Forgotten 1997 PS1 Game Gets Official Re-Release

A forgotten PS1 game has just received an official re-release, courtesy of Japanese developer Hamster and its Console Archives series. The game in question hails from 1997 and was originally a PS1 exclusive at launch. The following year, though, it came to the Sega Saturn. Then, in 2008, it came to PSP and PS3. Then, in 2012, it arrived on PS Vita. Now it’s on PS5, as well as Nintendo Switch 2. With regard to the latter, this is notably the first time it’s ever been available on a Nintendo platform in its 29-year existence.

This new nostalgic re-release follows last week’s equally nostalgic re-release from Hamster, which featured a 1999 Game Boy Color game. This week it’s the PS1 game The Conveni 2. If you have never heard of this game, it’s likely because it was never released outside of Japan. This has changed with this new re-release, but there’s no localization. In other words, its half-way step to a Western release because, unless you know Japanese, you can purchase it, but you won’t be able to play it effectively, at least. Meanwhile, to revisit the Human-developed PS1 title from yesteryear, you will need to fork over $11.99.

A Forgotten 32-Bit Simulation Game on PS1

For those completely unfamiliar with this title, The Conveni 2 is a simulation game from an era when they were far less common, especially on PS1. In it, you start with a small Japanese convenience store that you will attempt to build and expand into a franchise that covers all of Japan. This management includes choosing products, managing employees, balancing the books, sending spies to rival stores, and buying out your competitors if you can’t beat them. In Japan, back in 1997, the reception to it was positive, but it failed to make much of a commercial impact.

This new release is not a remaster, but there are some improvements with modernity in mind. For example, there are now customizable button layouts, multiple save points, and rewind functionality. Meanwhile, leaning into the nostalgia, there are CRT filter options and screen layout adjustments.

In 2026, the game is very primitive by 2026 management sim standards, but it has a lot of Japanese PS1 personality. It’s elementary now, but at one point this was one of the more forward-thinking management sims on the market. Meanwhile, $11.99 may seem like a steep price point for a port of such an old and primitive game, but that’s cheap when you consider it’s a 40- to 60-hour game with decent replayability.

That said, if this PS1 nostalgia doesn’t tickle your fancy, there are plenty of other options, as nostalgia is very much in vogue right now in video game development. Just last month, Hamster brought back a 27-year-old PS1 RPG. Meanwhile, remakes of two PS1-exclusive games just leaked a few days ago.

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