TGS 2005: PSP gets first bargain reissue

TOKYO--It was bound to happen sooner or later. Sony's PSP is getting its first budget-priced reissue akin to the PlayStation 2's Greatest Hits series.

During the Tokyo Game Show, Konami announced that it will rerelease Metal Gear Acid as a "Best of Konami" budget reprint in Japan. The game will be coming out on November 17, just under a month before Metal Gear Acid 2 ships on December 8. At 2,100 yen ($19), the rerelease of Metal Gear Acid will be the lowest-priced PSP game available in the market to date. The game was originally released last December priced at 4,800 yen ($43).

"There are probably a lot of people who haven't played the first game yet. Metal Gear Acid really isn't a hard game, so we hope everyone will try it at our booth and pick up the original game before we release the sequel," commented Metal Gear Acid 2 producer Noriaki Okamura, who made the surprise announcement during an event at Konami's TGS stage.

Up until now, budget reprint titles were economically unfeasible for handheld games, as they ran on expensive-to-manufacture cartridges. Sony's PSP uses the Universal Media Disc (UMD), which is considerably more economical to manufacture.

GameSpot's full review has all the details on Metal Gear Acid. For more on Metal Gear Acid 2, check our hands-on impressions from the Tokyo Game Show floor.