John Madden Football '93

"This is a challenging football game, but with flaws"

In Madden NFL '93, you can choose from many teams including the Madden Greats and All Madden. Wait, that goes in Game play doesn't it?
Game Play
Realism
As I said, there are many teams to choose from. There is also a large playbook for both offense and defense. Each team has strengths and weaknesses, so it's more than just a color change. However, I am sure the computer should have gotten a Pass Interference penalty multiple times... Realism: 9/10
Challenge
It's a challenging game, but not always for the right reasons. The computers are easier when they have worse teams, and harder when they have better teams. I still think it's almost too challenging. There is no actual difficulty setting, which hurts the overall rating. Challenge: 7/10
Control
Very easy to learn, even without the instruction manual. I would know... A little slippery, though. Control: 9/10
Game Modes
There are Regular Season and Pre-Season (I can't see any difference) for a single game. There are also Playoffs and All-Time Greats, the latter for teams like Madden Greats and Miami '72. There is also sudden death, where the first to score wins. Game Modes: 9/10
Overall Game Play: 8/10
Graphics
People look sort of like people, and it's easy to tell the teams apart. Since there are different colors for the visiting team, you can have a match between two of the same team and still know which is yours. The weather conditions are quite visible(Except wind, of course). The football is easy to see, and looks like a football, which is always a good thing. Graphics are, in some cases, a little pixilated.
Graphics: 8/10
Sound
Sound Effects
The game really shines here, especially for the time. When the audience ''boo''s the visitors, it sounds like the audience is ''boo''ing the visitors. When the referee yells ''Touchdown!'' It sounds like it. Cheers don't sound completely like static, which was a BIG step at the time. Sound Effects: 10/10
Music
Ouch. Only two tunes in the entire game, and neither are good. No music during the game itself, which is good in a way. Music: 3/10
Overall Sound: 7/10
Replay Value
With no difficulty setting, once you beat every team, your only option is to find a friend. I doubt that there's an ending. It IS a sports game.
Replay Value: 2/10
Is it worth the price?
I don't know what it cost when it was new. It was given to me about a year ago. If it was $30, then no. By now, it's probably five to ten dollars in the bargain bin somewhere at a FuncoLand. Buy it there if you like football games.
Pros:
Two player mode
Many teams to choose from
More than one game mode
HUGE playbook
Password save in Playoffs
Cons:
Only a few good teams
No full season mode (WHAT WERE THEY THINKING? WERE THEY THINKING?)
Two game modes are really the same.
Overall
This is one of those games that wasn't worth it then, but if you like football, it's worth the price now. Perhaps I was too harsh.
My Rating: 7/10

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 12/08/02, Updated 12/08/02