Resident Evil 3DS To Only Allow One Playthrough

Ascendancy · 27 Jun 2011 at 17:02

Capcom have, for some reason, removed the ability to reset a player’s progress in this week’s 3DS version of Resident Evil: Mercenaries.

The lock out was spotted on the back of the game’s box (it’s out in the US) and means that, once you’re done with the game, anyone else wanting a shot will have to carry on from your current save – it can’t be deleted.

http://www.thesixthaxis.com/2011/06/27/capcom-removes-ability-to-clear-resident-evil-save/

What do you guys think of this? I think it's a ridiculous move that'll only lead to the inevitable piracy of this game. I know I like playing certain games more than once, and if this game actually turns out to be worth a second playthough then I can imagine there'll be a lot of annoyed customers.

Sinny · 27 Jun 2011 at 17:08

Ascendancy said:
http://www.thesixthaxis.com/2011/06/27/capcom-removes-ability-to-clear-resident-evil-save/

What do you guys think of this? I think it's a ridiculous move that'll only lead to the inevitable piracy of this game. I know I like playing certain games more than once, and if this game actually turns out to be worth a second playthough then I can imagine there'll be a lot of annoyed customers.

Piracy means Nintendo will lockdown your console, ultimately it'll mean less sales, like most other people who can only afford games after they sell their old ones I won't be getting it unless I hear different.

soullessfire · 27 Jun 2011 at 17:12

It does seem a bit stupid. I know that resale of games ends up in them making less money, but surely that's not going to force people to buy new copies? They'll just wait and buy it on sale or something.

K1LLSW1TCH · 27 Jun 2011 at 17:16

It won't affect me so I'm not concerned but I can see why it would frustrate people who buy preowned games.

Ascendancy · 27 Jun 2011 at 17:21

K1LLSW1TCH said:
It won't affect me so I'm not concerned but I can see why it would frustrate people who buy preowned games.

Not just preowned purchasers though. Say you buy the game and finish it, and then 6 months later you fancy playing through it again. Oh wait, you'll have to buy another copy to do that.

Streeteh · 27 Jun 2011 at 17:23

Erm, isn't it laid out like Resi 5, where you can replay missions to your hearts content?

Think you're being a bit sensationalist here. It doesn't mean you have to buy a whole new copy, it just means you can't start the game 'fresh', you keep all your record times, weapons, money etc.

K1LLSW1TCH · 27 Jun 2011 at 17:25

Ascendancy said:
Not just preowned purchasers though. Say you buy the game and finish it, and then 6 months later you fancy playing through it again. Oh wait, you'll have to buy another copy to do that.

I don't think it will be that bad. You will unlolck weapons and stages as you progress but you can always select whatever weapons and levels you want. With no story mode I don't think this will make much difference, other than if I bought it preowned and had everything unlocked from the beginning which would be pretty rubbish.

Ascendancy · 27 Jun 2011 at 19:06

Streeteh said:
Erm, isn't it laid out like Resi 5, where you can replay missions to your hearts content?

Think you're being a bit sensationalist here. It doesn't mean you have to buy a whole new copy, it just means you can't start the game 'fresh', you keep all your record times, weapons, money etc.

If that's the case then no, it won't be that bad. It's still a stupid idea though.

XPE · 27 Jun 2011 at 19:13

God could that be any more sensationalist, you can play through the as many times as you want, there is just no way to delete your saved profile.

I don’t see how that will stop 2nd hand game as you will have access to all the stuff.

K1LLSW1TCH · 27 Jun 2011 at 19:43

It is basically the equivalent of if Call of Duty didn't have Veteran mode. So once you've levelled up and unlocked all the guns there's nothing left to do.

XPE · 27 Jun 2011 at 19:51

Compared to some of the attempts to kill the 2nd hand game industry, this one is almost a non issue.

andshrew · 27 Jun 2011 at 20:36

Can't you just pull the cart out while it's saving or something, causing the save to corrupt thereby forcing it to create a new one.

KNiVES · 27 Jun 2011 at 21:22

Just delete the save from the 3DS menu?

