Capcom tries to kill used video game sales with the one-save game

[gatti]

Check this out! I wonder how this will play out.

http://dvice.com/archives/2011/06/capcom-tries-to.php

[Stringfellow]

Wow the really stupid thing about that is that if I finish the game and want to play through again I can't.

[Dobie]

I don't like this at all. It not only punishes used buyers, it punishes new buyers whether or not they intend to keep the game. I would expect a "New Game +" after the initial playthrough, but you can never go back and start a clean save? Boo.

[Oobgarm]

Way to go Capcom, piss off potential buyers so NO ONE buys your game. I'd wager that only core gamers jumped in feet first with 3DS, and that's the target audience for this title.

This idea had better backfire, that's all I have to say.

[Vectorman0]

I can think of a few games on my shelf that are already like this, and those are just a few I know of off the top of my head. However, I believe those were just oversights. Intentionally not having a data reset feature seems silly. Here's hoping it backfires.

[skaar]

I'm sure someone'll come up with a glitch/hack/something to reset it. It is really an odd thing for Capcom to do, but with with 3DS console sales the way they are... I sorta see the motivation. Sad they went down this road.

[portnoyd]

The blowback from this will be pretty fierce that I doubt it'll happen again, even if it happened in the past.

[gatti]

I can think of a few games on my shelf that are already like this, and those are just a few I know of off the top of my head. However, I believe those were just oversights. Intentionally not having a data reset feature seems silly. Here's hoping it backfires.

Yeah, I've experienced the lacking of the "full reset" option too with one or two more "casual" game titles. I always thought that it was simple oversight though since they were made by smaller developers. But, I've never seen it with hardcore games.

My thoughts is that if the publisher doesn't want people to re-sell then they should release via DSiWare. This whole thing has the opportunity to seriously backfire on Capcom.

[Sailorneorune]

They've already told the Ace Attorney fans to piss off; I guess it's the Resident Evil fans' turn to be stabbed in the back (pun intended).

Oh, Capcom, may the depths of your stupidity come back to bite you in your nether regions swiftly and with great force.

[TonyTheTiger]

It'll backfire when the solution turns out to be some kind of exploit, probably related to gray market activity, that is the means by which to erase the save file. And whenever the gray market becomes relevant to the game buying public, piracy invariably becomes a viable avenue for many people.

Shit, Nintendo should take issue with this for just that very reason.

[Kid Ice]

Since replay value tends to significantly influence review scores, rest assured the game will be buried.

There was an adventure game for the C64 that erased itself when you died. A funny thing happened...no one bought it.

[Sailorneorune]

I'm going to get a huge kick out of seeing the Capcom-Unity guys trying to do damage control on this one. They know how they can make up for this - they just refuse to do it.

[TonyTheTiger]

I'm going to get a huge kick out of seeing the Capcom-Unity guys trying to do damage control on this one. They know how they can make up for this - they just refuse to do it.

To their credit, after fielding questions and concerns from the community, they did scale back the DRM in the PC version of Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition. We'll see what happens this time around.

[Sailorneorune]

Yeah, they seem to do their job quite well except when it concerns Ace Attorney. Apparently Phoenix Wright fans fit somewhere between plague rats and Man-Yoko.

[TonyTheTiger]

You know what would be the icing on the cake? If there are missible items and plot points.

[kupomogli]

Isn't Mercenaries 3D just like the RE4 and RE5 Mercenaries titles? It's just playing for points and you unlock all characters and stages? What's stopping everyone from just using the first characters you start with on the earlier stages? The only penalty I see is that you can't start over and unlock everything all over again.

I'm more displeased about them selling half a game for retail value.

[Tupin]

So you can only play the game one single time through?

Won't stop pirates, they'll find a way around it. Capcom kind of deserves it for tackling the matter in such a stupid way.

[RCM]

This is pretty oppressive and fucked up. I openly encourage everyone and anyone interested in this title to pirate it. Fuck you, Capcom.

[Vectorman0]

Yeah, I've experienced the lacking of the "full reset" option too with one or two more "casual" game titles. I always thought that it was simple oversight though since they were made by smaller developers. But, I've never seen it with hardcore games.

The games I were thinking of that lacked a data-wipe feature were Metal Gear Solid for the GBC, Magical Drop Pocket for the NGPC, and now I can't recall the third I was thinking of.

So you can only play the game one single time through?

Someone correct me if I am wrong, but it sounds like you can play it again, but most of the unlocked features and or items will still be present.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Just trying to decode the language in that article ...

Consider this: lending Mercenaries 3D to a friend, a little brother or sister will be worthless because they'll only be able to continue playing the game with your saved settings and create their own.

So ... before we march on Capcom HQ with torches and pitchforks ... it seems that users can't wipe the existing save file, but they can create their own new slot.

While I fully understand this may be the poor choice of wording by the author of the article, if there is some clearer explanation that the game can't in any way be reset I'd like to see it, because that's not what I'm seeing when I read that quote.

*EDIT*

What I'm essentially looking for is some evidence that a new game can't be started on level 1 where your character has no money/experience/items etc.