Capcom: Used Games 'Not a Factor' in Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D Lacking Data Reset

Say you spend a dozen hours with Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D and hand the cartridge to your buddy, who decides he'd like to start from square one. Delete the data, move on, play. Logical.

Except...

That option's not included in Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D. There's a line in the manual that makes this abundantly clear:

"Note: Saved data on this software cannot be reset."

The narrative that's been building amongst fans is how this represents a move on Capcom's part to push back on used game sales. If you want to have your "own" progress in Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D, you need to buck up and purchase a brand-new copy of the game at $39.99.

As Tiny Cartridge points out, some Japanese shops are reportedly selling used copies of the game for very low prices because the data can't be reset, lowering the incentive for users to sell.

Capcom's issued a statement to me disputing this, however.

"Secondhand game sales were not a factor in this development decision," said the company, "so we hope that all our consumers will be able to enjoy the entirety of the survival-action experiences that the game does offer."

If used games aren't the issue, what is? Is there a technical reason that's preventing them from including data reset? That part's not totally clear, but here's what Capcom said.

"In Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D, all mission progress is saved directly to the Nintendo 3DS cartridge, where it cannot be reset," said the company. "The nature of the game invites high levels of replayability in order to improve mission scores. In addition, this feature does not remove any content available for users."

I've followed-up with Capcom and will let you know what I hear back.

Regardless, if personalized progress is important, a used copy is out of the question for now.

Somehow Ocarina of Time allows you to delete saves, even though it saves them directly to the cart. Must be Nintendo magic.

That's some BS if I ever heard it.

@pyromaster222: My brain travels. I made the page concerning New Purchase Incentives, so I've already thought a bit about this topic, then I moved to the subject of 3D.

So they've been able to erase saves on cartridges for years and now suddenly they can't? That's total BS.

Either A.) they are lying or B.) Nintendo goofed up in a key part of the design in the 3ds.

If this game is a glorified Mercinaries mode, Why would save games matter? Shouldn't it be like a "ha! beat that!" score game?

Well that....... is odd. If not to curb used game sales, then why the hell include such a strange feature. Leaving that decision up to the players seems to have worked fine up until now...

To be honest, I wasn't going to buy the game in the first place, but now I'm REALLY not going to buy it.

Used game sales were not a factor at all? That's fucking horseshit.

What a crock of shit. I don't understand why something like this would even exist or happen. I don't have a 3DS and never buy used games, but how is this beneficial to ANY consumer. What if i wanted to start over and "prestige"?

How can they say that used game sales were not a factor with a straight face. Of course that was the reason and only reason. You know, this (as far as i know) has never been done before, and it's really stupid. So obviously it was to hurt used copies of the game. They don't even  have the balls to tell the truth.

I know I like to start from the beginning of a game after I've beaten it at times. So this potentially hurts all consumers, not just those of used copies.

I don't really see what the big problem is, this game doesn't have a campaign mode or anything. The point of the game is to play the stages and get high scores, just like the Mercenaries mode in RE4 and 5. All deleting data would really do is reset the high scores. Not that the option shouldn't be there, but I don't see how this ruins the game.

This is filthy, and Capcom are liars.

All I see is shit coming out of their mouths. A whole lot of it.

@Matthew: Right on dude. Vita is going to be different though... right? I already put $200 down so please tell me it will be different...

If they wanted to limited used sales, they should have just sold it digitally...

@RE_Player92: Dude, if nothing else, it will be worth it just for the touchpad alone. I like touching the games to manipulate and such, but it sucks having your fingers take up valuable screen real estate. Having the same ability, but to make it so you don't cover up any of the action happening? Yes please.

That seems... Silly. Hell, it almost sounds like there's some problem with the 3DS and this is just their way of covering. But maybe that's just what it sounds like to me because of how ridiculous the idea is.

Hey, guess who still doesn't care about the 3DS or anything related to it? ME!

I thought it was a cool idea to deter used game sales until I read that "secondhand game sales were not a factor in this development decision," which made me sad. 
 
I'd rather have to deal with an un-earesable save file than a fucking $15 downloadable unlock code. This might make me buy new, whereas a $15 code makes me not care in the slightest.

