It was with NHL '98 that EA Sports showed it could actually make a hockey title for PlayStation that was worth the money and the time. In fact it was with that title that they re-established the NHL franchise as a serious contender, going up against PowerPlay '98, BreakAway '98 and FaceOff '98 all in the same year. Those were tough times for EA, as its previous Madden no-show and lackluster NHL '97 had EA loyalists in quite a panic.

 

Then, as the 1998 and 1999 versions emerged, EA Sports dominated the ice once more. Truth is, they had no choice. With the Sega Genesis versions still holding their own with 16-bit gamers, it was simply a matter of time before EA was forced to make the transition into 32-bit gaming with its heritage intact. The end results were hockey games of epic proportions--games that took the presentation (an EA hallmark) to even higher production levels of value. Once again, EA has scored a hit--this time with 

. Does the "Puck" stop here? Let's take a look!