Madden NFL 07 Producer Interview

IGN: Okay, and obviously the 2006 Hall of Fame class will be in as well...

David: No, they won't, and the reason for that is simply based on what we can get the rights to from the NFL and the Hall of Fame. This year, they were able to grant us permission for a great batch of players, and next year as we continue to work with them we'll continue to get more and build on this as best we can. But I think that people will be very satisfied with the lineup we have this year.

IGN: Will these specific Hall of Fame players that you unlock be mentors to athletes you create in the Superstar mode?

David: Well, they're two separate features: One has the bio and videos I just mentioned, as well as the unlockable players (which is the Hall of Fame Mode), and the other is the Superstar: Hall of Fame mode, where your whole goal this year is to become a Hall of Famer. Along that path, you don't have a specific real-life player that mentors you like last year, but there will be agents and mentors (each with their own personas, including former fictional players) that will give you advice along the way.

IGN: Some things have been written about how the experience will change depending on what position you choose in the Superstar mode. Can you talk a little more about how choosing a quarterback will be different than choosing a tackle or a cornerback?

David: Absolutely. What's exciting about the Superstar: Hall of Fame mode, on the field, is the different controls that you have and the different perspectives presented to you. For instance, when you play as an offensive lineman, you're going to be on the field when the offensive linemen are on the field. You're not calling the plays -- the coach will call the plays, you'll have your assignments, and you're going to try to execute your assignments to the best of your ability. As a ball carrier (say you're a halfback) you'll get the ball when the coach calls your play to get the ball and once you have the ball, you have to try to do everything you can with it.

You're also able to gain influence points. As you perform well and your player has great plays, he'll actually get a certain amount of influence points: You'll receive feedback after every play that lets you know how if it's a positive or a negative play, and what you've earned as the result of a positive play. If you have enough positive plays, you start to store up points that you can distribute to other players on the team based on the role you play on the team. If you develop into one of the leaders on the team, you can actually distribute points and make other players better for a certain amount of plays. It has a real RPG feel to it, but it allows you to drive the performance of your players based on you being a superstar driving the team to success.

IGN: So if you were a quarterback, you could assign points to your line so they open wider holes or protect the pocket better?

David: Exactly, or you could distribute the points to your receivers so for the next few plays their hands or their agility is much better or they are less likely to be injured. It's the equivalent to giving them a pep talk on the sidelines, but this time you get to decide how they're influenced.

IGN: Can you use these points to affect a play that's being called in case the particular coach doesn't mesh well with your player or play style?

David: Once you create your player, you'll be drafted by a team that has a need for your skills. If you make a quarterback, you're not going to be drafted by a team with an All-Pro quarterback (unless he's aging). You'll go to a team that really needs you to step up and be the guy at that position. So more than likely they'll run plays that take advantage of your strengths. The only catch is that since you're getting dropped into a team system, that coach is going to call plays based on his system. What's cool is that if you find a team that gets stuck and doesn't play to your character's strengths, you can demand a trade and receive offers from teams that will demand your skills. So if you happen to be a quarterback and you get stuck on a team that grounds the ball out, you can get a trade to a team that lets you pass the ball more.

IGN: Now, what's going to happen when your player isn't on the field? Will it be similar to NFL Head Coach where you're basically watching what's happening, or will you see the character on the sidelines interacting with their squad?

David: What we chose to do is give you the ability to decide if you want to watch between plays or you want to be active. If you're controlling a quarterback in Superstar mode, for example, whenever you're on the field, you're out there controlling that quarterback. However, once the defense is on the field, you can have a choice to have the game move at a faster pace so you can get back on the field quicker or you can take control of the defense and play like you would in a traditional Franchise game. We did that because we feel like the traditional Madden player may still want to be involved in controlling everything than solely controlling just one guy.

IGN: Thanks for your time, David.

©2006-07-10, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved