Capcom Removes Advertised Offline Co-Op From Resident Evil Reboot, Updates Steam Page After Sales Begin
from the promises-promises dept
Capcom's never really had much of a consumer-friendly reputation. Between being all about SOPA and utilizing innovative DRM measures such as "You only get one save file per game cartridge ever at all," it would be tough for the company to claim some kind of goodwill dividend should it screw up and find the need for one. And, boy, could Capcom ever use such a dividend amongst PC gamers right now.The screw up was advertising on Steam that the RE-reboot, Resident Evil Revelations 2, would include a local, split-screen co-operative mode, selling the game under the umbrella of that promise, and then revealing only after sales had begun that local co-op had never been planned for the PC version of the game.
Owners of the PC version of Capcom's action horror game Resident Evil Revelations 2 have discovered that, unlike the console versions, it does not include local co-op - despite advertisements claiming it would.I'm not a lawyer, but I'm fairly certain that advertising a game to a passionate fan-base as having a much-wanted feature and then yanking the rug out from under those fans only after sales had begun is not only a PR nightmare, it's a legal no-no as well. And, of all people to pull this on, passionate PC gamers may be the worst targets. This is a group that expects to be treated as much like desired customers as console-owners and, because the PC gaming landscape is littered with differences between its games and those that appear on consoles, it's a group that tends to pay very close attention to the specifics about the features of the games they buy. Not the kind of group, in other words, that you could pull this kind of false advertisement on and actually get away with it.
The game's Steam page had promised offline co-op as part of a bullet point list of features. However, the Steam page was recently amended to state the PC version does not support offline co-op play in the Campaign or Raid mode. (Raid mode, it should be noted, will support online co-op shortly after launch via a patch.) Confusingly, the "assistive co-op play" bullet point that mentions offline co-op remains on the Steam page.
Perhaps worse, the tone-deaf defiant and non-apologetic nature of Capcom's response isn't going to help matters.
Here's Capcom's statement in full:Great, except none of that was the point or cause of the outrage. You told consumers there was a feature in the game at the time of purchase, then revealed that feature was not now or ever planned to be included post-purchase. That's shitty. Come out with refunds and an actual apology next time.
"The PC version of Resident Evil Revelations 2 supports a variety of customisable visual settings and resolutions. The decision to prioritise a single local screen was made to ensure a stable user experience across a variety of different PC settings and devices. Raid mode will support online co-op shortly after launch when a free patch is available for players to download which adds this feature, but the main campaign on PC will only be available to play in single local screen."
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Filed Under: false advertising, offline play, promises, resident evil, resident evil revelations 2, video games
Companies: capcom
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No great loss.
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Oh my god, you had the best timing.
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Re: Oh my god, you had the best timing.
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Re: Oh my god, you had the best timing.
A lofty aim perhaps, but we can dream...
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Re: Oh my god, you had the best timing.
So, golf clap for Capcom. I think the story is still relevant; it could possibly use an update saying that a fix is "in the works" but I'd hardly say a half-assed fix a week after release and only after modders did it without the developers counts as fixing the problem.
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Re: Oh my god, you had the best timing.
If it goes through to release as a co op then yes they will have listened to people's complaints
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That little -15% for pre-ordering is not worth it unless you absolutely trust the devs.
Lets see if Steam is willing to turn a blind eye even over this. Last week had that cities game where they released the exact same game for the fourth time, no refunds. But then, just reading the discussions on its steam page should tell you if the game is safe or not.
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At first I only supported it if I bought a game and it was broken and the company refused to send me a working replacement. I refuse to pay more money to replace a defective product.
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Umbrella...
Funny word-play there.
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Re: Umbrella...
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Re: Re: Umbrella...
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Re: Re: Re: Umbrella...
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Re: Re: Umbrella...
(Seriously, it's an RE post. "Umbrella" sticks out like a giant, flashing Neon Sign.)
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Lords of the Realm II
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Re: Lords of the Realm II
Had an offline, multi-player option in 1993.
In 1993, Hired Guns (Amiga, DOS) had four-player co-op on a single machine. The screen was split into four display views with each player controlling a different character. Of course, multiple characters were always in the game and if only a single person was playing, they controlled all four.
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Not a reboot
I say this because it was really confused reading the title for the story because I was thinking "wait, since when did Resident Evil HD have co-op in the first place?"
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Re: Not a reboot
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What I really want devs to do is allow dual monitor gaming on PC - i.e. 2 monitors, one for each player on the same PC!
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It is really just not that difficult for an experienced dev team to make a game split screen.
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Bullshit. One of my PCs runs at 1920x1080 on a 127 inch screen. It's perfect for co-op games (which is why it's in my living room).
Anyone who thinks that PCs aren't used in a living room environment is still living in the world of five years ago. DVI to HDMI converters are extremely cheap and virtually all modern television and projector systems accept HDMI input. Wireless mice, keyboards, and game controllers for PC are also extremely common and inexpensive.
I have two main computers; my gaming machine that is in a traditional room with a desk, and my HTPC (if you can call a water-cooled quad-core 3.0 ghz, 8 gb DDR5 RAM, NVIDIA GTX 770 with a gaming SSD an a typical "HTPC"...as I upgrade my main system I use the components in my living room system). The HTPC is hooked up to a high resolution (1920x1080 max) home theater projector with a 127-inch retractable screen*. The entire setup, including computer and sound, cost around than $3,000; roughly the price of a 55" LG smart TV, and affordable for most middle income families. And if someone can't afford a second powerful computer, if they have even a halfway decent home network Steam game streaming works fantastic (I can't even tell the difference between a loaded game and a streamed one).
While they are fixing the issue, I find it incredibly ignorant to assume that "a single local screen" is the only thing PC gamers are using.
* Side note: Alien Isolation on a 127-inch screen with a home theater sound system in the middle of the night is not recommended without adult diapers. You've been warned.
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Most companies do it, and my boycott lists grows by the week. They lie they cheat they steal, and nothing happens to them.
Save the odd class action lawsuit.
Why does this industry have no standards?
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