I'm a little surprised Angela didn't jump on this announcement:

http://psp.ign.com/articles/701/701739p1.html

Ah, but I did.... discreetly, anyway, in the New Silent Hill thread.  As stated, this just may be the title that persuades me to get a PSP.  Can't wait to hear more news about it!

And while we're talking music-rhythm and sequels, IGN's got an interview with John Tam up, regarding Guitar Hero II.   Song selection is still unknown, but it's been revealed that each song will have two streams, one you can play for the lead rhythm guitar, and one for the bass sections -- kind of like what was going on with the song "Member Introduction" from Guitar Freaks.  Sounds very promising.

Ah, very discreetly I see.

I wanted to make a new topic for this, being the major Ouendan nut that I am -- but at this point, it could all still be baseless conjecture, so I'll just stick it in this iNiS-related thread. 

One of the more reliable users at GameFAQs made a post regarding news of the North American release of the game.  Here's what he had to say:

After months of waiting, it looks like American gamers will get a taste of one of the hottest import titles for the Nintendo DS, Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan. The game, centered around a "cheer squad" is of the rhythm genre and features several popular Japanese hits spanning many years of music.  This is a blessing that importers of the game and people who wanted to import it, but weren't able to have been waiting for. Localized exclusively by Nintendo, it will feature all the songs of the Japanese edition, and apparently some "classic Nintendo themes" thrown in to please those that have already imported the Japanese version.  The game will also feature a few extras, such as a "Listening room" to hear all the songs free of chirps and whistles, and music subtitle options for the top screen, in both English and Japanese.

The game will feature a full text translation, but everything generally looks the same. The game WILL be compatible with the Japanese version, though you will receive an error if you link up to the Japanese version and try to play one of the newer songs.  The audio clips, such as the famous "Osu!" of the cheer squad can be played in their original Japanese sounds, or in a decently dubbed English version sound.

The only major change that the game features is a name change. Of course, that is to be expected when the game's title is in full Japanese. The game will be known as "Great Cheerleader Squad Ouendan!" in the States, though you can also switch to the Japanese title screen with the original name.

Look for GCSO! in American stores on June 19th, 2006.

This would coincide with the previous murmurings that the game was in the process of localization, and was going to see a EU release in May.  Hopefully, E3 will shed some light on the matter.

That all sounds a little too good to be true...

Oh yes, and here's the first screenshots of Gitaroo-Man Lives.  So far, it's mostly looking like a remake of the original, although a few new locales are evident, perhaps designated for vs play?

http://www.gamespot.com/psp/puzzle/gita … index.html

EDIT: The new official site seems to indicate that there's going to be at least two new songs.  One of them can be heard on the site itself:

http://www.gamecity.ne.jp/psp/gitaroo/

I'm with you on this one.