Games industry veteran Hideki Kamiya has shared that he still wants to make sequels to PS2 classics Okami and Viewtiful Joe.
These days, Kamiya is probably best known as the creator of Bayonetta, though throughout his year he's created a big range of titles. You obviously can't forget Devil May Cry, but there's of course two other beloved titles he created too: Viewtiful Joe and Okami. The former did get a sequel, but the latter Zelda-like RPG never did, and it seems like that that's something that eats away at Kamiya a bit, as in the second part of his interview with Ikumi Nakamura (who previously worked on Bayonetta herself), he spoke of his desire to make an Okami 2. "The story ended midway, so leaving it as it is, I feel bad," Kamiya said.
"Creators, I think, have the duty to create sequels fans are wanting to see. Although I sound all high and mighty, it's been awhile since I've moved on from Okami. But I still feel like I haven't fulfilled my duty. So Capcom, please, let's do it together." Even Nakamura herself said "please" as Okami was another title she worked on with Kamiya - in fact it was her first credited game role. I'm no Kamiya or Nakamura, but I'd quite happily see an Okami 2, too, Capcom!
As well as Okami 2, Kamiya also spoke of a hypothetical Viewtiful Joe 3. While Okami made a recent appearance on a Capcom survey, asking fans if they'd like a sequel, Viewtiful Joe didn't make an appearance on the survey. "It's only because eight people have played Viewtiful Joe," Kamiya quipped. "That game also ended mid-way, so I need to finish it. The survey that Capcom did last time didn't have Viewtiful Joe as an option, so I sent a response saying 'I am Hideki Kamiya, let me make Viewtiful Joe's sequel.'"
Perhaps unsurprisingly, his comment didn't make it into the survey results. "The director himself is asking to make the game again but they won't even talk about it. What the hell, Capcom?" Kamiya asked. "Where did my comment go? They'll post comments from other players like 'Resident Evil was my first game I bought for my PlayStation' or 'I've always enjoyed playing Mega Man since I was a kid.' These comments are important, but it would've been nice if they mentioned me too. Hear me out as a director, please. I'm human too. I'm also a gamer. I wish they would treat me equally like gamers."
You can't really intonate tone from text so I should assure you that both him and Nakamura were laughing together while having this discussion, so Kamiya probably isn't all that cut up about it. Capcom should let him make an Okami 2 and Viewtiful Joe 3, though.