Before sports games got to be the talk of the town like they are nowadays with kids
lining up at the store at midnight, publishers would have to put the names of famous athletes
as part of the title to give the game some credibility, if anything else. Luckily for
EA Studios and LookingGlass Technology, John Madden Football 93 is the total package, making
a name for old school sports gaming through simple controls, John Madden's very own voice
commentary, and epic interceptions by Lightning Rod Woodson. Yes, I am a Steelers fan. The
most successful franchise in American football, along with all the OTHER teams in the league,
are at your disposal in this tactical and action-packed sports game, which helped form
the foundation that the powerful Madden franchise is based on even today, complete with a full
playbook for each team. Now when I first started playing EA sports games, the year 94 was my
jam, and I had hours of fun with Madden and NHL. Looking a year back, not much is different
on the field, but mostly in the playbook, with detailed, but fewer plays. Definitely
don't expect to see much difference in each team's playbook either, especially if you
choose the Steelers. Strangely enough, the running plays in Coach Cowher's tome of tactics
are usually to the outside, full of counters and tosses. What gives, Coach? It's not like
Barry Foster or Merrill Hoge are particular about tosses and counters each and every time.
Certainly the fans wouldn't be. The burden of playing quarterback is actually pretty
light. Call a pass play and it's up to you to tap C to bring up the heads up display
and choose one of three targets. There have been complaints in the past about each block
being too small, but this problem can be mitigated by knowing your receiver's routes and whether
to throw a bullet or use touch to guide the ball into your wideout's outstretched arms.
Old football games have character. Games like Tecmo Bowl and the Madden series have made
fans out of those who have never watched a game in their lives. This is what John Madden
Football 93 will do for you with simple gameplay and smooth animation that will lead you to
that game-winning touchdown.
