But does he want to make sequels to those old titles?

"I don't have the rights to any of the IPs that I've made," Kamiya told Game Informer. "They belong to the companies that publish them, and they're a business so they have a right to exploit those IPs as they want.... However, to be completely honest, I'd love to do them myself."

Kamiya said he was interested in making an Okami sequel, but isn't anymore now that Capcom is making another Okami title, Okamiden.

"Once someone else touches a world that you yourself created it stops being yours," Kamiya explained. "There is no point in making a sequel when the world doesn't belong to you."

Viewtiful Joe is probably all he's got left, Kamiya noted. "That story is incomplete so I'd like to finish it someday," he added. "But that would probably be the most difficult one to do." Yeah, especially because Capcom owns the IP.

Kamiya Wants To Return To Viewtiful Joe, Not Okami - News [GI]

When I first started talking about it with [producer Atsushi] Inaba, the only starting point we had for Okami was a game that depicted a lot of nature," he told Famitsu. "I couldn't say 'I don't know if this'll be fun or not' because than nobody on the dev team would be enthusiastic about it, so instead I was like 'This is gonna be great! I know it will!' So eventually the discussion shifted to a wolf running around, and we made this minute-long video depicting a wolf running through a field and trees sprouting up behind him and I told the team 'See, isn't that neat?'"

There was no story at the time and no gameplay system. There was an original concept — depicting the splendor of nature.

"Our first test run was incredibly boring to play," he continued. "I was grinding my teeth at night, I was so worried. At one point, we were so far off-track that it had turned into a simulation game — you had hexes and trees sprouted on them. It was total garbage. A couple of devs said to me afterwards 'Something was definitely wrong with you around that time, Kamiya!'"

Read more in the link below.

Platinum Games' Kamiya Reflects on Bayonetta, Okami [1Up]

The creator of Bayonetta, Devil May Cry, Viewtiful Joe and more has officially asked, nicely, that Sega get around to bringing After Burner Climax to home consoles. He's not rich enough to afford an arcade cabinet, he says. Nor am I, and it would be kindly appreciated. The 2006 arcade game from Sega AM2 seems like an unlikely candidate at this point, but stranger things have happened.

As for Kamiya, who says he has no idea what his post-Bayonetta project will be—"I'm an empty shell," he admits—but doesn't seem willing to tackle the After Burner Climax port on PlatinumGames' time. Guess he's used up all his "climax action" energy on his own game.

(Note: This is the same episode of "Hideki Answers" that mentioned Kamiya's choice for a live action Bayonetta, but it's After Burner. It's worth mentioning!)

Hideki Answers Vol. 2 Part 2! [PlatinumGames Blog]

"I am bald, but I am not gay."

Thanks for sharing? Perhaps Kamiya was making some off-handed remark or whatever — he did say he was "sleepy". Unfortunately, Kotaku only has a summary of Kamiya's comments that has been floating around the Japanese internet and thus don't know the full context, which could better explain his statement.

The majority of the comments are concerned with the actual game: "For the opponent, dodging attacks is more humiliating than blocking them." He also talks about how blocking already means you've turned a win-lose into a lose.

One of the main mechanics for Bayonetta is dodging attacks.

Some on the Japanese internet point out that Kamiya also seems to be revisiting his feud with former Team Ninja lead Ninja Tomonobu Itagaki. "It's a huge mistake to think like an idiot that big breasts on women seem erotic." Itagaki is known for his chesty characters in games like Dead or Alive.

The Kamiya vs. Itagaki has been ongoing with Itagaki recommending laser-eye surgery for Kamiya, and Kamiya saying that Itagaki's Ninja Gaiden didn't have "the power" to pull him in.

Previously, Itagaki also said, "My daughter tried playing Okami, and she got sick of it pretty quickly — and I got pretty sick of it, too... So I heard Kamiya said something about the action genre not moving forward in eight years. Can you tell me more about that? ...Was he asleep for eight years?"

The Japanese internet seems to believe that Kamiya's recently comment that he's "sleepy" is in reference to this Itagaki remark. Oh the drama, the drama.

ゲームクリエイターの神谷氏と板垣氏の抗争が本格化してきた件について [はちま起稿] [Pic]

He's also back to fill the vacuum of Japanese game developer trash talk. From an excerpt of Itagaki interview with 1Up comes this bit about Platinum Games developer Hideki Kamiya, who is currently making Devil-May-Cry-in-heels action title Bayonetta:

1UP: What do you think about Bayonetta, as a game? Do you think Kamiya is right to follow the Devil May Cry formula so closely?

TI: If I made a similar game as a game I made in the company I quit, people would say, "What an idiot, can't he make anything else?" Well, that is more or less the opinion I have for, uh, that Bayo-something game.

1UP: What do you think of Bayonetta's character design? She's covered in hair.

TI: Covered in hair, is she? I dunno, Mr. Kamiya must have a lot going through his head. Well, in any case, I would first recommend laser eye surgery. I'm sure he's not that strapped for cash, right?

