My concerns for Final Fantasy VII Remake (spoilers)

[Raspberry]

SO as we know this game will be episodic. So I'm getting used to the idea that I can't explore the entire Planet in a single playthrough. But there are other concerns I have for the game. here is a list of concerns I have.

#1) The "Complete" edition
Once all the parts of the game are released, SE finds a way to make a complete version where it's not structured in episodic format and be true open-world. It would be a complete shame if I spent over 120-180 dollars over the game only to see a cheaper version that's more accessible.

#2) New characters don't fit in the story.
The moment they introduced a new Soldier, something felt off. He didn't look like a Soldier and was way too flashy. I know there's room for new Soldiers in FF7, some that stick out more than others. But I see the risk of spoiling events that will have an impact on other scenes. For example, Cloud not being a Soldier. It made sense that the Turks and president Shinra just assumed Cloud was in SOldier because they are in a different class and may not keep track of all 1st class Soldiers. But with a new Soldier introduced, it could spoil it early. And that's just one character.

#3) Out of place weapons and summons
I know this is inevitable, but for me, it would break immersion to see Cloud and the gang get high-end weapons that I received later in Kalm be easily accessible in Midgar. I understand its a re-imagine. But I still find this concerning.

#4) Padding
This one is also inevitable, but I can't help but be concerned about how much padding the game will have. If the first game is going to be mostly in Midgar, how much time do we spend between new events until we reach the events of the original PS1 version? I'm not so sure about the new ghost-like enemies attacking the FF7 cast either. It seems like filler to further drag out Sephiroth's return.

Do any of you have any concerns for the game that you want to mention?

 

[Dionysos]

I think the game is going to be far too big to be able to produce a 'Complete' edition after all of the Remake games have been released. That said, I think it could be possible that they'd create a box set of sorts and sell them all in one huge mega-box. But the games will be spread across many discs as Part One itself is said to be spread across two discs (a rarity for a PS4 game). It may be possible that game save transfers could be effected between games (similar to Mass Effect giving players the option of picking up the story with the same character in each game). So it could be possible in that sense.

I'd only be annoyed with that if they added a lot of high quality story content to such an edition which I felt should have been included from the beginning. But from the looks of things we are going to be getting a lot of content as it is anyway, and we'd hope that the full story can be told in each part of the game.

As for the padding out of Midgar, these new scenes will only feel like padding if we determine that they don't serve any function in the main plot or subplots. But they have confessed that they are expanding the story and adding new subplots, so there will be many scenes that we don't recognise. I think the best way to enjoy Part One would be to see it as a new creative work and as a tribute to the Midgar portion of the original game, and not a scene-for-scene remake. I hope they'll get deeper into what life in Midgar (both above and below the plate) is actually like. That to me is quite exciting as Midgar is an amazing city.

I'm nervous about the ghost-like enemies, but not because of the entities themselves. I'm all for new mysterious enemies. What I'm nervous about is the early appearance of Sephiroth as I am a believer of "less is more" when it comes to suspense and horror. Starting the Sephiroth goose chase before even learning about the Nibelheim incident seems premature (not to mention that this is pre-Jenova breakout).

I also hope that it doesn't detract from the Jenova blood-trail scene in the Shinra HQ. That was best unseen with only the aftermath and the scene of horror gradually revealed. If we have to fight Sephiroth and the ghosts at this point it will take me a little while to accept this change.

But the other padding? I'm excited about seeing additional motorbike scenes with Jessie. That doesn't take anything away from the plot as I'm pretty sure we're meant to assume that Cloud had been on a motorbike before in the original game as he certainly seemed to be a pro at it.
In fact, I'm really looking forward to spending more time with AVALANCHE in general. It seems like they'll be given a fair chance to shine, and we'll also get to spend longer with Barret at his most badass.

