Torrance, California-based videogame publisher Aksys Games has officially announced the rebirth of the popular PS1 strategy RPG Hoshigami for the Nintendo DS handheld system. Dubbed Hoshigami Remix, this will be Aksys Games' first title for the DS.

"We are proud to be resurrecting the Hoshigami franchise on the Nintendo DS," said Akibo Shieh, President, Aksys Games. "The multitude of new additions and gameplay enhancements make this the definitive version of Hoshigami and is sure to secure its place among the best tactical RPG games ever created."

Hoshigami Remix will feature a brand new character, missions, music, character art, and introductory animation as well as all new localization. The game will also have three difficulty settings to let players tailor the game according to their own skill levels. There's also a revised, streamlined interface as well as an optional stylus control feature.

All in all, Hoshigami Remix promises over 50 hours of gameplay, multiple branching paths, and multiple endings. Players can also trade special items with their Friends using the DS's Wi-Fi connectivity. Hoshigami Remix is set for a Summer 2007 release and carries with it a suggested retail price of US$ 29.99.

The folks over at Kikizo managed to snag an interview with Konami's Koji Igarashi and composer Michiru Yamane. Interesting stuff in it, but what's most telling is Igarashi's passion for 2D gaming action. If last year's Dawn of Sorrow is to be taken as evidence, then there is still much love for all things 2D, despite this being a next-gen world. Now if we can only manage to get ourselves a copy of Portrait of Ruin....

Anyway, interesting bits here (for you curious gamer types) include portions where IGA talks about the XBL release of the PS1 classic, Symphony of the Night, and a test Castlevania developed for the PSP. Since Kikizo doesn't want people direct linking to their video file, we'll do you guys a favor and provide you a vid embed of the thing.

This is good news to some of you folks. The rest of you might just say, Final Fantasy is teh gay, or some other odd term that has has its roots firmly planted in the typographical errors of message board devotees.

Square Enix has confirmed that it is doing a new PSP version of Final Fantasy Tactics, while a second game, reportedly a sequel to the GBA FF Tactics Advance (yes, more of that Ivalice), is also in development. The announcement can be found in the pages of the current issue of Shonen Jump, although absolute confirmation of certain details is yet to be made. But don't be too doubtful, Eurogamer reports that Squeenix has just confirmed to them the game is 100% on its way to the PSP, it's just the details surrounding the title that we're iffy about.

Here's the title of the game that's on its way to the PSP (that much is confirmed): Final Fantasy Tactics: Shishi Sensou. Translations (very rough translations) of the article suggests that it adds new jobs and cel-shaded movies to the PS1 original.

There's still no confirmation as to what platform FF Tactics A2: Fuuketsu no Guurimore (Grimoire?), the supposed GBA sequel, will be headed. The translations sort of phrase that it's coming out for the GBA, but it would be safe to assume that we should expect it for the DS.

We'll keep you updated if any more details are released regarding these two titles.

You'll get a lot of numbers in this post, but let's start with the ones that are related to this posts title. Let's talk about console sales. The numbers below are given by the Research firm, NPD Group.

The little dual screened juggernaut, the DS sold 918,000 units in November, bringing U.S. sales to a total of 8.1 million units. The old and yet still hot PS2 followed as the second-best with 664,000 units sold. It's sales probably boosted by Square Enix's FFXII that sold at 896,000 units and has a sales record of $49 million. Third place for systems is held by the never say die GameBoy Advance with 641,000 units.

Despite Gears of War being number one at the software sales charts having sold a million units and having earned around $61.5 million, Microsoft's Xbox 360 is at fourth this November with 511,000 units sold. However despite being fourth this November, overall the Xbox 360, has a life-to-date US sales number of 3.8 million units.

Despite having it's launch date mid November, The Wii sold 476,000 units for the month. The PSP follows the Wii, having sold around 412,000 units during November. Hopefully now that  MGS: Portable Ops is out, people will enjoy running around to check out WiFi spots. Honestly, that soldier recruitment thing that the new MGS has reminds us of the "old CD collection now has a use" effect that the PS1's Monster Rancher generated. So does this mean more PSP sales? We'll check the post holiday season numbers when the time comes.

So who needs to make shipments? The PS3 sold only 197,000 units this month, this despite Sony's promise to have 400,000 units available on launch day in the U.S.

Here's what NPD Analyst Anita Frazier has to say about the numbers: "It's just such overall good news that bodes very well for the health of this industry."

We like ninjas. Ninjas are cool. But playing as ninjas that do nothing but kill kill kill can get pretty desensitizing sometimes. And that's where Ninja Ja Ja Maru-kun comes in. After running around on the NES, Sega Saturn, and the PS1, the violet-eyed, red-clad ninja is making the jump to the Nintendo DS.

Ninja Ja Ja Maru-kun: The Pen Is Mightier Than the Sword is a sidescrolling run-and-jump game from developer Jaleco Entertainment. No word yet on how the gameplay works, but just from looking at the (itty-bitty) screens, we're getting quite pumped for this title. Sadly, there's also no information on whether or not this  title will be released outside Japan. But hey, we can always hope.

Check out the screens, guys.