NHL All-Star Hockey 98 is actually a sequel to Virgin's NHL Powerplay '96 rather than Sega's own NHL All-Star Hockey. Since Virgin decided not to continue the series Sega hired Radical Entertainment and allowed them to continue the series under a new name.
Players are presented with the usual modes of play that have come to be expected, such as exhibition, season, and playoffs. Season play contains an in-depth stat tracking system to compete with the likes of another well known title, NHL 98 by EA Sports. Of course full NHL licensing is included so that the game can contain all of the real teams and players.
Exhibition games can be played against the computer or another player. The main draw to exhibition play is the ability to use a multi-player adapter which allows up to eight people to play at one time. NHL All-Star Hockey did allow for up to 12 players but, as mentioned above, this game is based on NHL Powerplay '96, so some of the NHL All-Star Hockey features are no longer included.