Remember when I said this morning that Capcom seemingly can't make an announcement regarding one of its games without stoking the flames of rage of the company's fanbase? Guess what? It happened again.

Late last night, word began creeping through the Internet that Resident Evil: Revelations, the company's purported "console-sized" 3DS zombie (and probably some not-zombies, too) adventure scheduled for release early next year, would bear the tragic price tag of $50.Why, in the name of all that is holy, would a publisher dare put out a game at a price $10 more expensive than the standard for a platform that has already struggled selling units and software? Because of storage. Naturally.

"Resident Evil Revelations is an all new Resident Evil title with over 20 hours of gameplay, and cutscenes beautifully rendered in fear-inducing 3D," read a statement sent to Kotaku on the matter. "A true console experience on a handheld device, Resident Evil Revelations is an epic title that offers both a single-player campaign for that classic survival horror gaming experience, and an additional RAID mode that can be played cooperatively or single player. To handle all of that data Resident Evil Revelations requires a 4GB cartridge, resulting in a higher price point."

It's worth noting that this price point is entirely separate from the whole Circle Pad thing, which as of yet has not been announced for release outside of Japan (but we're betting it gets one eventually).

If this whole situation gives you sudden panic attacks, it's likely due to long-repressed memories of the early console gaming market, back when cartridge-based titles fluctuated in price wildly depending on required storage space. I can remember paying in upward of $90 for certain console titles, depending on demand/storage, and I've spent years in therapy trying to put those tragic times behind me. Now all of the sudden I can't stop sobbing and I'm frantically looking to see if I have any leftover Valium. Thanks for rendering two decades of therapy worthless, Capcom.

The other tragedy in all of this is that I just got done writing about Capcom's penchant for inciting rage with just about every major game announcement. Had I waited another day, I suppose I could have added this latest announcement to the smoldering pile of ashen hate, but then I guess that's what I get for trying to be timely.

Remember when I said this morning that Capcom seemingly can't make an announcement regarding one of its games without stoking the flames of rage of the company's fanbase? Guess what? It happened again.

Late last night, word began creeping through the Internet that Resident Evil: Revelations, the company's purported "console-sized" 3DS zombie (and probably some not-zombies, too) adventure scheduled for release early next year, would bear the tragic price tag of $50.Why, in the name of all that is holy, would a publisher dare put out a game at a price $10 more expensive than the standard for a platform that has already struggled selling units and software? Because of storage. Naturally.

"Resident Evil Revelations is an all new Resident Evil title with over 20 hours of gameplay, and cutscenes beautifully rendered in fear-inducing 3D," read a statement sent to Kotaku on the matter. "A true console experience on a handheld device, Resident Evil Revelations is an epic title that offers both a single-player campaign for that classic survival horror gaming experience, and an additional RAID mode that can be played cooperatively or single player. To handle all of that data Resident Evil Revelations requires a 4GB cartridge, resulting in a higher price point."

It's worth noting that this price point is entirely separate from the whole Circle Pad thing, which as of yet has not been announced for release outside of Japan (but we're betting it gets one eventually).

If this whole situation gives you sudden panic attacks, it's likely due to long-repressed memories of the early console gaming market, back when cartridge-based titles fluctuated in price wildly depending on required storage space. I can remember paying in upward of $90 for certain console titles, depending on demand/storage, and I've spent years in therapy trying to put those tragic times behind me. Now all of the sudden I can't stop sobbing and I'm frantically looking to see if I have any leftover Valium. Thanks for rendering two decades of therapy worthless, Capcom.

The other tragedy in all of this is that I just got done writing about Capcom's penchant for inciting rage with just about every major game announcement. Had I waited another day, I suppose I could have added this latest announcement to the smoldering pile of ashen hate, but then I guess that's what I get for trying to be timely.

Of course. $50, this is going to bomb.

THANK YOU BASED CAPCOM

And I'm sure when it doesn't sell well they'll blame the american market not being interested in Japanese games

That's about half of what a game costs here usually 
 
And I can see why they have to raise prices in the west when Nintendo are losing so much by exchanging between dollar and yen.

They should make more Mickey Mouse games.  How could anyone hate on a sequel to the The Great Circus Mystery?

Why not just make it better looking and charge 60 for it on consoles?  I'll buy it.
 
They should really just make those damn games play on TVs anyway.  Because there's plenty of PSP games I would play if I could Super Game Boy them on my TV.

