Man, John Madden Football '93 on Genesis takes me back. The second you fire it up, that chunky pixelated field hits you with nostalgia—those blocky players actually move with surprising fluidity once you get the hang of the controls. First thing you’ll notice? The playbooks feel meatier than the earlier Madden games, with way more options to fake out your buddy in couch co-op.

It’s got that classic Madden energy where audibles actually matter, and if you mess up your timing on a pass, you’re gonna hear that iconic "BOOM!" as your QB gets flattened. The running game’s weirdly satisfying once you figure out how to juke—took me a few games to stop getting stuffed at the line every play. And yeah, the graphics are dated now, but there’s something about those exaggerated player animations that still makes a 40-yard touchdown feel epic.

Still holds up if you’re into retro sports games—just don’t expect modern frills.