What was going to be a simple Viewtiful Joe demonstration, ended up to be an exclusive Q&A session with Atsushi Inaba. Atsushi works as a producer for Capcom Japan and has got the titles Viewtiful Joe and Steel Battalion under his belt. Read on for the exclusive Q&A in which he not only talks about Viewtiful Joe, but also sheds some light on the development of Dead Phoenix.

Q: Where did the idea of Viewtiful Joe originate from?
Atsushi: We wanted to make a game based on two ideas. Firstly, we wanted to make a game based on super heroes who visually look cool. Secondly, we wanted an original 2D action game. These two ideas combined formed Viewtiful Joe.

Q: Was the game cell shaded from the beginning while developing it?
Atsushi: Yep. When we drew a sketch of the character on paper, we immediately saw this game had to be cell shaded.

Q: Why is the game sooo hard?
Atsushi: We wanted to make a game worth beating. There is a kids mode, though, if you really are having trouble completing the game. *laughs*

Q: What do you think of the sales perfomance of the game in Japan so far?
Atsushi: I am not happy with it at all. I don't understand why the game is not selling as it should. The game is very good and should definitely have done better.

Q: Will there be a sequel?
Atsushi: That will depend on how well the game is received in America. If it sells well there, we will make a sequel.

Q: Why did you decide to make this game GameCube exclusive?
Atsushi: The GameCube platform is targeted at action games and hardcore gamers. We wanted to bring this game to the hardcore gamers. We did not want to release it for the mainstream gamers on for example the PS2, because they simply would not like Joe.

Last but not least, it was asked what the deal was with Dead Phoenix, and we got a very interesting reply. Click here for the details: ECTS 2003: Dead (Alive) Phoenix.