NFL GameDay 98

Did You Know?

• Sony Computer Entertainment held two pre-Super Bowl XXXII events with the game, one featuring Super Bowl participants Robert Brooks and Terrell Davis playing against each other.
• A second event at the PlayStation NFL players party involved sixteen NFL players.
• The marketing campaign characterized the game as the choice of real NFL players.

Reception

NFL GameDay 98 was met with critical acclaim, much like its two predecessors. Reviewers widely praised its pioneering use of polygonal players in a football game, particularly noting that it achieved this without noticeable slowdown. GameSpot commented that the game proved the PlayStation could deliver a fully 3D football game without major sacrifices in gameplay or aesthetics. Next Generation stated that Sony had successfully reinvented the wheel for the third consecutive year, while Madden was still trying to perfect older methods. Some critics observed that the polygonal players enabled new moves not possible with sprites. The game's accessibility, player animations, and sound effects also received widespread praise. However, some reviewers concluded 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 Madden NFL 98. Electronic Gaming Monthly's Kraig Kujawa similarly considered it too susceptible to money plays to be as outstanding as Madden, though co-reviewer Dean Hager held NFL GameDay 98 to be the better game. GamePro gave it a 4.5 out of 5 in sound and perfect 5.0 scores in graphics, control, and fun factor, but found it less realistic than Madden, likening it to playing street football during the Super Bowl. Next Generation asserted that if Madden NFL 98 outsold NFL GameDay 98, there was a serious problem with the game-buying public. In 1997, Electronic Gaming Monthly ranked it the 31st best console video game of all time, while ranking Madden NFL 98 19th, and named it a runner-up for Sports Game of the Year behind International Superstar Soccer 64. The game was nominated for Best PlayStation Game at the CNET Gamecenter Awards for 1997, which went to Final Fantasy VII. It was also a finalist for Console Sports Game of the Year and Outstanding Achievement in Software Engineering at the 1st Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, which went to International Superstar Soccer 64 and GoldenEye 007 respectively.