Capcom didn't factor in secondhand game sales when taking the decision to deny gamers the opportunity to reset their game save files in Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D.
Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D is released for 3DS tomorrow and Capcom has released a statement to explain the save file situation.
"In Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D, all mission progress is saved directly to the Nintendo 3DS cartridge, where it cannot be reset. The nature of the game invites high levels of replayability, encouraging fans to improve mission scores. The save mechanic ensures that both original and unlocked game content will be available to all users''.
"Secondhand game sales were not a factor in this development decision, and we hope that all our consumers will be able to enjoy the entirety of the survival-action experiences that the game does offer."
According to Capcom, the arcade-style gameplay lends itself to this save system. "There was no intention of lessening the experience of the game. "Essentially Resident Evil The Mercenaries 3D was treated like an arcade fighting game. You unlock characters, levels, etc and they just stay unlocked as they would in an arcade machine. There was no hidden motive to prevent buying used copies. It's not some secret form of DRM. It's simply the way we designed the save system to work with the arcade type of gameplay."
Capcom then explained what this means for anyone hoping to buy a secondhand copy of the game. "Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D consists of 30 time-based missions, through which the player unlocks skill upgrades as they progress through the game. Anyone purchasing a copy of the game secondhand would have access to all the missions and skills that the original owner unlocked, in addition to the content that was available to the original user."
What do you think of Capcom's decision?