''NHL 99'' is an
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...
video game developed by
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry and promoted the ...
Canada. It was released on September 30, 1998 and was the successor to ''
NHL 98''. The game boasted great improvements to the game from ''NHL 98''. However the next two editions feature small improvements from this game thus making this game similar to ''
NHL 2000'' and ''
NHL 2001
''NHL 2001'' is a video game released by Electronic Arts in 2000. It is the successor to ''NHL 2000''. An add-on featuring Elitserien and SM-Liiga was released on the PC version on March 8, 2001, that added Swedish and Finnish hockey leagues and ...
''. It was the first and only installment of the
NHL series
''NHL'' (colloquially referred to as Chel) is a series of professional ice hockey simulation video games developed by EA Vancouver and published yearly by Electronic Arts under the EA Sports brand. The game is developed under license from the ...
to be released on
Nintendo 64
The (N64) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo. The successor to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, it was released on June 23, 1996, in Japan, on September 29, 1996, in North America, and on March 1, 1997, in Europe and ...
.
Features
Starting with ''NHL 99'' up to ''NHL 2001'' there were very few large 'improvements' to the game. ''NHL 99'' for the
PlayStation boasted higher-resolution graphics than ''NHL 98'', but the framerate and unresponsive controls (especially in 2+ player modes) hindered its playability. Online leagues of the game also became more organized.
Daryl Reaugh
Daryl Kevin "Razor" Reaugh (pronounced "Ray") (born February 13, 1965) is a retired professional ice hockey goaltender and now a broadcaster for the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League (NHL), ''NHL on NBC'' and ''Hockey Night in Canada''. H ...
left the series as color commentator following ''NHL 99''. In the Nintendo 64 version of ''NHL 99,'' the official NHL and NHLPA licence with all teams and players are represented, including the
Nashville Predators
The Nashville Predators (commonly referred to as the Preds) are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and ha ...
expansion team. It has a Medium-High Resolution at 30 FP, rumble-pack support, and four player mode.
The commentary is done by ESPN's
Bill Clement.
Intro
The introduction features various highlights from the previous season accompanied by
"Heroes" by
David Bowie
David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
.
Reception
The game received "favorable" reviews on all platforms according to the
review aggregation
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
website
GameRankings.
[ '']AllGame
RhythmOne , previously known as Blinkx, and also known as RhythmOne Group, is an American digital advertising technology company that owns and operates the web properties AllMusic, AllMovie, and SideReel.
Blinkx was founded in 2004, went publ ...
'' gave the PlayStation version four stars out of five, saying that it "isn't a Stanley Cup winner yet, but there is still an undeniable amount of fun to be had if you're willing to except '' ic' a few flaws." Likewise, ''Official UK PlayStation Magazine
An official is someone who holds an office (function or mandate, regardless whether it carries an actual working space with it) in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority, (either their own or that of their ...
'' gave it a similar score of eight out of ten, saying that the game "manages to succeed in bettering its predecessor. But, be warned, you have to ''really'' play it to get the most out of it. Patience is key." '' Hyper'' gave the Nintendo 64 version 81%, saying, "while ''NHL 99''s controls aren't executed quite as well as they could have been, the hard-hitting action combined with glossy NHL logos and statistics makes it a worthwhile purchase for any recreational follower of the sport." ''N64 Magazine
''NGC Magazine'' (''N64 Magazine'' until October 2001 (issue 59)) was a British magazine specialising in Nintendo video game consoles and software. It was first printed in 1997 and ran until 2006. It was the successor to ''Super Play'', a magaz ...
'' gave the same console version 74%, saying that it was "by no means dire." Jeff Lackey of '' Computer Games Strategy Plus'' gave the Windows version three stars out of five, saying, "By making the goalies behave in the way they do, a player has two choices when playing ''NHL 99'': play at Rookie level and quickly learn to win every game by a wide margin, or play at Pro level and accept the inability of your players to score standard NHL style goals against computer super-goalies. Perhaps the great graphics and sounds will be enough for some to overcome this deficiency; however, it's unlikely this will be the case for anyone who actually follows the NHL and wants a real hockey simulation."
'' Next Generation'' said of the PlayStation version in its January 1999 issue, "What EA has given us this year is more of an attempt at a purist hockey game rather than the intense hockey experience they have delivered before. While a purist hockey game is certainly not a bad thing, it's just not that much fun to play, and that's the bottom line."[ One issue later, however, the magazine changed its tune and called the Windows version "the best-looking hockey game on the PC."][ In the same issue, the magazine listed the same Windows version as well as the N64 version at #40 on its list of the Fifty Best Games of All Time, saying, "The control is fantastic and the company has managed to balance the gameplay perfectly between arcade and simulation. It feels real, but it is never tedious, as realistic simulations tend to be."
'']The Electric Playground
''EP Daily'' (formerly ''The Electric Playground'') is a daily news television show that covers video games, movies, TV shows, comic books, collectibles and gadgets. Created and executive produced by host Victor Lucas, and his Vancouver, British ...
'' nominated the Windows version for their 1998 "Best Computer Game" award, which ultimately went to ''Half-Life
Half-life (symbol ) is the time required for a quantity (of substance) to reduce to half of its initial value. The term is commonly used in nuclear physics to describe how quickly unstable atoms undergo radioactive decay or how long stable at ...
''. The game won the "Best Hockey Game" award as well; the Official Broadcast Overlays and Up To The Minute Stats were nominated for "Best Easter Eggs or Extras", which ultimately went to the Batmobile from '' Need for Speed 3''. It was also nominated for ''PC PowerPlay
''PC PowerPlay'' (''PCPP'') is Australia's only dedicated PC games magazine. ''PC PowerPlay'' focuses on news and reviews for upcoming and newly released games on the Microsoft Windows platform. The magazine also reviews computer hardware for u ...
''s "Best Sports" award, which went to '' FIFA 99'', and for the "Best Sports Game of the Year" award at '' IGN''s Best of 1998 Awards, which ultimately went to ''NFL Blitz
''NFL Blitz'' is a series of American football themed video games originally released by Midway featuring National Football League (NFL) teams. It began as a 1997 arcade game '' NFL Blitz'' that was ported to home consoles and spawned a series of ...
''.
Notes
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Nhl 99
1998 video games
Electronic Arts games
Nintendo 64 games
PlayStation (console) games
Windows games
NHL (video game series)
EA Sports games
Video games developed in Canada
Video games scored by Saki Kaskas
Video games set in 1998
Video games set in 1999
Video games set in the United States
Video games set in Canada