John Madden Football includes numerous options for customization. Set the field conditions to either hot, rain, snow, or cold and windy. Choose between 8, 10, 12, and 15-minute quarters. Turn on or off player fatigue, injuries, penalties, cross-hair passing, and the 30-second clock.
The game does not feature season play, only single games, and games can be saved at any time to a separate disk. No NFL teams are included but some of the teams are based on real teams. For example, the Blitzers are based on a Chicago team that pioneered the "46" defense and the Eighters are based on the San Francisco team of the 1980s. Player's names either consist of initials of real players, made up, or nicknames are used that may help you identify who they are based on. A "blank" team is also available for users to create from scratch. Player numbers, names, positions, and ratings are all left up to you.
Two playbooks, one for defense and one for offense, come with the game. Both playbooks have nine different formations with nine plays under each formation. Along with the preset plays there is a play editor allowing gamers to create their own plays.