Paying $50 for a handheld game is the kind of thing worth getting outraged about. If it came with the circle pad attachment or some other extra thing, yeah I could see it, but for more storage? On a game I'm likely playing on the bus/subway?

The other way of seeing this is that Nintendo handhelds have never made players pay for proprietary memory cards without including them in the box from the start. So Developers want to start now with the 3DS per cart? Ouch.

And I'm sure when it doesn't sell well they'll blame the american market not being interested in Japanese games

RIGHT, BECAUSE THE MERCENARIES WAS SO WELL RECEIVED, RIGHT?

3DS games need to be priced at the DS price range.

@Mesoian said:

@Heartagram said:

And I'm sure when it doesn't sell well they'll blame the american market not being interested in Japanese games

That's unfortunately the truth. Oh well, go ahead, test the market where every other game is 30-40 dollars and see if people are really willing to shell out for a handheld resident evil experience. Those Capcom heads need some serious re-evaluation.

I get it! RE-evaluation! *claps*

Oh god, seriously go to hell Capcom!

Ya know what I would've paid $50 for: Mega Man Legends 3!

@WJist said:

Paying $50 for a handheld game is the kind of thing worth getting outraged about. If it came with the circle pad attachment or some other extra thing, yeah I could see it, but for more storage? On a game I'm likely playing on the bus/subway?

The other way of seeing this is that Nintendo handhelds have never made players pay for proprietary memory cards without including them in the box from the start. So Developers want to start now with the 3DS per cart? Ouch.

Why do you think where you play a game has anything to do with its value?.

Do you think Vita players will be complaining about not having a TV monitor to plug in, or simply happy that they get to experience a console quality game on a handheld while out and about?. This game isn't a spin-off, it's a direct sequel to RE5 and has had a sizeable development budget to suit such a game.

Back in '93 I was playing Street Fighter 2 CE on my PCEngine GT, on the bus, the game cost me around £70 (more than new games cost here right now) back then and it didn't bother me in the slightest (I gathered a crowd after they heard the sound Shoryuken's emanating from the back of the bus, lol). Anyway, It was well worth the cost, not because of that, but because I was able to experience what I lovedmost back then, whenever I wanted while on the move. For RE fans who love MP ("Raid Mode" in this game), the game will have a similar degree of appeal.

Oh man, why even make this for 3DS?

wow so this is been the year of capcom fucking up huh.

i don't see why this is news, companies selling digital games on psn for £60 is a hell of lot more rage inducing than this

oh man. I'm glad i stopped at the DS lite.

I hope they port it to XBLA. Console experiences should be on consoles.

Not sure who will buy this. I don't think most people want a 'console' experience on a handheld, and the few that do seem more likely to be waiting for the Vita.

Seems like a waste of dev talent and time.

Or maybe I'm wrong and this is the start of a new age of handheld gaming.

You can get a quality 4GB USB stick on Newegg for seven dollars. $1.75 per gig. I call bullshit on this reason.

"You want to erase your save data this time? Fine...give us 10 extra dollars. It's only fair!"

-Capcom

*Clicks the screenshot on the article, browses some of the game's images*

Either Capcom are technological wizards who have squeezed a power out of the 3DS not even Nintendo realizes it has, or those are some of the most amazing bullshots I've ever seen. Seriously, compare these screenshots to Mario Land 3DS.

$50? Hell, I'd rather buy the smallest SSD out there.

I have no idea why you'd spend so much effort forcing something onto a handheld when you could put the same thing on a console, huge games are wasted on tiny screens.

Quite a few people have handhelds, everyone has consoles.

Capcom really needs to hire some new PR people, before someone really does punch poor Seth Killian in the face at a convention.

I mean, I'll just wait a month or so until the inevitable price drop. It's a 3DS game, it's not like I need it on day 1 for multiplayer or anything. At least, that's what I would say if I owned a 3DS. That not being the case, something like this is not going to convince me to buy one any sooner. Consumers are getting a bit more patient and price drops are happening a lot faster these days.

Cue a port on 360 and PS3.

@Chris2KLee said:

Capcom really needs to hire some new PR people, before someone really does punch poor Seth Killian in the face at a convention.

Don't worry guys, the price will drop pretty quick so no need to complain about this much. Wait until they say you can't erase saved data to hump over the used market for it then you can get pissy ;D

Capcom has been rapidly burning through all their karma. Gamers are likely to completely turn on them soon.

@Contro said:

Why do you think where you play a game has anything to do with its value?.