Like you, I'm cautious about the new SOLDIER character, but that depends on how they handle it. It is far too early for the big plot twist about Cloud's identity, but it could sow a few seeds of doubt in Cloud's mind. If they don't go overboard with it and have any statements stating outright that Cloud wasn't in SOLDIER then it could be fairly interesting. We know nothing about this new character or how much he'll be used at this point. He could even just appear in that one scene alone, but that seems unlikely as they've obviously put some effort into designing him.

One concern I have about changes to Midgar is that it appears to be very light during some scenes. I don't mean the scenes above the plate, as we'd expect to see more light there anyway. I am of course referring to the scenes in the sectors below the plate. These areas are described in the original game as places largely untouched by sunlight (save for a few special spots such as Aerith's garden). After all, the upper plate is directly above them starving the lower sectors from all sunlight. The people complain about living 'under the rotting pizza'. Yet in some scenes in the trailers the lower sectors appear very light for the areas where they are. Maybe there is some artificial light at play, but I am nervous that we might lose some of the darkness which helped create the gritty, grimy atmosphere of Midgar.

So far I'm loving everything that I've seen in the trailers / demos though, so the fan in me is greatly outweighing my concerns at the moment.

 

[mothcorrupteth]

Do any of you have any concerns for the game that you want to mention?

Not concerns so much as complaints. I was convinced I wasn't going to be a release-day buyer from the moment I saw they were ditching the ATB battle system in favor of KH. I think Square-Enix has a serious problem of forgetting that Final Fantasy is a role-playing series, not Secret of Mana with a clunkier menu system. I'm tired of them putting out titles since 2006 that seem determined to have the game play itself. I'm a little happier now that I see they're going more for a Fallout 4-like system, but still... Final Fantasy is not supposed to be about controlling one character while the others run on AI (except in Sephiroth flashback cutscenes, of course). Final Fantasy is supposed to be about controlling a team of individuals, Wizardry/Might & Magic-style. If I wanted Fallout 4, I'd just play that game.

 

[JigoKuu]

I also has some concerns related to the remake myself so I can understand that you are worried. But I really try not to have too high expectations. To be honest FFVII is my favourite game ever, and it's super hard not to start searching all of its elements in the remake. But I try to handle it like Dionysos: as an alternative version of the game. It won't be the very same game, but that doesn't mean it will be better or worse for sure. It will be different, but with this game we have a chance to experience FFVII in another way. We might learn more about the life in Midgar, get to know the Avalanche members better. I would also love to learn more about Shinra as an organization, as well as about the Wutai War and the life of Soldier members.

With this episodic release system, they may create an FFVII game with a more in-depth or richer world than before. I just feel that the emphasized themes/topics/scenes might be different compared to the original, so it can serve both as an alternative version and a kind of... add-in of the original. We will see! I can't wait it to be released. I usually don't pre-order games but FFVIIR will be an exception.

 

[Setzer Gabbiani]

Not concerns so much as complaints. I was convinced I wasn't going to be a release-day buyer from the moment I saw they were ditching the ATB battle system in favor of KH. I think Square-Enix has a serious problem of forgetting that Final Fantasy is a role-playing series, not Secret of Mana with a clunkier menu system. I'm tired of them putting out titles since 2006 that seem determined to have the game play itself. I'm a little happier now that I see they're going more for a Fallout 4-like system, but still... Final Fantasy is not supposed to be about controlling one character while the others run on AI (except in Sephiroth flashback cutscenes, of course). Final Fantasy is supposed to be about controlling a team of individuals, Wizardry/Might & Magic-style. If I wanted Fallout 4, I'd just play that game.

I understand your point of view but Square Enix has reveal that the remake will have multiple modes including the classic mode, which allows you to play it as the original. This information was released in Tokyo Game Show 2019.

 

[The Welsh Paddy]

To be fair, I think the real elephant in the room here is the fact that we're likely getting the PS5 either in late 2020 or 2021. Will all parts for the remake be released before then? Will Square focus on developing the later parts for the PS5, or would they continue developing it for PS4 while also porting it to PS5? I mean, it kinda feels like they're releasing part one of a trilogy (I assume it's a trilogy, but don't think it's been confirmed how many parts so I could well be mistaken) near the very end of the PS4's life cycle.

