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NFL GameDay 98

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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)Single-player, multiplayer

NFL GameDay 98 is a 1997 American football video game developed by Sony Interactive Studios America and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation. It is the third installment of the NFL GameDay series and was only released in North America. Jerome Bettis is featured on the cover. 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]

Gameplay

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

Development

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

Marketing

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Sony Computer Entertainment heavily marketed the game in printed and on television, with a campaign which characterized it as the choice of real NFL players.[7] SCE held two pre-Super Bowl XXXII events with the game, one pitting Super Bowl participants Robert Brooks and Terrell Davis against each other, and one at the PlayStation NFL players party in which sixteen NFL players participated.[8]

Reception

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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.[11][15][16][5][18] 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."[15] 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.[11][15]

Reviews also widely praised the game's accessibility,[11][16][5][18] player animations,[15][16][5][18] and sound effects.[15][16] 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.[15] 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.[11] GamePro, while giving it a 4.5 out of 5 in sound and a perfect 5.0 in every other category (graphics, control, and fun factor), found it to be less realistic than Madden, likening it to stepping outside during the Super Bowl to play street football.[18] 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 it 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,[19] and named it a runner-up for "Sports Game of the Year" (behind International Superstar Soccer 64).[20]

The game was nominated for the "Best PlayStation Game" award at the CNET Gamecenter Awards for 1997, which went to Final Fantasy VII.[21] It was also a finalist for the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences' "Console Sports Game of the Year" and "Outstanding Achievement in Software Engineering" at the 1st Annual Interactive Achievement Awards,[22] which went to International Superstar Soccer 64 and GoldenEye 007, respectively.[23]

Sales

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The game sold more than 1.4 million copies by September 1998.[24]

Notes

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  1. ^ In GameFan's viewpoint of the game, one critic gave it a score of 96, and the other 95.

References

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  1. ^ Bassave, Roy (August 26, 1997). "Video Football Season Starts". Miami Herald. Chatham Asset Management. p. 72. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  2. ^ IGN staff (August 21, 1997). "Huge Sports Extravaganza". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  3. ^ "GameFan Sports: NFL GameDay 98 (Preview)". GameFan. Vol. 5, no. 7. Metropolis Media. July 1997. p. 87. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  4. ^ "Previews: 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. ^ a b c d e f g "Pay dirt (NFL GameDay '98 Review)". Next Generation. No. 35. Imagine Media. November 1997. p. 190. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  6. ^ Air Hendrix (August 1997). "Sports Insider Previews: NFL GameDay '98". GamePro. No. 107. IDG. p. 80. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  7. ^ "Where to Play? The Dust Settles (Marketing Muscle)". Next Generation. No. 36. Imagine Media. December 1997. p. 50. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  8. ^ "Tale of Three Tournaments". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 105. Ziff Davis. April 1998. p. 23.
  9. ^ Romero, Joshua. "NFL GameDay 98 - Review". AllGame. All Media Network. Archived from the original on November 14, 2014. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
  10. ^ Jones, George (October 10, 1997). "NFL GameDay 98". Gamecenter. CNET. Archived from the original on August 15, 2000. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  11. ^ a b c d e Kujawa, Kraig; Hager, Dean (October 1997). "Team EGM Sports: NFL GameDay 98". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 99. Ziff Davis. p. 192.
  12. ^ Anderson, Paul; Reiner, Andrew; Storm, Jon (October 1997). "Madden NFL 98 and NFL GameDay '98 [sic]". Game Informer. No. 54. FuncoLand. pp. 24–25. Archived from the original on September 21, 1999. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
  13. ^ Joe Kidd; The Rookie (October 1997). "[NFL] GameDay '98 [sic]". GameFan. Vol. 5, no. 10. Metropolis Media. p. 124. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  14. ^ Tony V. (August 1997). "NFL Gameday '98 [sic]". GameRevolution. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on June 13, 1998. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g Lerhman, Darren (September 25, 1997). "NFL GameDay 98 Review [date mislabeled as "April 28, 2000"]". GameSpot. Red Ventures. Archived from the original on January 27, 2005. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  16. ^ a b c d e IGN staff (August 26, 1997). "NFL GameDay 98". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  17. ^ Perez, Dindo (October 1997). "NFL GameDay 98". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. Vol. 1, no. 1. Ziff Davis. pp. 80-81. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  18. ^ a b c d Scary Larry (October 1997). "Having a Good Day". GamePro. No. 109. IGN. p. 151. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  19. ^ "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.
  20. ^ "Editors' Choice Awards". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 104. Ziff Davis. March 1998. p. 88.
  21. ^ Gamecenter staff (January 28, 1998). "The Gamecenter Awards for 1997! (PlayStation, Part 2)". Gamecenter. CNET. Archived from the original on October 1, 2000. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  22. ^ "The Award - Updates". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on June 15, 1998. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
  23. ^ "The Award - Winners". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on June 15, 1998. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
  24. ^ Wertz, Langstone (September 17, 1998). "Head to Head". The Charlotte Observer. Chatham Asset Management. p. 49. Retrieved October 27, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
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