Do you think Vita players will be complaining about not having a TV monitor to plug in, or simply happy that they get to experience a console quality game on a handheld while out and about?. This game isn't a spin-off, it's a direct sequel to RE5 and has had a sizeable development budget to suit such a game.

Back in '93 I was playing Street Fighter 2 CE on my PCEngine GT, on the bus, the game cost me around £70 (more than new games cost her right now) pounds back then and it didn't bother me in the slightest. I gathered a crowd of kids after they heard the sound Shoryuken's emanating from the back of the bus. It was worth the cost, I was able to experience what I loved most back then, whenever I wanted.

Nice story.

Not all of us are willing to shell out inordinate amounts of money to impress a bus full of children though.

As for pricing and platform, most console games offer a deeper or at least more technically proficient experience than mobile systems. The reduced price point reflects the reduced complexity/production values. If Revelations is as amazing as you suggest, than the logical route would be to give it a console release. Being charging above the average market price for a game always stings.

That, and the animosity Capcom has acquired as of late really taints anything they do. I'd hold out for the console re-release inevitably coming next year.

Let's be honest, even at $40 the game probably won't sell well anyway. The people willing to pay $40 for it will probably shell out another $10 without thinking too much about it. Is it wrong or crazy? Not really, if you don't want it simply don't buy it. Like I said I doubt it will sell well anyway regardless of price so who really cares they are putting it at $50 because it's a fairly large game for a handheld.

Coming from me, huge Capcom fan, stuff like this is just disappointing.

@Alex said:

an additional RAID mode that can be played cooperatively or single player.

So I guess it's RAID 0, then?

Oh Capcom... watching you immolate yourself is both sad and funny...

Has Capcom gone insane?  Or is this part of a marketing plan where they think 3DS users are so desperate for new games that they can fuck us over and we'll take it?  
Outside of the fighting game genre and downloadable games that have had a pretty shitty track record this console generation.  I love Resident Evil and was anticipating this game because it was the first true RE game since 5.    The Mercenary Mode 3DS shit thing doesn't count because it was just a bonus mode barely stretched into a retail product.  Which if I rememer was a big fuck you with its only one non erasable save slot.
I hope Capcom gets back on track because I have been a fan since I first play Ducktales back in the day.

Give me a freakin' break, $10 for 4GB of flash storage? So, really, $10 for an extra 2-3GB. Maybe 3DS carts are higher quality than SD cards, but I have a hard time believing they're $4/GB.

Just be honest with us, Capcom. You've purred a lot of money into this game, so you're gonna charge more for it. Nothing wrong with that. Why the BS?

@frondoni said:

@Contro said:

Why do you think where you play a game has anything to do with its value?.

Do you think Vita players will be complaining about not having a TV monitor to plug in, or simply happy that they get to experience a console quality game on a handheld while out and about?. This game isn't a spin-off, it's a direct sequel to RE5 and has had a sizeable development budget to suit such a game.

Back in '93 I was playing Street Fighter 2 CE on my PCEngine GT, on the bus, the game cost me around £70 (more than new games cost her right now) pounds back then and it didn't bother me in the slightest. I gathered a crowd of kids after they heard the sound Shoryuken's emanating from the back of the bus. It was worth the cost, I was able to experience what I loved most back then, whenever I wanted.

Nice story.

Not all of us are willing to shell out inordinate amounts of money to impress a bus full of children though.

As for pricing and platform, most console games offer a deeper or at least more technically proficient experience than mobile systems. The reduced price point reflects the reduced complexity/production values. If Revelations is as amazing as you suggest, than the logical route would be to give it a console release. Being charging above the average market price for a game always stings.

That, and the animosity Capcom has acquired as of late really taints anything they do. I'd hold out for the console re-release inevitably coming next year.

Ha Ha, I was kid myself. You evade my point completely, my point was that as fan of a series as I was willing to pay a high price to be able to play my favourite game while on the move. RE fans in this case will be willing to do the same to play the game's MP Raid Mode.

How is it logical to bring a game designed around stereoscopic 3D, and other 3DS features which only the 3DS has, to consoles?

@Contro said:

@WJist said:

Paying $50 for a handheld game is the kind of thing worth getting outraged about. If it came with the circle pad attachment or some other extra thing, yeah I could see it, but for more storage? On a game I'm likely playing on the bus/subway?

The other way of seeing this is that Nintendo handhelds have never made players pay for proprietary memory cards without including them in the box from the start. So Developers want to start now with the 3DS per cart? Ouch.

Why do you think where you play a game has anything to do with its value?.

