I think it’s stupid as hell for Square to have not released this on PC at the same time as they did on PS5, locking to a single console is a poor choice especially when that console is as expensive as the PS5 is and has as few exclusives as the PS5 does.
With that in mind though, “a single game” is somewhat of a misnomer. The original FF7 took about 40 hours to play from start to finish, and about 80 hours if you wanted to really 100% everything. FF7 Remake took about 40 hours to play from start to finish, and about 80 hours if you want to really 100% everything.
Is the root of your concern that you’re paying too much for too little gameplay? Considering rebirth takes about 50-60 hours to beat and ~80-100 hours to 100%, I don’t understand the criticism.
If the answer is that you expected over 100 hours of base gameplay for $70, the problem isn’t with Square-Enix, imo. That’s before taking however long the 3rd game takes to beat into account, as well (which according to the devs is going to be at minimum the same length as rebirth – bringing it to over 150 hours of base gameplay for the trilogy.) I think expecting 150 hours of base gameplay in a single purchase for a story-driven JRPG is unrealistic. The only JRPGs that come close would be Disgaea and Persona 5 Royal, and I’d argue that the production costs on both of those are significantly lower because of their art style and the way that story is presented in both.
That said, on flip side, the joy of these games eventually coming out on PC means if you wait long enough, you’ll be able to get all 3 and DLC for like $50 total, so there are options for everyone.
Be that as it may, the only interest I have in this newest iteration of FF7 is as a retelling (or whatever) of the original. If it’s going to cost $210+tax for that experience (in full), I’ll pass. It’s not about the hours, it’s about getting the full experience in one package (and the associated price tag).
I think it’s stupid as hell for Square to have not released this on PC at the same time as they did on PS5, locking to a single console is a poor choice especially when that console is as expensive as the PS5 is and has as few exclusives as the PS5 does.
With that in mind though, “a single game” is somewhat of a misnomer. The original FF7 took about 40 hours to play from start to finish, and about 80 hours if you wanted to really 100% everything. FF7 Remake took about 40 hours to play from start to finish, and about 80 hours if you want to really 100% everything.
Is the root of your concern that you’re paying too much for too little gameplay? Considering rebirth takes about 50-60 hours to beat and ~80-100 hours to 100%, I don’t understand the criticism.
If the answer is that you expected over 100 hours of base gameplay for $70, the problem isn’t with Square-Enix, imo. That’s before taking however long the 3rd game takes to beat into account, as well (which according to the devs is going to be at minimum the same length as rebirth – bringing it to over 150 hours of base gameplay for the trilogy.) I think expecting 150 hours of base gameplay in a single purchase for a story-driven JRPG is unrealistic. The only JRPGs that come close would be Disgaea and Persona 5 Royal, and I’d argue that the production costs on both of those are significantly lower because of their art style and the way that story is presented in both.
That said, on flip side, the joy of these games eventually coming out on PC means if you wait long enough, you’ll be able to get all 3 and DLC for like $50 total, so there are options for everyone.
Be that as it may, the only interest I have in this newest iteration of FF7 is as a retelling (or whatever) of the original. If it’s going to cost $210+tax for that experience (in full), I’ll pass. It’s not about the hours, it’s about getting the full experience in one package (and the associated price tag).