CCC: Keeping in line with that topic, some of the players have been able to find some fairly strange physics-related glitches here and there. I was able to find a YouTube video of a guy that put a 5'10", 160 lb. offensive lineman as a center playing against Ndamukong Suh [who is quite a bit larger] and was able to hold his own. What's been done to fix those kinds of things?

MY: The whole collision system has been revamped so the way that people interact with each other… there has been attention towards people trying to break the game as far as freakish bodies and super tiny guys with crazy ratings that didn't match. I mean, there's only so much you do to prevent unrealistic matchups from happening. If people try to break the game, I'm sure there's still ways to do it. But we definitely focus more on actual simulation things that can happen on the field versus chasing down the most ridiculous kind of players people can make and aren't putting people in the wrong lineup spot. We have paid attention to it, but… you definitely want to get the base of reality right first before you start trying to make freakish things work.

[Laughter]

CCC: I found that pretty funny…

MY: We've seen those videos. They're good.

[Laughter]

CCC: How deep is the customization this time around? What kind of new things have been added?

MY: Customization isn't a big focus this year. I definitely think it'll be a bigger focus down the line, but we still have Create-a-Team, Create-a-Player, Create-a-Stadium; they all function with all of our game modes. But we didn't really put a lot of effort into improving those this year, unfortunately.

CCC: I had a question not directly related to the game. How has the ongoing NFL drama affected the development process this year?

MY: You know, it really hasn't other than… people that work here really want to see it happen. We did think strategically going into the year [that] every feature we make better be for that really, really hardcore NFL fan, because they're the ones that really still need to have their Madden. I think a lot of people still buy Madden because they're hyped up about the NFL season going on, so we really catered more to that fan that buys their game every year. The stuff they've been asking for for years. Our marketing guy says, and to a large extent it's true—and I don't use terms like this—that to a large extent, it's a love letter to our fans.

There's a laundry list of stuff they've been asking for for years: the most requested art features, the most requested presentation features, the most requested Franchise mode features… I think that that's why so far the fans have reacted pretty well to what we've been telling them is in the game this year and what they've seen at E3 and in videos and screenshots.

CCC: What are EA's plans for the Wii version?

MY: Well, the Wii [version] is coming out. I didn't work on the Wii version. Definitely there's more of a focus towards connecting more to the traditional Madden fan versus a, I don't know, mythical Wii consumer that likes less sim football. So I think you're going to see that product took a turn more towards a Gen-3 product—which is the Xbox 360/PS3 product—in its thought process and less of a product that's kind of for kids, kind of for adults, and didn't know what it wanted to be. I don't know if that's the politically correct way to say it, but I think there was this kind of thought that there was a different Wii Madden consumer out there that wanted a different Madden experience. I'm sure to some extent that's kind of true, but this one's going towards the guy who likes to play franchise mode with a controller, with buttons. But I don't have a great amount of detail on that product.

CCC: You're a Steelers Fan right?

MY: I am. You?

CCC: [Artfully dodging the question] Are they going to do it this year?

MY: Well you know the thing that they've been talking about is that teams that have consistency with the quarterback and coaching staff are going to have a huge advantage this year. And I think the Steelers are potentially bringing back pretty much their entire starting defense. They've got one free agent at Safety, but I think they're poised to be really good again. I mean, the Ravens are a tough opponent in their own division but, yeah, I think based on having a short training camp… guys are talking about how some have lost months of preparation… I think they'll be able to stand out. They've had Big Ben and the offensive coordinators together for years and there's no big changes made so, yeah why not? I hope so.

CCC: When can gamers expect a demo, or will there be one?

MY: There's going to be a demo. I actually don't know the date. I should know the date… [Laughter]I know we're working on but I don't have an exact date in mind.

CCC: And what is the street date for Madden NFL 12?

MY: This I know. August 30.

CCC: Mike, I appreciate you taking the time to talk with us.

MY: No problem.

Stay tuned to CheatCC for more news and information on Madden NFL 12.

By Patriel Manning
CCC Contributing Writer

*The views expressed within this article are solely the opinion of the author and do not express the views held by Cheat Code Central.*