Do you think Vita players will be complaining about not having a TV monitor to plug in, or simply happy that they get to experience a console quality game on a handheld while out and about?. This game isn't a spin-off, it's a direct sequel to RE5 and has had a sizeable development budget to suit such a game.

Back in '93 I was playing Street Fighter 2 CE on my PCEngine GT, on the bus, the game cost me around £70 (more than new games cost her right now) back then and it didn't bother me in the slightest. I gathered a crowd of kids after they heard the sound Shoryuken's emanating from the back of the bus. It was well worth the cost, as I was able to experience what I loved most back then, whenever I wanted while on the move. For RE fans who love MP, the game will have similar appeal.

Where you play has nothing to do with its value; I played MGS2 on a tiny TV in a moving car and beat the game that way, no value proposition there.

The thing is the iPhone has been pushing the price of handheld gaming costs down for similar kinds of experiences. For some people, $50 or more isn't that much for the level of quality (probably high) you're getting in this package. It is weird though that at MSRP, I could probably get RE: Revelations for the price of what RE6 may cost on home consoles when literally every game for the 3DS platform isn't being sold for $50 from the start. Charging more for a game isn't exactly what most consumers want, even if you're a fan of the series and you want to offset the cost of creating that game on the developer end because they gave you what you wanted.

Man, Capcom fucking up left and right. This is a real shame, especially since it will likely result in a potentially good game being seen by very few compared to the numbers it might command if it was released at a standard price point.

Oh man, I'd be SO pissed about this if I still gave two shits about Resident Evil.

Oh, Japan. You really have no idea what's happening, do you?

@WJist said:

@Contro said:

@WJist said:

Paying $50 for a handheld game is the kind of thing worth getting outraged about. If it came with the circle pad attachment or some other extra thing, yeah I could see it, but for more storage? On a game I'm likely playing on the bus/subway?

The other way of seeing this is that Nintendo handhelds have never made players pay for proprietary memory cards without including them in the box from the start. So Developers want to start now with the 3DS per cart? Ouch.

Why do you think where you play a game has anything to do with its value?.

Do you think Vita players will be complaining about not having a TV monitor to plug in, or simply happy that they get to experience a console quality game on a handheld while out and about?. This game isn't a spin-off, it's a direct sequel to RE5 and has had a sizeable development budget to suit such a game.

Back in '93 I was playing Street Fighter 2 CE on my PCEngine GT, on the bus, the game cost me around £70 (more than new games cost her right now) back then and it didn't bother me in the slightest. I gathered a crowd of kids after they heard the sound Shoryuken's emanating from the back of the bus. It was well worth the cost, as I was able to experience what I loved most back then, whenever I wanted while on the move. For RE fans who love MP, the game will have similar appeal.

Where you play has nothing to do with its value; I played MGS2 on a tiny TV in a moving car and beat the game that way, no value proposition there.

The thing is the iPhone has been pushing the price of handheld gaming costs down for similar kinds of experiences. For some people, $50 or more isn't that much for the level of quality (probably high) you're getting in this package. It is weird though that at MSRP, I could probably get RE: Revelations for the price of what RE6 may cost on home consoles when literally every game for the 3DS platform isn't being sold for $50 from the start. Charging more for a game isn't exactly what most consumers want, even if you're a fan of the series and you want to offset the cost of creating that game on the developer end because they gave you what you wanted.

Are you seriously suggesting that you've had comparable gaming experience on iPhone?.

The current aim for developers creating software for 3DS and Vita, in light of developments elsewhere in the industry, is to up the quality and experience, far in excess of what's possible on other handheld devices, which I should add lack conventional control methods and unique features which both these handheld's possess. That's exactly what we're seeing now with this move, but it comes at a price. The game is huge and the quality bar is very high (read the forum), this sadly requires Capcom to use a 4GB cart which comes at considerably more cost to them.

A whole lotta love has gone into this game, and resources, the same cannot be said for the vast majority of throw-away gaming experiences on iPhone.

Oooooohhh Capcom

Capcom is always doing upsetting things.

If this game really does offer an experience as robust and nuanced as a full console experience, then why shouldn't it be priced accordingly? How can we make snap decisions on the value of a game we have zero knowledge about?

Think about your favorite game of all time. If it had released at $10 above the standard price-point would it suddenly have become the worst thing ever? Was Starcraft II the worst thing ever for releasing at $10 more than the standard PC game?

Seems like an excellent way to undersell, even against the low expectations a 3DS title must have.

I wonder why the handheld market is dying? Oh well, back to playing Game Dev Story on my phone.