Why Leon isn't in Resi Evil Mercs 3D
No plan for DLC characters.
Capcom has dashed fan hope that Resident Evil 2 star Leon Kennedy will be added to the roster of playable characters in upcoming Nintendo 3DS game Resident Evil The Mercenaries 3D as post-launch downloadable content.
Resident Evil producer Masachika Kawata told Eurogamer that Capcom has no plan to make DLC available for the fast-paced action game.
"At the moment no, we haven't got any plan," Kawata said. "If the users want that we will endeavour to make it happen. We're always monitoring the comments and feedback from users."
Mercenaries 3D, based on the bonus mode from Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 5, features eight playable characters: Chris Redfield, Albert Wesker, Hunk, Claire Redfield, Jack Krauser, Jill Valentine, Barry Burton and Rebecca Chambers.
Leon fans are up in arms. Why didn't he make the cut?
"He's all tied up for Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City," Kawata said. "He couldn't make his appearance in Mercenaries."
Barry's inclusion in the game was announced earlier this week, a move that surprised many Resident Evil fans. Barry's hilarious dialogue and voice over from the first Resident Evil game is the subject of countless memes.
So why include him in Mercenaries 3D?
"Most of the Resident Evil characters are cool heroes," Kawata explained. "Barry's a little bit different. It was quite a few years ago we found out that Barry was popular in the western market. It was a bit of a surprise for us Japanese guys.
"But since then we've always thought about him. He's a guy who thinks about his family all the time, which shows his humility. We thought he would be a unique character to play.
"He's a large guy, so he can do melee by using his body. He's also a maniac for guns. That's his strong point. From the start of the game he is allocated powerful weapons."
Unfortunately he won't have any joke lines of dialogue in the game. Capcom has always considered him a serious character – indeed he was always intended as such.
"He's not included as a comedian character," Kawata said.
"It's difficult because we don't play the game in English. The English lines may be taken in a different context when it's translated from the Japanese.
"I remember him as having love for his family. In order to protect his family he has to betray his colleagues. That was an impressionable scene."
