Skip to main content

Will Capcom’s new Resident Evil perma-save cut into used game sales?

by Via Vyse the Legend via Neogaf forumsCapcom’s new feature for the 3DS’ Resident Evil: The Mercenaries seems to be bad news for used video game sellers and nostalgia hunters of the future. The Resident Evil game does not allow you to reset save data once you’ve finished, a feature confirmed via understated print in the game’s manual. The game supports only one save file forever.

Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D is a third-person shooter that lets you play as characters from Resident Evil 4 and 5 and is a combination of mini-games. It’s an arcade-style score attack game so the permanent save data isn’t as tragic a feature as it would be for a campaign style game. Also, the cart save doesn’t seem to happen with auto-save off.

As a score attack game what you get to unlock seems to be fundamental to the value, at least in single-player mode. Buying used, borrowing, or even replaying this game will now be sort of like buying a used tissue, or wearing stretched-out clothing.

Game publishers don’t make any money off of used video game sales by companies like Gamestop, so it’s been speculated that Capcom is doing this on purpose to crack down on those sales. Gamestop and other companies make a good chunk of their money from buying and selling back used games, so it would be disastrous if this becomes a trend. Japanese shops are reportedly paying very low prices for the game used. Even though it’s only been a month since the game’s release, used prices over there are as low as $6.

However, according to Eurogamer, Capcom says that the video game will retain it’s value. A Capcom spokesperson said, “The game’s value at second-hand in the UK is not affected by whether or not the game can have its data reset. “Customers in the UK will not experience a reduced second-hand value should they wish to trade in their purchase.”

Editors' Recommendations

Jeff Hughes
Former Digital Trends Contributor
I'm a SF Bay Area-based writer/ninja that loves anything geek, tech, comic, social media or gaming-related.
All Resident Evil 4 remake Wayshrines and how to open them
An open wayshrine with a bracelet inside.

In the opening chapters of the Resident Evil 4 remake, you will come across strange shrines erected by a cult. These can be interacted with, but prompt you to use an item. Unfortunately, you won't even have the chance to open the first couple you find since the item required to open them can't be picked up until a bit later -- and only if you know where to search for it. But it's ro say that the treasures you get from them make it worth your time to backtrack and grab all the goodies inside. Here's how you can open all the Wayshrines in the Resident Evil 4 remake, and what each one holds inside.
How to get the Wayshrine Key

Surprise surprise, but Wayshrines can only be opened once you grab the Wayshrine Key. It will feel like a long time, but you can't even access the key until you reach Chapter 4 and beat Del Lago. Once you can explore the lake, head south to the Mural Cave. Deep in the caves, you will find an ornate cabinet after solving the puzzle in the cave. You can get there by going down the path from the southern dock and through the section with the two large stone hands. Thankfully, unlike Small Keys, the Wayshrine Key is reusable and can open every Wayshrine in the game.
How to 0pen Wayshrines

Read more
Is Resident Evil 4’s Leon S. Kennedy Italian? An investigation
resident Evil 4's Leon S Kennedy has a moustache,

Whenever a new Resident Evil game comes out -- remake or otherwise -- I always like to go down a lore rabbit hole. The Resident Evil series has a wildly vast narrative that isn’t just contained in its main installments. Obscure spinoffs, CGI movies, bonus features bundled with games … there's so much rich history to dig into, and die-hard series fans have thoroughly cataloged every piece of it through exhaustively detailed fan wikis.

After I finished Capcom’s excellent Resident Evil 4 remake, I was curious to build out my knowledge of its hero, the iconic Leon S. Kennedy. I’d learned more about his backstory than I’d ever known, including how he was blackmailed into becoming a government agent in Wii spinoff Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles. While there were a lot of fascinating surprises to be found, the very first line of Leon’s fan-maintained Resident Evil wiki page threw me for a loop.

Read more
How to solve the Castle Sword puzzle in Resident Evil 4 remake
Leon looking at murals of a knight.

The castle section of the Resident Evil 4 remake is one of the most diabolical. Aside from being visually distinct from the previous village area, this location is full of tougher enemies and deadlier traps. Once you've managed to escape from the dungeons and up into the castle proper, you will be blocked by a gate beside some images of a knight in different situations. Something is off about all of them, and one part missing entirely. This is the sword puzzle, but it isn't as straightforward as you might assume looking at it. Here's how to solve the Sword Puzzle and make your way into the Audience Chamber in Resident Evil 4.
How to solve the Castle Sword puzzle

The first thing you'll notice about this puzzle is that there are four murals of the knight, but only three swords to pick up in this room. The last sword is behind another locked gate, but this one you can open. The gate has three animals on it, an eagle, deer, and snake, which correspond to three different plates. As each one is activated, the symbols on the gate will light up to show you're on the right track. The deer can be activated by pulling the chain beside the gate, while the second two are on the other side of the gate to the right and need to be shot.

Read more