Hey, remember last year when Capcom said they probably wouldn’t be porting Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition to PC because the platform was “number one in piracy”? And then remember when they announced they were porting Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition to PC because they loved PC gamers anyway? Well, obviously there was a catch.

In a post titled “Stuff You Want to Know About SSFIV:AE for PC”, Capcom’s Christian Svensson explains that the game uses something called “SSA technology” (read: “restrictive DRM”), and has only “limited functionality” when it’s not connected to the intertronz. Also, retail copies game uses Games for Windows LIVE, and you have to be signed into that to play.

Deep breath. Count to ten.

“If you happen to temporarily lose your connection in the middle of your session (let’s say you’re working on combos in the training room or working on challenges), no problem,” writes Svensson. “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. Assuming your PC is back online, everything will continue as it should, just like on Xbox 360.”

So that’s not a total catastrophe. Try this instead:

“If you aren’t signed in to an online GFWL profile, the offline mode has limited functionality. Obviously there’s no online play, access to replay channels or other online-centric features (and this is the part that keeps the online play secure from hackers or pirates). Additionally, you won’t be able to save any progress in challenges or settings, won’t have access to any DLC you’ve purchased and all local play will be restricted to 15 of the 39 characters.”

The game will also be available on Steam, although it seems Capcom’s SSA DRM will be included on top of that, and Steam users won’t be able to use the GFWL Marketplace to purchase DLC. Assuming they still want to.

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