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(s). Game modes include pre-season, regular season, playoffs, and sudden death. In addition to the game’s single-player mode, two-player competitive and cooperative modes are available.
Unlike in prior games in the series, a coin toss at the beginning of every match determines which team will kick off, and which team will defend each goal. Before every down, the player selects a personnel grouping, 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 members 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. An “All-Madden Greats” team is compiled from the best players in the history of the sport and an “All-Madden” team is compiled of recent standout players. No official player or team names, colors, or stadium names are used.