What 3DS Games Lack Save File Resetting? (Perma-Save Enabled)

Perm-save files on 3DS games Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D and Super Monkey Ball 3D have caused an uproar from fans and 3DS owners who think a permanent, undeletable/unresettable save file sets a very bad precedent. And they do not want to see it again.

Yes, you read that correctly.

With the two games listed above for 3DS, players who bought their own copy of the game are unable to reset their own save file. Whatever you do in the game is there permanently. Forever. Unless publishers Capcom and Sega come to their senses and re-issue a fixed version (hopefully given for free by allowing you to send in your perma-save copy) or update the games with digital patches that fix the issue.

Here is a funny launch commercial for The Mercenaries 3D.

The biggest obvious problem from a lack of save file resetting, comes from the fact that you cannot ever go back to the original way the cartridge was when you first bought it. This means that, if you have siblings like I do, you cannot have them play your copy of the game or else what they will unlock is STUCK unlocked; there is absolutely no way to erase it. So you better hide that copy of Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D from your little brother RIGHT NOW!

Pac-Man & Galaga Dimensions seems to be doing weird things on the 3DS cartridge too. It does not even keep record of your PREVIOUS high scores, replacing all of your own high scores with the newest high score to be saved. While there is an online leaderboard and Achievements to be unlocked, you will not be able to share the game locally with a friend/siblings to compete with high scores in separate brackets because whatever they earn will replace your previous score. The stupidity of not including such a basic function boggles the mind.

While the publishers deny it, many people think that these “perma-save” features are a way for Capcom and Sega to discourage buying the games used, and a way for them to combat the second-hand market. It makes sense, why would you buy either title used if you can’t ever delete the saved data? Imagine being stuck with what another person earned, never being able to unlock anything or earn any Achievements yourself.

Screenshots of (from upper-left): Pac-Man Tilt, Galaga Legions, Galaga 3D Impact and Pac-Man Championship Edition. All collected in Pac-Man & Galaga Dimensions for 3DS

However the actual fact of the matter is that most people will be discouraged from buying the game ALTOGETHER if they can’t erase their own data on their own game; so the publishers HAVE combated the second-hand market whilst single-handedly ruining the first-hand market at the same time. Nice job guys!

Hopefully Capcom and Sega have learned from their mistakes given the backlash to these perma-save features and will not do it again in future games.

However if any other publishers try this type of shenanigan with their games, or if Capcom or Sega have not heard the backlash and continue with this nasty trend, then we’ll add those games to this list below so you know which 3DS games have this crappy “perma-save” feature enabled.

List of 3DS Games With Perma-Save Features; Lack of Save File Resetting

  1. Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D (Capcom)
  2. Super Monkey Ball 3D (Sega)

Update: Pac-Man & Galaga Dimensions has been removed from the list after Namco Bandai sent out this press message explaining how to reset the game’s save data:
“It has recently been reported that PAC-MAN & Galaga DIMENSIONS for the Nintendo 3DS system lacks an option to erase data that has been saved to the game’s cartridge. I wanted to inform everyone that saved data can be reset by holding the A,B,X,Y,L and R buttons when booting up the game from the 3DS system’s home screen. We are sorry for the confusion and hope you enjoy playing PAC-MAN & Galaga DIMENSIONS.”

This trailer for Pac-Man & Galaga Dimensions shows off the 3DS-exclusive included titles Pac-Man Tilt and Galaga 3D Impact, the former turns off stereoscopic 3D automatically and has you tilting the 3DS to control Pac-Man in some sidescrolling action, whereas Galaga 3D Impact has you tilting the 3DS to shoot from a first-person cockpit perspective.

Here is gameplay footage of Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D for 3DS, showing off Jill and Wesker gameplay. Notice that the voice saying “The Mercenaries Three …. D” is David Hayter, voice of Solid Snake! :mrgreen: