Lovefilm halts Resi Evil 3DS rentals

Lovefilm has halted rentals of Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D.

A note on its game page, spotted by Pocket Gamer, reads: "This title is unavailable for rental as the game has no reset feature and cannot be played from the beginning once started."

It is the latest development in what has been a troubled launch for the Nintendo 3DS game.

The Mercenaries 3D prevents users from deleting their save data file and starting from scratch. All mission progress is saved directly to the Nintendo 3DS cartridge, where it cannot be reset.

Capcom said the move wasn't an attempt to curtail used game sales, but was in fact in keeping with the title's "arcade fighting game" feel.

"There was no intention of lessening the experience of the game," the Japanese game maker said in a statement issued last week.

"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."

UK shop HMV currently does not accept the game for trade-in.

Eurogamer has contacted Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D's UK distributor, Nintendo, for comment.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...il-3ds-rentals