Whereas The Witcher 2 just saw its DRM removed, Capcom will be using an interesting form of it to keep pirates and hackers away from Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition on PC.
The game uses Games for Windows Live and requires players to be signed in to access a good deal of content. Besides the obvious restrictions, like online multiplayer and replay channels being unavailable, none of the DLC you’ve downloaded and only 15 of the game’s 39 characters will be accessible while offline. You also won’t be able to save your progress in challenges or settings. So if you can’t access GWFL where you live or refuse to sign up for an account, you’re going to miss out on much of the game.
Losing your internet connection won’t immediately kick you out to a Press Start screen, as has been the case with DRM implemented in other PC games. If your connection drops for whatever reason, you can continue doing whatever it is you’re doing. The next time you reach a “logical break point,” like landing at the menu, you’ll be prompted to sign back in to Live.