A bit of background: Bayonetta designer Hideki Kamiya stated previously that he had never played Itagaki's Ninja Gaiden because he said the game "didn't have the power" to pull him in.

Moving beyond the smack talk and Itagaki's recommendation that Kamiya get laser eye surgery if he's not strapped for cash (ouch), this chatter could provide clues regarding what the former Team Ninja lead ninja and his team are up to. Elsewhere in the interview, he says he's gotten tired of making games with girls that have enormous breasts and won't be making games with Aerosmith music anymore.

"I have to apologize to my fans, but since I won't be making Dead or Alive games," Itagaki explains, "I won't be using Aerosmith's music anymore. I want to send the deepest gratitude to Aerosmith and Steven Tyler. The power I needed to make DOA came from Aerosmith and the movie Armageddon."

So is it safe to assume for the sake of assuming that Itagaki is working on something different than his previous games, something light on the norgs and something free of Aerosmith?

Developer Interview: Itagaki Skewers the Competition [1Up via Sega Nerds]

We're not talking about video game industry shaking announcements, message board dwellers. We're talking about one of the many facets of Bayonetta's combo attacks, particularly her finishing moves that push enemy Angels into Iron Maidens and guillotines or grind them into oblivion with massive spiked wheels. When an enemy's health is low, wailing on the X button builds up megatons, adding more pain and more points.

Those moves will be supplanted by gigaton-level attacks. But there's another level of attack beyond the gigaton, something that developer PlatinumGames isn't yet ready to reveal.

Until then, there's no lack of variety to discuss in Bayonetta's menu of moves. Her rich list of combos is comprised mostly of kicks and punches, a surprisingly deep system with little more than jumping and pausing between attacks to mix things up.

Those combos can be practiced during the game's loading times, giving the player time to become familiar with some of Bayonetta's moves that one might not be able to pull off in the midst of the game's chaotic battles. A running tally of how many times you've been able to pull off a particular combo will be shown on those loading screens as well, letting you know what moves you're taking advantage of regularly and which ones you're not.

Some of the more spectacular combos that we were able to execute during our 20-minute hands-on session ended with giant stiletto heels and massive fists emerging from mystical portals. Others, the Torture Attacks, wrapped up with giant dragons made of Bayonetta's hair, clearly exposing the witch's expertly modeled backside for a half-second.

Perhaps the most satisfying aspect of Bayonetta's combo system is the gunfire. When you want to cancel out a combo, you can simply hold down the Y or B button on the Xbox 360 controller and Bayonetta will wrap things up with a hail of bullets.

We battled two giant boss-level creatures during our session. The first was a cherub faced hulk with a weak spot located on its back. After going on the offensive for most of the battle, we quickly learned that the Bayonetta's dodge move, performed with the right trigger, was crucial to surviving hand-to-hand fights.

That dodge, done just at the right time, as explained the demo's tutorial, will also kick in Witch Time. When Witch Time kicks in, everything slows down with the exception of Bayonetta.

Our second boss encounter wasn't so easy. He crushed the bridge we were standing on again and again, making Bayonetta fall to her death. The only reasonable tactic: run. We made it to safer ground, then let loose on the massive Angel with a series of combos and lots of Witch Time moves until we'd whittled down his health.

Finally, we had a run in with a character more our size, a female opponent seen in the game's most recent E3 trailer who matches Bayonetta's speed and combo capabilities. This showed of Bayonetta's Witch Walk, an ability that lets her walk on walls and ceilings, adding a topsy-turvy perspective on the action.

Our hands on time with Bayonetta absolutely did not disappoint. The game's 60 frames-per-second action is beautiful to behold, with tight controls and a deep list of fast action attacks. With the added variety of megaton attacks, Torture Attacks, the ability to pick up almost any weapon from defeated foes and maybe just a little titillation, there's plenty to see and do in the game.

It ships later this year for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Set aside some cash.

That's why Bayonetta director Hideki Kamiya spends more than 23 minutes explaining the trailer in nitty-gritty detail. In yet another example of the developer "getting it," Kamiya and company explore the "First Climax" trailer scene by scene by way of director commentary—not something we typically see for a video game promo clip, but something I hope we'll see more of.

In it, Kamiya explains almost everything you'd want to know about the star of Bayonetta, including details on her arsenal of weapons, the two things she'll never strip herself of, and just what role lollipops will play in the game. You'll also be given a dose of the curious reluctance of Japanese developers to reveal the names of almost anyone or anything.

Kamiya obviously expounds on actual gameplay and story details, much of which we haven't been privy to by way of official Sega channels thus far. That includes things like the customization of Bayonetta's weapons load out and the option to switch between two sets of weapon set ups on the fly. Neat!

If you have the time and the Bayonetta enthusiasm, it's highly recommended.

PGTV Episode 4 – First Climax Trailer Commentary [PlatinumGames]

The game, designed by Devil May Cry creator Hideki Kamiya, follows main character Bayonetta as she casts magical spells, shoots the shotguns in her high heels and wields four handguns and a katana.

The "Fall 2009" release date for Bayonetta is a simultaneous worldwide one.

