Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey

Olympic Hockey Nagano '98 is a shameless reskin of Gretzky's' 98, which in turn was a recycling of 3D Hockey, and it's getting old. Little has been tweaked other than the teams, Olympic branding and hilariously awkward national anthem music that plays throughout gameplay if you skip the intro to a match.

A rather lazy instalment, '98 is almost entirely identical to its predecessor of the year prior. Players and such are updated to the 1998 season and there are very minor tweaks elsewhere, such as more difficult and less predictable AI.

I've always had vague but positive memories of this, the first sports game on the N64, likely due to fun had in multiplayer, which is where the game shines. The single player modes are passable, presented in a beneficially simplistic manner, but grow repetitive and tiring rather quickly and the AI can be inconsistent and odd in its actions.

It's since been surpassed in the technical department by more detailed and complex hockey games, but Gretzky's has perhaps aged as well as it has because it doesn't take itself too seriously; the focus here is on a wild and entertaining arcade-like experience. It's easy to pick up and play even if you're not into hockey or even sports generally, as it doesn't bog the player down in convoluted controls, techniques or sim elements. It's fast--though sometimes too fast--and the fun, over-the-top commentary and flourishes like flaming nets, ambulances and punch-ups give the game a unique character in an often samey and bland genre.