So much of the joy in collecting PS1 games is in the odd little details - the things that make you stop and smile.
This week I was looking at the disc for Point Blank and noticed the SCES code was printed in a mix of white and black lettering. The background artwork at that part of the disc made a single colour unreadable, so whoever designed it split the text accordingly. It’s a tiny, practical decision that most people will never notice - but once you see it, you can’t unsee it.
While I was there, I also spotted a # at the end of the code. On PAL PS1 discs, the hash symbol typically indicates a revised or updated pressing - a second version of the same release, often with a bug fix or minor change. It’s not rare exactly, but it’s worth noting.
That small detail dragged me off looking at dozens of Point Blank discs. I can’t find a single copy without the #. Which raises the question: was there ever a first pressing without it? It’s impossible to prove a negative - maybe they’re out there, buried in a collection somewhere, or maybe the original pressing never made it to shelves in any meaningful quantity.