I've never played Ninja Gaiden, and to be honest, I'm not that interested.

The quality that gets you interested in something is that you feel something for them. Like on TV, or a movie, or a song, or whatever. You just feel something, and you get pulled into it, and then that's how you pick something up. But Ninja Gaiden just didn't have that power, so that's why I wasn't interested in it.

These Japanese developers, they're like an all-male soap opera. Stay tuned for next week's episode, where Keiji Inafune calls Miyamoto a "total bitch".

Devil May Cry Creator 'Not Interested' in Ninja Gaiden [1UP]

My daughter tried playing Okami, and she got sick of it pretty quickly-and I got pretty sick of it, too. And I'm not out to make this an Okami bashing session or anything — I'm just saying that it didn't feel like it had much of a spirit. It's unique, but it's not a powerful fighter plane... So I heard Kamiya said something about the action genre not moving forward in eight years. Can you tell me more about that?

Apparently, Kamiya said the action genre hasn't moved forward since the release of the first Devil May Cry. To which Itagaki replied:

Was he asleep for eight years? ...There are two types of people out there who like to make controversial, splashy comments. There are those who are truly outspoken, and there are those who are just trying to cover up for there weaknesses. We have a saying here in Japan — "the weaker dog barks more" — and I sincerely also like to remind him to make sure to stay awake for the next years.

Knives out! Oh, and as a special bonus, Itagaki also offered sound-bytes on why he makes Xbox 360 games:

First of al, I think that the PS3 was an attempt by [former Sony chairman and CEO Ken] Kutaragi to create a uniquely Japanese computer to take on the intel standard; in that sense, I have a lot of respect for him. But to me, having a fighter that's powerful and easy to pilot makes it easy to win. That's my main goal, and thats why I choose to pilot 360.

...and on what he's been up to lately:

I've been taking pictures, working on my model trains, drinking, of course, and gambling. And that's what things have been lately. But you know me — I'm not just going to sit back. No, I'm definitely going to make something very soon. The great, wide expanse of the skies awaits.

Wow, Itagaki is into model trains. Did not know that. I guess you really do learn something new everyday.

Thanks dmitsuki for the tip!

I wanted to do the sequel. I used to want to do a sequel, but now it's like some other guy's chick. It's not my chick anymore. And that chick got fooled and played all around from all over, so I don't want her anymore. I'm only concentrating on my current chick.

Kamiya's DMC was turned into a dirty harlot? So sad. And his current girl is of course the previously mentioned Bayonetta. Apparently in the game, the Bayonetta lady appears to be wearing leather, but its actually her hair. The more hair attacks she does, the more skin players see. Kamiya's comments about this and his total Ninja Gaiden apathy and desire to outdo God of War after the jump!

I feel strongly that women [in real life] should dress like her. Like, when she does the hair attacks, you see her skin. So I want women to wear fashion like that.

You know, hair attacks are handy in real life.

I've never played Ninja Gaiden, and to be honest, I'm not that interested. You know when you're watching a TV commercial or a movie trailer or listening to a song or whatever, how you just feel something and you get pulled into it? it just didn't have that power, so thats why I wasn't interested.

Needs more hair attacks, no doubt. But hey, Kamiya isn't a total hater, check out his two cents about God of War:

But out of all those action titles, there's one game that I'm paying really close attention to that I think is a rival series — a good game — which is called God of War. I guess they're working on a sequel? I want to make a game that exceeds God of War's sequel. Thats one title I'm paying attention to.

That's cool Kamiya is so pumped about God of War — especially as Kratos isn't able to do hair attacks.

Thanks dmitsuki for the tip! [Pic]

I think Kamiya-san makes good games. However, I think they, the systems, gameplay elements in his game tend to be rather shallow and he makes up with that through stylish presentation. I think if you were to compare them directly, the combat and other gameplay elements in Ninja Gaiden II are much deeper than projects that he works on.

...In my games its all based on a back and forth with the enemies, its very interactive. You feel like you're pushed to the brink but you manage to survive, the enemies are as out to get you as you are to get them. Whereas other types of action games, one of which being Devil May Cry, enemies exist there as objects on which you unleash your attacks.

Gotta give Itagaki this much: at least he's not boring!
Talking with Tomonobu [OXM Thanks, Hatchetforce!]

I really don't know what under pretext the credits were cut... What do you all think? I feel dejected, and not only because my own name has been erased from my creation. Of course we have pride in our work and we want to scream "We made this!" from the top of our lungs. But more than that, the fact that they cut the entire staff is utterly deplorable.

Kamiya on Credit [Platinum Games via Canned Dogs Thanks, Sarah!]

Eds Note: Oh! For those who are interested in reading the entire post (in English), Platinum Games has posted the official translation here.

The meaning of "platinum" is that it doesn't deteriorate, and it holds its quality over time. Users won't be betrayed by the quality, which will remain high.

Hit the jump for a pic of Kamiya's Gundamized desk.

Squint and maybe you can see what they're working on...

PlatinumGames [Official Site]