Olympic Hockey '98: The Most Famous 'Roster Update'

[RaychelSnr]

Until FIFA 13's and FIFA 14's recent arrival on the PlayStation Vita, the Nintendo 64's Olympic Hockey 98 held the unofficial title of being the most critically decried, full-priced “roster update” in sports gaming's history. When you consider that $60 in 1998 inflates to roughly $87 in 2014, it's easy to see how the outrage occurred.

In the most succinct review ever published on a major gaming website, IGN's Matt Casamassina awarded Olympic Hockey 98 a 0/10, saying only, “We'll post a new review when Midway releases a new game." The "old game" in reference was Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey 98, which had appeared on the Nintendo 64 just two months prior in December of 1997.

Read More - Olympic Hockey '98: The Most Famous 'Roster Update'

[boomhauertjs]

Uh, MLB 2k13?

[BSchwartz07]

I'd love to see the Olympics worked into games like the NBA 2K franchise. It would certainly spice up the my player mode by getting selected for international competitions and the Olympics.

[braves_94]

Lol. Team USA Basketball was the first thing I thought of when I read the title. I completely forgot about that hockey game. I guess Sega era games are just immune from roster update status.

[cashless]

I doubt it, the IOC seem like a huge corrupt nightmare of a bureaucracy to deal with so I don't really see it happening. It would be kinda awesome, but at this point I would be happy if the NHL-series had licensed national team jerseys.

[Iceman87GT]

Re: Olympic Hockey '98: The Most Famous 'Roster Update'

I doubt it, the IOC seem like a huge corrupt nightmare of a bureaucracy to deal with so I don't really see it happening. It would be kinda awesome, but at this point I would be happy if the NHL-series had licensed national team jerseys.

This. Its been awhile since I've played the NHL series but do they still just slap the flag on a generic jersey? The least they could do is use an actual crest/logo (USA logo (where the S is made up of stripes), Maple Leaf for Canada, etc.), surely those would be cheap to license.

[cashless]

This. Its been awhile since I've played the NHL series but do they still just slap the flag on a generic jersey? The least they could do is use an actual crest/logo (USA logo (where the S is made up of stripes), Maple Leaf for Canada, etc.), surely those would be cheap to license.

Yeah, they still do that =( I'm afraid it will remain that way until there is another viable hockey game out there. I'de imagine the same thing goes for the KHL license.

[jmaj315]

Weren't games only $50 back then? I thought they went up to $60 when PS2 and Xbox came out

[jyoung]

Re: Olympic Hockey '98: The Most Famous 'Roster Update'

Weren't games only $50 back then? I thought they went up to $60 when PS2 and Xbox came out

During the first year of the Nintendo 64, most first-party games were generally $59.99. Many third-party games, however, were $69.99 or even $74.99:

Spoiler

After the first year, the prices pretty much settled into the pattern of:

First-party games: $59.99 or $49.99
Third-party games: $59.99 or $69.99
Players' Choice games: $39.99

Spoiler

By 1998, the $69.99 games had all but disappeared, and the highest you'd see an N64 game go for was $59.99:

Spoiler

The reason those games cost so much back then is because companies were spending $28 just to manufacture an N64 cartridge. A PlayStation or Saturn disc, by comparison, only cost $2 or $3 to make.

[bcruise]

Re: Olympic Hockey '98: The Most Famous 'Roster Update'

That IGN review is legendary.

[philphan25]

I remember you could do finishing moves in arcade mode. So much fun.

[SoAwesome]

Re: Olympic Hockey '98: The Most Famous 'Roster Update'

During the first year of the Nintendo 64, most first-party games were generally $59.99. Many third-party games, however, were $69.99 or even $74.99:

Spoiler

After the first year, the prices pretty much settled into the pattern of:

First-party games: $59.99 or $49.99
Third-party games: $59.99 or $69.99
Players' Choice games: $39.99

Spoiler

By 1998, the $69.99 games had all but disappeared, and the highest you'd see an N64 game go for was $59.99:

Spoiler

The reason those games cost so much back then is because companies were spending $28 just to manufacture an N64 cartridge. A PlayStation or Saturn disc, by comparison, only cost $2 or $3 to make.

Can you show me same style of pics for PS1 and timeline you did. It was pretty sick style to show history man.