Denise Kaigler showed up to our interview barefoot and...well, otherwise, professionally dressed from head to right above the ankles. And it's not just her lack of footwear that gave Nintendo of America's Vice President, Corporate Affairs her laid-back vibe: She small talked, she smiled and chuckled a lot, and she made us feel at ease.

She's almost like the Wii itself: something more casual for Nintendo's new place in this industry. But push her too hard, and her tough, former-reporter self will come out and try to put you back in your place. OK, so she wouldn't bite when asked if the iPhone is a threat to the DS platform, but we did get a chance to discuss plenty more. Where are the hardcore games? Why don't third-party title sell? And what the hell is Rock 'N' Roll Climber?

A short video of our interview is here, but read on for all the extra stuff that was left out.

Bitmob: What is Rock 'N' Roll Climber? What the heck is this thing?

Denise Kaigler: What do you mean? You were at the [Game Developers Conference] keynote?

Bitmob: Yeah, I saw the keynote. There was this weird rock-climbing game. You climb up to the top, you see a guitar, and you rock out. What's going on? What is this thing?

Kaigler: It's another fun experience for gamers who love playing Nintendo games. Our commitment to consumers -- certainly to the group of developers that were there -- is to provide all kinds of opportunities. [Rock 'N' Roll Climber] was a showcase, an example of [a great new game] coming out for Wii, and we're excited by it. The reaction that the crowd had was pretty fun.

Bitmob: I was a little perplexed by...

Kaigler: As you saw, Jonathan demo'ed the game and showed another example of how the Wii Balance Board can bring the player inside the game experience. What you're seeing [Jonathan do] is actually happening on the screen -- and you rock out at the end!

Bitmob: [laughs] So weird.

Kaigler: It's another element of surprise. What Nintendo is known for doing -- and what we love doing -- is surprising the gamer. Who would have thought that you could do that using the Wii and the Wii Balance Board? Then when you get to the top of the wall, do you really think you really gotta rock out? No, it's just a great element of surprise. Everybody laughs, and that's what it's all about -- having fun and laughing.

Bitmob: Talking about surprises and announcements at GDC, you guys showed off The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks....

Kaigler: I think we got a lot of good reactions. I think I heard, "Woo woo, woo woo!"

Bitmob: [laughs] Like a train whistle.

Kaigler: I heard the "Woo!" Yeah, it was great!

Bitmob: People get excited about Zelda in general, but I think they wanted more from Nintendo, like a full-on console version of Zelda, so I think there were mixed reactions. Where's the big Wii announcement? Where's the stuff for the hardcore gamers?

Kaigler: This is a game developers conference, right? [It was important for Nintendo president] Mr. Iwata, as a developer, to come here and speak to other developers and to use stories of how Mr. Miyamoto works as a way to inspire other developers. We started off [the platform] by asking, "Who are we talking to?" We're talking to game developers.