K1LLSW1TCH · 27 Jun 2011 at 22:52

Just took this from Wiki, seems the whole thing has just been blown out of proportion, like most of the comments here suggest.

According to Neo GAF, save files on the cartridge cannot be deleted. This was misreported as meaning that the game only supports a single "playthrough." However, the entire game is an arcade style, high-score based shooter, with timed rounds. There is no campaign of any sort that could be saved.

JoeBoi · 28 Jun 2011 at 06:48

So basically everything is unlocked from the start then?

If that's not the case then I personally think it's stupid you cannot delete the save.

I reckon Capcom know this game isn't going to sell well, so by preventing saves from being deleted, I bet they're hoping will put people off buying second hand.

Dutch Guy · 28 Jun 2011 at 09:17

When will companies finally realize people buying games 2nd hand will not buy the game new if it wasn't possible to buy 2nd hand :mad:

ZXSpectrum · 28 Jun 2011 at 09:58

Mercenaries is just a shooter the same that you unlock when you finish the original RE4 and 5. Its not a story as such but i would expect you to be able to unlock levels, weapons and characters like the original mercenaries modes. The Story version is Resident Evil Revelations and i could see that being a problem if you could only play it through once..

K1LLSW1TCH · 28 Jun 2011 at 10:00

JoeBoi said:
So basically everything is unlocked from the start then?

If that's not the case then I personally think it's stupid you cannot delete the save.

I reckon Capcom know this game isn't going to sell well, so by preventing saves from being deleted, I bet they're hoping will put people off buying second hand.

It has received a couple of very favourable reviews:

http://www.techdigest.tv/2011/06/review_resident.html

http://newbreview.com/2011/06/23/review-resident-evil-the-mercenaries-3d/

Perhaps I am being biased in my opinion as I'm a massive fan of the Resident Evil franchise, but The Mercenaries is the perfect type of game for a handheld, the graphics on the 3DS screen will look great, it's got plenty of things to unlock as well as a levelling system for your character.

I also believe that with this type of game there is no need to have a "new game" option. Games like Gran Turismo and Tekken don't have that option and never have, but people never complained about it then. The thing is, these fast paced time attack games don't have a story, they don't have a campaign with a narrative, it's simply choose a level and kill enemies against the clock. Deleting your saved game would only accomplish deleting all the things you've unlocked thus far.

For people who are buying it new it will make virtually zero difference to their experience of the game. It would possibly annoy second hand buyers as they would have access to everything the previous owner had unlocked. But we don't know if there's an alternative way to delete your game data, all this effectively says is that there isn't a "new game" option.

Skyline said:
Mercenaries is just a shooter the same that you unlock when you finish the original RE4 and 5. Its not a story as such but i would expect you to be able to unlock levels, weapons and characters like the original mercenaries modes. The Story version is Resident Evil Revelations and i could see that being a problem if you could only play it through once..

I'll eat a sombrero if you can only play Resident Evil: Revelations one time. Absolutely ZERO chance of it happening.

Adsta · 28 Jun 2011 at 10:37

Some of the times though buying a second hand game will only save you a few extra quid. If I am given the choice of buying a game 2nd hand for say 18.99 or a new copy for 19.99 I will always get the new copy.

But meh tbh The Mercenaries game doesn't really appeal to me. I am looking forward to the Revelations though

I must say though if they do make it so you can only play through that once well... its quite possibly the worse idea ever but why would they do that ? It would put people off completely from buying it as it will have no re-playablity.

"oh I've completed it..... might as well chuck the cart in the bin now as I can't do anything else with it"

mmj_uk · 28 Jun 2011 at 12:04

Dutch Guy said:
When will companies finally realize people buying games 2nd hand will not buy the game new if it wasn't possible to buy 2nd hand

It's easier to blame piracy and the second hand market for poor sales than to admit their games were simply poor value for money.

I don't really know about the DS hacking scene but if this was a PC game you can bet they would crack the imposed 'limitations' driving more people towards piracy rather than purchasing it new, developers are just digging bigger and bigger holes for themselves with all of these increasingly draconian measures.