NFL GameDay 98

NFL GameDay 98 is a video game developed by Sony Interactive Studios America and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation. It was the first football video game to feature 3D polygonal graphics (it took longer for football games to adopt fully polygonal graphics than other genres because their large number of players and requisite fast pace made it difficult to do so at a reasonable frame rate).[4]

NFL GameDay 98
Developer(s)Sony Interactive Studios America
Publisher(s)Sony Computer Entertainment
SeriesNFL GameDay
Platform(s)PlayStation
Release
Genre(s)Sports
Mode(s)Players: 1-8

Gameplay

NFL GameDay 98 is a football game featuring polygon players and a 3D engine.[5]

Development

Jerome Bettis and Tim Brown served as the motion capture actors for the game.[6]

Reception
Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
EGM9.25/10[7]
GameSpot7.8/10[8]
IGN8.8/10[9]
Next Generation[5]

Like its two predecessors, NFL GameDay 98 was met with critical acclaim. Reviewers universally applauded its pioneering use of polygonal players in a football game, and in particular, the fact that it manages to do so without noticeable slowdown.[7][8][9][5][10] GameSpot, for example, remarked that "After two years of sprite-based 32-bit football games, many believed it wasn't possible to create a fully 3D PlayStation football game without making tremendous sacrifices in gameplay or aesthetics. NFL GameDay '98 is proof that the PlayStation is capable of accomplishing such feats."[8] Next Generation stated that "While Madden is still trying to get old school done right in the 32-bit age, Sony has, for the third year in a row, successfully reinvented the wheel and made it spin."[5] Some critics also noted that the use of polygons for the players enabled new moves that would not be possible with sprites.[7][8]

Reviews also widely praised the game's accessibility,[7][9][5][10] player animations,[8][9][5][10] and sound effects.[8][9] However, some still concluded that it fell second to its chief competitor, Madden NFL 98. GameSpot found the selection of moves excessive and the A.I. more vulnerable to "money plays" than that of Madden NFL 98.[8] Electronic Gaming Monthly's Kraig Kujawa likewise found it too susceptible to "money plays" to consider it as outstanding as Madden, though his co-reviewer Dean Hager held NFL GameDay 98 to be the better of the two games.[7] GamePro, while giving it a 4.5 out of 5 in sound and a perfect 5.0 in every other category (graphics, control, and funfactor), found it to be less realistic than Madden, likening it to stepping outside during the Super Bowl to play street football.[10] Next Generation, however, asserted that if Madden NFL 98 were to outsell NFL GameDay 98, "then there is a serious problem with the game-buying public."[5]

In 1997 Electronic Gaming Monthly named the PlayStation version the 31st best console video game of all time (while ranking Madden NFL 98 as 19th best), citing its revolutionary 3D graphics and solid gameplay.[11]

Reviews

References
  1. Bassave, Roy (August 26, 1997). "Video Football Season Starts". Miami Herald. p. 72. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  2. "Huge Sports Extravaganza". IGN. August 21, 1997. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  3. "GameFan Sports". GameFan. 5 (7): 87. July 1997. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  4. "NFL GameDay '98: Sony's Incredible 3-D Football Game Gains the Graphical Edge". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 98. Ziff Davis. September 1997. p. 124.
  5. "Pay Dirt". Next Generation. No. 35. Imagine Media. November 1997. p. 190.
  6. Air Hendrix (August 1997). "Sports Insider Previews: NFL GameDay '98". GamePro. No. 107. IDG. p. 80.
  7. "Team EGM Sports: NFL GameDay 98". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 99. Ziff Davis. October 1997. p. 192.
  8. "NFL GameDay 98 Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  9. "NFL GameDay 98 Review". IGN. August 26, 1997. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  10. Scary Larry (October 1997). "Having a Good Day". GamePro. No. 109. IDG. p. 151.
  11. "100 Best Games of All Time". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 100. Ziff Davis. November 1997. pp. 140, 147. Note: Contrary to the title, the intro to the article (on page 100) explicitly states that the list covers console video games only, meaning PC games and arcade games were not eligible.
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