Not that I agree with what Capcom is doing, but... This isn't really a big deal. Buy it used, start from the first mission. Does it really matter if it has someone else progress? No. Now, if they weren't letting people play through the game more than once or replay missions or something, THEN this would be a problem. Is it a dick move on their part? Yes, but it's not the end of the world.

So, basically, this is absolutely pointless. I am definitely calling bullshit on this statement of theirs.
 
Congratulations, Capcom, you just landed in the pile of steaming dung that are bad publishers in my books. Lying to consumers is never a good marketing tactic.

They couldn't just do 3 save slots? Really?

So how is there progress in RE:TM? Everytime I hear or see it I see missions and such but it all seems like score based gameplay. Is there some sort of leveling up or upgrade mechanic in the game?

All controversy aside, I bet some dumbass just forgot to finalize the option to delete data.  In order to reset cartridges on the DS the user practically has to complete a mystical act of Nintendo shamanism.  First scour the text of the manual for proper procedure because you can never remember, contort your digits into inhumane finger pretzels to press the proper buttons, and hope it works?  Why so crazy...

@gla55jAw said:

That's some BS if I ever heard it.

So how is there progress in RE:TM? Everytime I hear or see it I see missions and such but it all seems like score based gameplay. Is there some sort of leveling up or upgrade mechanic in the game?

I'm really starting to hate Capcom. Their practices are horse shit, and you don't increase sales by pissing off consumers. You're not gonna stop used sales by doing this kind of crap. The average consumer I deal with at work does not even know that publishers do this stuff, if they're set on buying a used copy, they'll buy a used copy! It's all about what a person can afford.

Games have been doing this for a while. Granted, they didn't have these malicious purposes but games like Advance Wars only ever let you make one player profile.

@RE_Player92:

Why on Planet Earth would you do that? Don't you want that $200 until you're, y'know, ready to spend it? The government is the only entity you have to give free loans to. Christ, there will be plenty of Vitas to go around if you're so worried. Gamestop doesn't deserve such luxury.

OH MY GOD I AM SO ANGRY INNTERNET RAAAGGGGGGGEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE. And rest.
 
Good to see that Giant Bomb media doesn't sensationalise like everywhere else. Effing journalists NEED TO GO HOME AHHHH I'M RAGING AGAIN RAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

I'm reminded of the famous line "You vote with your money."

Silly Capcom. Trix are for prostitutes.

I will never buy that game, just because of this feature.

Sure, Capcom. Sure.

This sucks. Because of this I am not going to  purchase either "Dead Rising 2 :Oh look! Now frank west is in in HURRR" or Resident Evil Raccoon City. 

Oh god, no data erase? Fuck this game.

Actually, I'm having a shit ton of fun with this right now (Capcom Store had it here today)

@Juno500: Exactly. This effects absolutely nothing.

What's so great about local highscores now that we have online leaderboards?

I find the outrage over this pretty silly. Mercernaries 3D is a arcade-y time-attack game, where it expects you to replay stages over and over to try to improve on your score. The only things that you can miss out on in a fully "beaten" cartridge is the actual unlocking event for all the unlockables. Why would anybody want to reset that? It's pretty much the equivalent in resetting your Smash Bros data to unlock everything again. I just don't see any reason to do so. The fun isn't in unlocking stuff; it's in beating your best score.

If not an attempt to make a dent in used game sales, what is it? Honestly, this is pure silly... Not really making want to splurge and buy a 3DS, MORE so sense there is no Animal Cross or Super smash bros out... I think Devs just need to realize that the used market and piracy are here to stay, and just try to cater to the fans,

This is... pretty disgusting. Especially coming from a company that thrives from re-releasing the same three games over, and over, and over.  Can't buy SFIV used? How about Super SSFIV, but wait... that's used too and no longer available new. You have no choice but to buy SFIV arcade. 
 
I know I'm jumping to conclusions here, but at the very least, this is a very dubious developmental decision. At the very least I should be able to erase my own data and re-play again for fun. I did it with Red Dead Redemption and Uncharted 2 (even after getting the plat for UC2.) It happens.

It sounds like a used games dispute, but if all that saves is mission times then I could see why they might make this choice. Still it's a stupid decision to take out a key feature of modern gaming.

Oh no! This is the end of the world. It's time for a bunch of people who have no interest in the game complain about this.

We just have to hope this isn't a sign of what's to come.