Where once Resident Evil 5's alleged racist undertones fueled the fires of controversy, the game's downloadable Versus mode add-on has become the topic du jour in recent days. Initially, from gamers who said the company should not be charging extra for a gameplay mode that is so simple and basic that it should be included with the retail release of the game.
More recently, we've heard outcry from gamers who believe the content is already on the disc and that purchasing the DLC merely snags an unlock code instructing the game to access the otherwise hidden content.
Included in this latter group is gaming conglomerate IGN, whose April 7 story on the DLC includes the following:
The total download size for RE5 Versus Mode is 1.86MB. You are not, in fact, downloading the content from Xbox Live Marketplace or PlayStation Network. Instead, you are downloading a key that unlocks content already on the RE5 retail disc. The same disc you paid $60 for a month ago.
Capcom, has repeatedly refuted these claims.
Most recently Christian Svensson, Capcom's VP of corporate development, said even the minuscule 1.88MB download size was to large to be a simple unlock key.
"Keys are 100 kilobytes or less. It is not a key. We have said in the past, it uses assets from the disc (like levels, models, audio, etc.) but the code is new and does not exist on the disc, Svensson wrote in a now-locked thread on the Capcom Unity forums.
Of all the voices weighing in on the issue, I think the idea posited by Variety's Cut Scene Blog is the most sensible. After establishing the few facts available to be argued, Fritz offers simply "Who cares?"
Call it apathetic if you'd like, but there are two underlying realities here, depending on what Capcom really has coded onto the disc, neither of which affect my life in any crucial way.
I'd be willing to guess they affect all of you even less.
Let's say Capcom is telling the truth. Those minuscule downloads simply apply new rulesets to existing art assets, thus creating the "Versus" mode. The addition won't affect how you feel about RE5 -- if you already own it, you're a fan of the series -- and Capcom will continue raking in huge sales figures for the title and its inevitable sequels.
If Capcom is lying, corporate pride almost definitely dictates that they can not admit to it, and at best people will become a bit more wary of Capcom's marketing efforts in the future. If you like RE5, you'll still purchase and enjoy the game, though you may not buy the DLC.
Either way, you, me and the rest of the world will have forgotten all about this fracas as soon as some member of the faceless public mob can select another corporate entity at random to rage against for perceived racism, communism, sexism, or pro-zombie sympathies.
Image courtesy Capcom
Who cares whether DLC is on the disc or technically all downloaded? [Variety's The Cut Scene Blog]
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