3DS Pac-Man & Galaga Dimensions omits save overwrites

When Capcom shipped Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D for the 3DS, it didn't take long for owners of the game to fall over themselves to complain about the game's lack of save-overwrite functionality. That uproar notwithstanding, it appears as if Namco Bandai has forgone the ability to reset save data with its new 3DS release, Pac-Man & Galaga Dimensions.

First reported by Wired's GameLife blog and confirmed by GameSpot, Pac-Man & Galaga Dimensions does not let users overwrite or delete save data, including for high scores, level unlocks, and achievements. This is true across all six of the included Namco Bandai games: the original Pac-Man and Galaga, Pac-Man Tilt, Pac-Man Championship Edition, Galaga 3D Impact, and Galaga Legions.

Namco Bandai had not responded to a request for comment on the matter as of press time.

When Capcom made the decision to omit save-overwrite functionality in The Mercenaries 3D, the publisher maintained that the move was not made to address used-game sales or piracy.

"Essentially, RE: Mercs was treated like an arcade fighting game," Capcom said. "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."

For more on Pac-Man & Galaga Dimensions, check out GameSpot's review.

[UPDATE 8/2]: A Namco Bandai representative today released the following statement regarding the game's save-deletion capability:

It has recently been reported that Pac-Man & Galaga Dimensions for the Nintendo 3DS system lacks an option to erase data that has been saved to the game's cartridge. I wanted to inform everyone that saved data can be reset by holding the A, B, X, Y, L, and R buttons when booting up the game from the 3DS system's home screen.