NHL 98
NHL 98 — frequently asked questions
- What platforms is NHL 98 on?
- NHL 98 was released on Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, PC (Microsoft Windows), Sega Saturn, PlayStation.
- When did NHL 98 release?
- NHL 98 was first released on October 23, 1997.
About NHL 98
NHL 98 features much faster and refined gameplay (now using four action keys instead of two, removing the need to double-tap to perform some actions), along other new features such as "in-the-fly" tactics developed by Marc Crawford, then manager of the Colorado Avalanche and new commentary lines from Jim Hughson and Darryl Reaugh and a re-worked interface. Graphics are improved from the previous version with the players being less angular, and thanks to 3Dfx support, with less pixels showing in the textures. The in-game presentation follows a TV-style script, zooming in players while displaying stats during clock stoppages. As far as game modes go, in the year of the first Olympic Tournament with professional players, NHL 98 introduced the first real international competition, with 18 International teams to choose from. Other game modes include Season (option to pick between 25 or 82 games) and Playoff (best of 1, 3, 5 or 7 matches) and a Penalty Shootout mode.
Summary via IGDB.
Game details
- Platforms
- Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, PC (Microsoft Windows), Sega Saturn, PlayStation
- Developer
- EA Canada
- Publisher
- EA Sports
- Game modes
- Single player, Multiplayer, Co-operative
- Themes
- Action, Non-fiction
- Series
- NHL
Details via IGDB.
Reception
Every version compared
Prices, contemporary reception and the studio credited for each release
| Platform | Year | Loose | Complete | Sealed | Fake risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sega Genesis | 1997 | $21 | $29 | $71 | Low |
Also released on: Super Nintendo Entertainment System · Sega Mega Drive/Genesis · PC (Microsoft Windows) · Sega Saturn · PlayStation. We haven’t priced or authenticated those versions yet.
Collector value & authenticity
Sega Genesis · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-29
What it needs to play
- Some modesSave battery (inside the cartridge) — saves to memory kept alive by a battery inside the cartridge; if that battery has died, saves are lost (MAME cartridge records).
How often it sells
- Loose: about once a week
- Complete: about once a week
- Sealed: about once a year
Prices marked “few sales” rest on about one recorded sale a year, so treat them as a rough guide: the next copy could sell well above or below. Expect to wait for one to come up.
Sales frequency from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, as of 2026-10-29.
Price over time
- Loose
- Complete
A loose copy sold for about $7.13 in Oct 2007, $19.29 five years ago, and $21 as of Oct 2026.
Show as table
| Month | Loose | Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2008 | $45 | — |
| Jan 2009 | $5.64 | — |
| Jan 2010 | $8.00 | — |
| Jan 2011 | $3.99 | — |
| Jan 2012 | $11.04 | — |
| Jan 2013 | $9.99 | — |
| Jan 2014 | $11.00 | $14.99 |
| Jan 2015 | $10.49 | $18.99 |
| Jan 2016 | $12.99 | $15.95 |
| Jan 2017 | $13.00 | $16.95 |
| Jan 2018 | $13.16 | $23 |
| Jan 2019 | $12.65 | $26 |
| Jan 2020 | $12.48 | $19.95 |
| Jan 2021 | $18.72 | $27 |
| Jan 2022 | $23 | $42 |
| Jan 2023 | $18.25 | $39 |
| Jan 2024 | $16.22 | $30 |
| Jan 2025 | $18.58 | $34 |
| Jan 2026 | $15.50 | $32 |
| Oct 2026 | $21 | $29 |
Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.
Release record
| Territory | Date | Product number | Barcode |
|---|---|---|---|
| North America | 1997 | 7820 | 785138340128 |
- Region
- NA
- Released
- 1997
- Authenticity
- Low
A late NHL for the Genesis that rounds out an EA hockey collection and is priced a little above the middle.
This is the Genesis version of NHL 98, the 1997-98 season entry in EA's hockey series, published in North America by THQ with David Whittaker credited for the music. It was the last NHL game released on the Genesis, Super NES and Saturn.
How the Sega Genesis version differs
This was the last NHL game released for the SNES, Genesis and Sega Saturn.
Also on other platforms
Super NES · Sega Saturn · Windows · PlayStation
| Sega Saturn | MBL Research |
- Sega Saturn. The Saturn version was developed by MBL Research and also includes Mario Lemieux, who had retired at the end of the 1996-97 season.
- PlayStation. The PlayStation version met resoundingly positive reviews, with Electronic Gaming Monthly's John Ricciardi calling it the greatest hockey game ever made.
Before you buy
Among US carts it sits above the middle. The cartridge keeps data in battery-backed memory, so test that a save holds; a replaced battery is a normal repair and not a sign of a fake. Sega Retro lists it as working with EA's 4 Way Play; remember that EA's 4 Way Play and Sega's first Team Player do not run each other's games.
Watch on YouTube
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