DRM Means Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition Will Have 'Limited Offline' Functionality
Owen Good
Filed to:'Buyer beware situation'
Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition will use Games For Windows Live to administer the game's DRM, says Capcom's Christian Svensson, and while the game will not require an always-on Internet connection to be played, it'll have a "limited offline" mode for those with no uplink.
That means those who live in regions that aren't supported by Games For Windows Live face a "buyer-beware situation," Svensson writes. That's because the limited offline functionality restricts players to 15 of the game's 39 characters, cuts off access to any DLC you've purchased, and forbids saving any progress in challenges or settings in addition to, of course, not allowing online play or access to replay channels.
For those wondering what happens if your Internet goes out in the middle of a match: "You'll be able to keep doing what you're doing until you come to a logical break point, like exiting to a menu, at which point you'll be asked to sign back in." If you can't? It sounds like it is back to demo-mode, which would mean the proscription on saving progress applies.
Svensson said the DRM was necessary because "SFIV unfortunately was plagued by pirates and hackers that messed up leaderboards."
Stuff You Want to Know About SSFIV:AE for PC [Capcom-Unity]