Capcom explains Resident Evil: Mercenaries 3D save system flap

When Capcom released Resident Evil: Mercenaries 3D for the 3DS this week, it didn't take gamers very long to notice an unusual trait of the game, namely the inability to reset the save data. Upset players took to message boards and decried the move as a new method to discourage used game sales, saying that depriving secondhand purchasers of the ability to unlock levels, characters, and weapons undermines the value of the title.

In a post to Capcom's message boards today, a representative emphasized that wasn't the reason for the game's save system.

"There was no intention of lessening the experience of the game," said Capcom community specialist Shawn Baxter in his post. "Essentially, RE: Mercs 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."

Baxter went on to stress that the game doesn't have a traditional story mode and every mission is replayable at will, so no content would be inaccessible to a secondhand purchaser.

Mercenaries 3D is inspired by the game modes of the same name that were featured in Resident Evil 4 and 5. In the title, players try to beat each other's zombie kill counts in timed rounds. Specific missions from those two games will be included, along with new modes and additional characters. The game will also feature online cooperative play, as well as a demo of the upcoming 3DS title Resident Evil: Revelations.