Metal Gear Solid III - Unique Production Numbers

[Gemini-Phoenix]

Whilst checking through my games, I noticed that the part numbers on a few of the games are different. For example, most PAL PS2 games are in the following format: SLES / SCES 5xxxx (Where PlayStation games before them would have been: SLES / SCES 0xxxx)

For some reason though, certain games start with an eight instead of a five:

82013 ~ Metal Gear Solid III: Snake Eater (Same code for Metal Edition)

82042; 82043; 82050 ~ Metal Gear Solid III: Subsistence

Metal Gear Solid II: Son's Of Liberty is: SLES 50383 ~ Why is Metal Gear Solid III so unique?

[ProgrammingAce]

The numbers are assigned by Sony when the title is given first tier approval. They're somewhat sequential, if you consider the fact that a lot of games that reach the first tier of approval never make it to retail.

[Gemini-Phoenix]

All PlayStation 1 games have a five figure number starting with a zero. PS2 games should all start with a five, hence why I am curious why it is that the variations of MGS 3 all start with an eight opposed to a five, and are there any other examples of this happening with other games?

[roushimsx]

other European titles that begin with an 8 instead of a 5:
SLES-82001 / SLES-82005 Summoner
SLES-82009 Metal Gear Solid 2
SLES-82010 Document of Metal Gear Solid 2
SLES-82011 / SLES-82012 Devil May Cry 2
SLES-82018 / SLES-82020 Cy Girls
SLES-82028 / SLES-82029 Star Ocean 3
SLES-82030 / SLES-82031 Shadow Hearts Covenant
SLES-82034 / SLES-82035 Xenosaga Episode 2
SLES-82036 Armored Core Nexus
SLES-82038 Onimusha Dawn of Dreams

Snake Eater also had SLES-82024 / SLES-82026 / SLES-82032 depending on country. Subsistence had a wide spread based on country as well.

That's pretty much everything according to SonyIndex, anyway. Love that site.

edit - Oh, and there's a bunch of PS1 games that don't begin with a 0, either.

[PapaStu]

Only thing I can *think* of as to why some of those could have been bumped is because they are double disc games. But stuff like Document of MGS and Cy Girls I know arn't double disc.

[Oobgarm]

I thought Cy Girls was 2-disc. Only here in the US, then?

[DKTheArcadeRat]

Cy Girls is definitely 2-disc. One disc for each character. I just resurfaced that one the other day.

[Mayhem]

The double disc thing is probably on the right lines. All US PS2 games are normally 2xxxx right? Well the only ones I own that start 9xxxx are double disc titles (such as both God of War games).

SLES-82009 Metal Gear Solid 2

Just to clarify that's MGS2, Substance has both serial numbers on the spine which looks a little odd to say the least