Play Nhl Breakaway 98 (e) Online

NHL Breakaway 98 came out for the Nintendo 64 in 1997, developed by Acclaim Studios Salt Lake City. It was one of the hockey titles you'd see on the N64, a console that was still building its library of sports games at the time. This game arrived when polygonal athletes were becoming the standard, and it tried to carve out its own space alongside other hockey offerings on the system.

You control a five man unit on the ice, skating up and down the rink with the goal of scoring more points than the opposing team. The main objective is to win hockey matches across various modes, including exhibition games and a full season. A couple of its signature mechanics were the one timer, where you could pass and shoot in one fluid motion for a quick scoring chance, and the ability to perform big, momentum shifting body checks to separate opponents from the puck. The pacing felt faster than some other hockey games of that year, and the difficulty could spike, especially when the computer seized on a mistake. Playing it feels like a physical, arcade style interpretation of hockey where a big hit can be as satisfying as a goal.