NBA Action 98

NBA FastBreak '98 uses icon passing. Players can choose from a simulation mode or a more simplified "arcade mode". Unusual for a basketball game of its time, it also has a practice mode which allows players to learn moves outside the pressures of a game.

Most reviews for the game ranged from middling to moderately positive. Critics overwhelmingly praised the advanced and detailed graphics, but many also noted that they come at the cost of low game speed, making the gameplay feel sluggish. The sound was also widely criticized, especially the weak crowd noises, which Jay Boor of IGN compared to a "fizzled three-inch speaker", as well as remarking upon the poor quality of the rim sounds. However, critics widely praised the controls, the practice mode, and the numerous options for customizing the game. Sega Saturn Magazine added that since the options screens are kept simple, there is no loading when making changes, which encourages using these features.

Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) and GameSpot's reviews for the Saturn version commented that, while not in any way spectacular, the game is solid and enjoyable and, with the Saturn having had a fairly weak lineup of basketball games, it stands as the best basketball game on the Saturn. While opining that the PlayStation version is slightly better due to its sharper graphics, EGM's review for this version was less enthusiastic, saying that the PlayStation offers superior basketball video games. Contrarily, both GamePro and Sega Saturn Magazine's reviews for the Saturn release considered it to be an excellent game even in absolute terms, with GamePro saying it "delivers with more authority than a Shaq tip-slam!" and Sega Saturn Magazine naming it their "game of the month".

NBA Action 98 served as an early foundation for Visual Concepts' later NBA 2K series. In a 2018 retrospective, Visual Concepts co-founder Jeff Thomas said that the game gave the studio a starting point for its future basketball titles. Several elements introduced in NBA Action 98 continued to influence NBA 2K, including the ability to call plays, a more simulation-oriented style of gameplay, and an end-to-end three-dimensional court perspective similar to the later "2K Cam". The game also impressed Sega, which subsequently acquired Visual Concepts and assigned the studio to develop sports games for the Dreamcast.