The Mercenaries update for Resident Evil 4 (opens in new tab) is not the only DLC Capcom's remake (opens in new tab) received today. In addition to the free new modes, Capcom has added 11 paid DLCs to the Steam store in the form of weapon upgrade tickets.

Every weapon in Resident Evil 4 has an exclusive upgrade that significantly improves its capabilities, each with a different effect. For example, the Red 9's exclusive upgrade increases its power by 1.5 times, while the Punisher's exclusive upgrade allows its bullets to penetrate five targets in a row.

In normal play, the weapon upgrade must be maxed out before the exclusive upgrade can be purchased. However, by bringing one of these weapon tickets to the Merchant, a player can instantly obtain an exclusive upgrade for that weapon at any time during the game. Also, upgrades that would normally cost between 60,000 and 100,000 pesetas in-game can be obtained for free with this ticket.

"To gun enthusiasts, knife collectors, and lovers of all weapons: this is your ticket to the gun show! Specifically, it's a ticket to redeem at the Merchant's Shop," says the introduction on the Steam store page (opens in a new tab) for the weapon upgrade ticket." This gives you access to exclusive weapon upgrades at any time, regardless of the weapon's level. Not only that, but once unlocked, the upgrade itself is free!"

The Steam store offers a variety of bundles of weapon upgrade tickets. One ticket costs £2.49. However, tickets can also be purchased in groups of three and five for £5.78 and £7.99 respectively.

The arrival of paid microtransaction DLC for Resident Evil 4 is something of a surprise, and not necessarily a pleasant one. Of course, all the usual caveats apply. It is not necessary to purchase the tickets to complete the game, and these tickets are optional extras that are paid for outside of the base game, rather than being actively integrated into the base game.

Nevertheless, aside from being a great action game, one of the most refreshing things about the "Resi 4" remake was how free it was from the cynical additional monetization that many big games have these days. It is also questionable that this DLC suddenly appeared after the game had been reviewed, and had this ticket been available at the time, such a feature would likely have been addressed in the review.

In any case, the fact remains that the Reg 4 remake is fundamentally a great game. Personally speaking, however, Capcom's approach to this development has lost some of its luster.