Console Obsession: Firstly, please can you tell us who you are and your role on The Punisher game?

James Tsai: My name is James Tsai, and I was one of the associate producers on The Punisher, developed by Volition for THQ.

Console Obsession: The Punisher is a character that obviously adapts very well to a videogame in the right hands; do you think you have greatly achieved this?

James Tsai: We were really successful in bringing the feel of the Punisher universe onto a console; the look and attitude of the character, the subtle comic source references, and the high body count and non-stop action make for a very fun gaming experience. Working with Marvel comics was great and we'd definitely be open to doing more games with them in the future.

Console Obsession: Is that adult age rating well deserved?

James Tsai: I think that with the intensity of our interrogation system, the brutal graphic violence of our quick kills, and the gruesome environmental hazards, it was pretty much a foregone conclusion that we would be targeting the adult age rating and nothing else.

Console Obsession: Is the Punisher an amalgamation of gaming styles, or does it stay rooted to the action?

James Tsai: The Punisher is a third person action shooter at its core. There are lots of cinematic moments with some truly unique gameplay mechanics, such as the player-controlled analog stick interrogations, that help set us apart from other games on the market. But action fans will definitely enjoy the ride when they load this game up.

Console Obsession: Is there anything you would have liked to place in the game, but couldn't for one reason or another?

James Tsai: Believe it or not, the original game was even more violent than the bloodfest that's out on store shelves right now. We worked with the ratings boards to get the content down to an acceptable level that fit within the guidelines of the various markets…sometimes that meant editing out certain kills or interrogations. But by and large, we are happy with the game we've released and will strive to make sure that our future titles get even better.

Thanks goes out to James Tsai and THQ for this interview.

The Punisher is scheduled for release 24th March on PS2 and Xbox, look out for our review in the coming days.