So trying to fix the problems in the past with people telling you what to do?

SM: Yeah, maybe. They're making their game, instead of making my game, hopefully they all feel that.

Sounds like you're a good boss!

SM: Thanks! (laughs)

You mentioned with Elebits you wanted to do more with making the Elebits have more character, and doing more interactive things like when you could put them in the toaster, or the different sounds they make when they walk under things. Have you been able to do that kind of stuff with Dewy?

SM: Dewy has many interactive gimmicks. Dewy's Adventure is a slightly different approach than Elebits, of course. In Dewy's Adventure, you have to do something through gimmicks that already exist to solve puzzles and proceed. That is a difference in interactivity in Dewy's Adventure.

It's a very different perspective, because in Elebits, the user is the main character. In Dewy's Adventure, Dewy is the main character. Why did you decide to do that?

SM: I don't think it was really that conscious. At first, my team and I focused on how to utilize the Wii Remote for control -- that was the main thing. The starting point for Dewy's Adventure and Elebits were basically the same.

We had a few concepts for Wii games, based on what you could do with the controller -- one was for Elebits, and one was Dewy's Adventure. We picked Elebits to be made first, but Dewy's Adventure's concept already existed.

It seems like you are at the front of Konami's Wii development. Is that your personal choice?

SM: To be honest, I was asked by my boss to make something new for the Wii.

It seems that Elebits is slightly more popular in the U.S. than in Japan. Do you have any idea why that might be?

SM: Well I've found that mysterious myself, as well, but the Japanese market tends to purchase games that already have previous versions, like franchise games, instead of original ones. Maybe that is one of the reasons. It's not a good thing though...

That definitely seems true. It's hard to try something new. But at the same time, Castlevania sells way better in the U.S. than in Japan, and it's a very established franchise.

SM: In Japan, the action genre is not that popular. Maybe Japanese gamers don't like the action genre.