Wayne Gretzky’s 3D Hockey is an arcade-style ice hockey game developed by Atari Games and published by Midway Home Entertainment for the Nintendo 64 in 1996. Licensed by the NHLPA and fronted by hockey legend Wayne Gretzky, it was the first four-player game released for the N64, letting up to four people drop the puck together. Rather than chasing simulation, it leans hard into exaggerated arcade hockey: fiery goals, glass-shattering hits, and moves that would never make it into an actual NHL rulebook.
How to Play
The objective is simple — outscore your opponent by getting the puck past their goaltender. Skate with the analog stick or D-pad and use the A and B buttons to pass and shoot. Land a hard hit for a power check that sends an animated ambulance across the top of the screen, or rip a power shot that sets the net on fire; goaltenders can answer with a power save that briefly turns them into a solid wall. In the browser, the stick/D-pad is typically mapped to the arrow keys, with face buttons on nearby keys such as Z, X, C, and V — check your emulator’s control menu to confirm the exact layout. Beyond quick exhibition games, you can play four-on-four or five-on-five matches, or grind through a full 82-game season and playoffs, and a separate Simulation mode strips out the power moves for a straighter game of hockey.
Tips
- This game is built around multiplayer — the CPU opponents are notably weak, so the exaggerated hits and power moves land best with three friends on the controllers rather than solo.
- If the arcade chaos of flaming nets and ambulance checks isn’t your speed, switch to Simulation mode for a calmer, more conventional game of hockey.
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