, which is good. And of course the graphics look nicer, with more color and less graininess.
All in all, the gameplay just doesn’t have the raw excitement to make up for its lack of realism. Hockey nerds will find it unfulfilling. Casual gamers will find it boring.
Back in the day, if you you wanted a 5-on-5 hockey game for N64, this was your only decent option. Acclaim’s two Breakaway titles and Konami’s Blades of Steel title are all terrible. Midway’s arcade style 3-on-3 Wayne Gretzky 3D Hockey series is probably the most fun you’ll have playing hockey on N64.