This one’s slightly odd. 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.
You’d think this would be to reduce the game’s appeal in the all-important second hand market, but the developer says otherwise.
“The game’s value at second-hand in the UK is not affected by whether or not the game can have its data reset,” Capcom said.
“Customers in the UK will not experience a reduced second-hand value should they wish to trade in their purchase.”
We’re of the opinion that this is a bit off – it’s always nice to start a game afresh and despite what Capcom are saying, this would put some of us off buying the game second hand.
The game’s published by Nintendo here in the UK, and we’ll have a full review as soon as possible.
BIGAL-1992
This doesn’t make any sense at all.
Samiro05
None whatsoever. I don’t even understand the quotes as they’re not right.. Also I’d be a bit annoyed if I came back to a game and instead of starting again you’d have to go straight into a massive save with so much to do which you can’t remember such that you just wouldn’t be able to play it right. If this was in someone else’s hands and not even yours then the confusion would be over the top and thus this game is pointless in the long term.
hazelam
greed doesn’t have to.
JoshHood
In Japan, the pre-owned version is basically worthless.
matthangzhou
Why is that?
bunimomike
Been reading about this. It’s utterly ruined the resale price. How is it NOT going to do the same over here? :-\
Sympozium
Capcom… stop it I can’t keep on laughing, *laughs*
simplebob
So is there going to be a sliding scale for how much this costs second hand based on how far the previous owner got into the game? Not liking the sound of this at all.
TSBonyman
“The game’s value [ to Capcom? ] at second-hand in the UK is not affected by whether or not the game can have its data reset,” …..however i guess this lock will allow Capcom to keep the price of a new copy of the game at a premium..
jimmy-google
There will be more and more of these kind of things appearing. Publishers seem extremely keen on forcing an end to the second hand market (or at least taking a cut for themselves).
I quite like the EA approach of including extra games as downloads. Dead Space Extraction made me want to buy the game and not just rent it. Alice nearly did the same but it’s available to buy on the PSN.
I don’t really use online but requiring the purchase of a code for online play has put me off buying some games second hand. Mainly because it becomes easier to pay well over the odds.
This method from Capcom woudl completly put me off. It’s like buying a second hand dot to dot book. What’s the point?
Erroneus
Actually the first Alice game, which you can buy on PSN, requires you to have the disc.
jimmy-google
Maybe I will buy the game then. Seems a bit odd to put it on the store, the code with the game gives you access to DLC as well.
Do you have to use the disc to play it or is it just to activate the game?
R1MJAW
@ jimmy google – The original Alice loads from the Madness Returns main menu (not the XMB). It’s on the store for people who buy Madness Returns pre-owned.
DrNate86
I agree, publishers should be rewarding people who buy new, not punishing those who buy second-hand.
jayjay119
Does this mean you cannot start a new game? If so how are you going to play the game from the start again once you have finished it?
R4U Eldave0
“Does this mean you cannot start a new game?” Nope, thats it in a nutshell really. That said, Mercs is all about replaying levels to better your scores so personally I don’t see this as any different to putting an ‘unlock all levels’ cheat code in. Still, it would suck if this starts applying to other games.
Forrest_01
To put it simply, if this starts appearing in other games, i shall not be buying those games – If i want to start things over, i should have the right to.
I think they are approaching things from the wrong angle tbh.
R4U Eldave0
Pretty much my view too. That said, console games should be ok as you should be able to just delete your saves using the 360/PS3 utilities if neccessary.
matthangzhou
That works now but it would be quite easy for Sony/MS to implement a firmware update disabling that feature…
hazelam
what about the vita?
game saves are stored on the game cartridge/memory card/whatever it’s called.
kivi95
Still don’t get it why people are willing to buy this game… Is this not just a mode from RE5???
R4U Eldave0
Krauser + RE:Revelations demo + the ability to move while shooting = £30 imo ;)
ijustwantagood1
This may be controversial, however the second-hand market is detrimental to developers and if by doing this more money goes on making better games I am all for it. I haven’t purchased a second hand game for years as I hate the fact GAME/Gamestation gets all my money!
hazelam
what about the person who sold their game? most likely to buy a new game.
do you support capcom deliberately devaluing our property?
because most people would call that illegal.
what other industry on the planet thinks it has the right to deliberately depreciate our purchases value by 100% as soon as we’ve paid them the money for it?
none, well some probably think they should, but they wouldn’t be allowed to get away with it.
it’s just staggering that the gaming industry has been allowed to pull this crap time after time.
it’s disgusting, it really is.
ijustwantagood1
I do see where you are coming from, but some games go through the second-hand market 5 or 6 times, and that is revenue that the developers miss out on and the game retailers swallow up. If someone sells their game and buys another secondhand game, no money at all goes to the people who have spent years working on it.
You still have a choice to sell it or buy it secondhand, they are not stopping you.
bunimomike
Most people who buy new stick to buying new. Also, keep in mind that the money isn’t truly going anywhere. The second-hand market supports the first-hand market.
hazelam
so what if it gets sold five or six times.
they got their fair share.
what really disgusts me is, they think they deserve more.
and they’re willing to violate our rights to get it.
reselling our property is one of our legal rights in a free market economy.
and make no mistake, it is our property once we’ve paid for it, we may not own the intellectual rights to the contents, but we own that copy, and if we want to transfer ownership of that copy the publisher has no say whatsoever.
what kind of arrogance do these people have that they think they can get away with taking away our rights?
what do they think puts them above the law?
what makes them think that the rules that govern every other industry do not apply to gaming?
we should not sit back idly and let them break the law, or worse, actually support them doing it.
and yes, i know this does not explicitly prevent people from selling their game, but it’s a slippery slope, the industry has shown if they can get away with this, they will just push it further.
maybe i’m just naive, but i don’t understand how anybody, without a vested interest, ie a publisher, could support this.
bunimomike
I’m with Hazel on this one. People shouldn’t be supporting this. Then again people shouldn’t be supporting the exclusive use of lower-case letters but one agenda at a time.
hazelam
what can i say, i’m lazy. ^_^
hazelam
if as they say this wont affect the preowned value, why the bloody hell are they doing it then?
helen keller can see through a lie that pathetic.
capcom lately are proving themselves to be greedy scumbags who really don’t give a stuff about their customers.
and i say again, this kind of crap should not even be legal.
we have a right to resell, give away or use any other legal means to transfer ownership of our purchases and these moneygrabbing publishers don’t have the legal authority to take away our rights like this.
i say you buy games that include any kind of drm bullshit like this, and you’re the same as somebody downloading a pirate game.
in my eyes you’re supporting criminals when you pay these companies for illegally taking away our rights.