Suns.com recently sat with Sony Product Manager Troy Mack, who handles all marketing aspects of the NBA and MLB franchises for the Sony platforms. Mack discussed the process of selecting Stoudemire for his second cover appearance in the past three seasons and what fans can expect when leading their favorite teams to an NBA Championship.

Suns.com: First off, talk about the process of selecting Amaré Stoudemire as the cover athlete for NBA ‘08?

Troy Mack: It’s a matter of going through a number of things including stats, player rankings, team rankings, jersey sales, All-Star balloting, and even less tangibles like popularity and media buzz. And when you weigh all those things together, he’s just one of those guys that rises to the top.

Suns.com You worked with bringing STAT in for the cover of NBA ’06. Why did you want to bring him back rather than go after somebody new for NBA '08?

Mack: The fact he’s one of the elite players in the league. He performed well all season long and was key in helping the Suns make it to the playoffs. On top of it all, he did it after coming back from what some guys would’ve considered career-ending surgery.

Suns.com: What do you remember about working with Stoudemire during his run with you guys for the NBA ’06 cover?

Mack: The guy is one of the nicest guys to work with. He’s not only very easy to work with but he’s very eager to take parts in different aspects of the marketing campaign. He’s also very community oriented, as well as very charity driven. He’s got the Amaré Stoudemire Foundation and a lot of components we look for when searching for a cover athlete.

Suns.com: You obviously have a number of guys in the league you could have chosen based on their talent. How important is character when making that selection?

Mack: It’s important. In this day and age, there are a lot of good athletes, guys in sports in general, who when they get to the elite status for their sport, have a tendency to be more standoffish. Amaré has remained approachable, as well as fan and community oriented. Those are the kind of things you can’t put a number on and you can’t assign a statistical value to.

Suns.com: After appearing on the cover of NBA ’06, Stoudemire missed most of the following campaign with the two separate knee surgeries. After making such a strong return last season, what are you expecting from the All-Star in 2007-08?

Mack: We’re expecting great things. We’re expecting him to again come back strong and show us more of the same Amaré we saw this past season.

Suns.com: What element of his game do you most enjoy watching personally?

Mack: I think it’s his overall play. The guy is an all-around player. He can shoot the ball, has a solid inside game, and can crash the boards.

Suns.com: The game will be the only NBA game exclusive to the Sony platforms this season. Can you talk about the upcoming release and what fans can expect?

Mack: We’re going to have a great product out there available on all three Playstation platforms – PS2, PSP and, of course, PS3. This year it was the best-selling NBA franchise on Playstation 3 and next year we’re looking for more of the same. You’ve got great graphics, great animation, great gameplay and it’s the only game out there that runs a full 1080p, which is 1080p at 60 frames per second. To my knowledge, it’s the only sports game that runs full HD 1080p which means the game looks crystal clear and runs smooth as silk. It’s fantastic.

Suns.com: And “The Life” feature which has become so popular, can you discuss that for fans who may not be familiar with it?

Mack: “The Life” feature is on the PlayStation 2 version only and that’s one of those features – actually, I shouldn’t say one of those features, because nobody else has anything else like it – but it’s a storyboard-based feature which gives you the opportunity to play as a professional athlete in the NBA. The first couple of seasons we focused on individual player aspects – the first was the up-and-coming guy, the second the villain, for lack of a better word, and this year it focuses more on team chemistry, bringing the team together and trying to go after a NBA Finals Championship.

Suns.com: Scheduled to stop by your offices for the motion capture process, Amaré will obviously play a factor in the gameplay of NBA ‘08. Did you guys also pick his brain for “The Life” feature in the game to get a better off-the-court perspective?

Mack: Absolutely. As a matter of fact, when he was in here, we talked about the fact he was here the first year we ran “The Life.” We got a lot of information out of him, as well as some other players. To be able to have those guys come in and see the concept right out of the gate and provide input on it and make it as realistic as possible is great. Sure, it’s a fictional story, but you want to make it as realistic as possible so that consumers really feel that they’re playing as a pro in the NBA.

Suns.com: Speaking of realism, when creators are compiling player attributes for the game, do the cover guys like STAT ever get a little extra love?

Mack: Actually, we try not to do that too much. Sure you want your guy to excel, but first and foremost we’re looking to make the most accurate sim out there. So what our guys do is work with a bunch of statistical people and figure stats on everything from shooting percentages to how players play at home and away. They then combine everything compiled and assign attributes which will be the most accurate representation of each and every player in the game, including our cover guy.