John Madden Football '93 - Gameplay

Gameplay

John Madden Football '93 is an adaptation of American football that takes place from an isometric perspective in a two-dimensional environment. The player begins each match by selecting such variables as the game mode, weather conditions and team. Game modes include 16-team tournaments and sudden death, among other things. In addition to the game's single player mode, two-player competitive and cooperative modes are available. Unlike prior games in the series, a coin toss at the beginning of every match determines which team will defend each goal, and which team will kickoff.

Between every down, the player selects a formation, play and, on defense, coverage shell from a menu. The game contains fifty-five offensive plays and seventy-one defensive plays, such as screen and play-action passes, blitzes and man-to-man defense. During a down, the player may control one team member at a time or allow the entire team to execute a play automatically. On offense, depending on the play, the player controls the quarterback, running back or kicker. After a pass, control automatically changes to the ball receiver. On defense, the player may at any time switch control between any member of the team. Instant replay is available to review plays.

New features in John Madden Football '93 include No-Huddle Offense, overturning certain calls made by referees, taunting, stumbling, head-butting and one-handed catches. As with its predecessors, the game features updated statistics for the twenty-eight NFL teams in the game, based on their performance in the previous season. In addition to these teams, eight famous team line-ups, such as the Oakland Raiders of 1976 and the Dallas Cowboys of 1977, are available. There are also two "All-Madden Greats" teams that collect the best players in the history of the sport. No official player or team names, colors, or stadium names are used. A rental-only version of the game, John Madden Football: Championship Edition, uses only "championship caliber" line-ups from the 1966-1991 era. Although it still lacks official names, this version features correct team colors.