 

[The Witch]

Being broken up into parts is my biggest complaint. Games are hard to afford for me, so I'm really questioning if I can financially invest in a three or four part series, especially if half is going to be on PS4 and the other half on PS5. That's just not possible for me.

Like OP, I'm concerned with new characters and too much "padding", especially about the "watchmen of fate" and the new SOLDIER. Sephiroth being revealed is also a big turn off for me. In the OG, Sephiroth's reveal was absolutely terrifying, at least for a kid's mind, all the blood and the music. That was an evil entrance. And now in the remake, Cloud's getting these little messages from Seph and it's going to ruin the ultimate reveal in Shinra. Little stuff like that to the story is something that's really putting me off.

I mean, logically... how is that genuine SOLDIER not gonna be like "yeah bro, you're not a SOLDIER" to Cloud when he sees him??

And I thought I had an understanding of the Watchmen of Fate, thinking that it was some kind of benign entity sent by the planet to GET Aerith involved... then the TGS trailer showed the same WOF dragging Tifa away and attacking AVALANCHE, but not really attacking since none of them are actually hurting them?? Which makes no sense because Cloud couldn't see them until Aerith touched him, so how are they all seeing the watchmen if Aerith didn't make it happen??

And like @Dionysos mentioned, the slums of Midgar having day and night is really annoying because in the OG tons of characters talk about not being able to see natural light cuz of the plate. So what's the point of changing that and how do they even explain that in game?? we see the upper plate and where it overshadows, so??

IDK, the story so far clearly is straying from the OG in too many ways, and I can already tell that there's a buttload of anime tropes in it.... which is a big bummer for me.

I've found my interest in the game fluctuating far too frequently for my liking. I had these same vibes about other games and I ended up disliking all of them. So I'm kind of worried that FF7R is going to be a big let down in story.

And another big concern for me... I don't like that we're only getting Midgar for part 1. It feels weird to see the game marketed without also discussing the other characters like Red, Vincent, Yuffie, Cid, and Cait Sith. I know that we're only seeing Cloud, Aerith, Barret, and Tifa because we're in Midgar, but this is making a big disconnect for me that IDK how to explain. I mean, we haven't even seen Red XIII yet?? I think breaking up the game like this was a big mistake

 

[mothcorrupteth]

I understand your point of view but Square Enix has reveal that the remake will have multiple modes including the classic mode, which allows you to play it as the original. This information was released in Tokyo Game Show 2019.

How "classic" are we talking, here? Like, the ATB gauge is for taking just any action, or for magic, etc. specifically?

 

[The Welsh Paddy]

Hm, in regards to not revealing certain characters, I'd like to think Square are pulling their punches. Personally, I'd really like to have a good few surprises with this. Plus, it might seem a bit of a stretch, but part of me is hoping that with having the game set in Midgar, that also includes the Midgar area, like Kalm and the Chocobo farm and all. Kinda got the feeling that's a bit too much to ask for though haha. Plus, I don't think it's too much of a stretch for there to be parts of the slums that fall just outside of the shadow cast by the upper plate? I'm talking about the extreme edges of the slums here. That could explain some of the more sunlit areas.

ORR! Again, this might be a bit too much of a stretch, but the sunlight might be a result of the huge gap in the plate after part of it was dropped on top of Sector 7? Or it could just be part of the city that's above the plate.

 

[Raspberry]

I think the game is going to be far too big to be able to produce a 'Complete' edition after all of the Remake games have been released. That said, I think it could be possible that they'd create a box set of sorts and sell them all in one huge mega-box. But the games will be spread across many discs as Part One itself is said to be spread across two discs (a rarity for a PS4 game). It may be possible that game save transfers could be effected between games (similar to Mass Effect giving players the option of picking up the story with the same character in each game). So it could be possible in that sense.

MMOs get constantly updated and expanded. I don't see PS4 or even PS5 games having this issue.

Especially since they can just come out as install discs. But I have to see how next-gen looks like. Saying it's not possible when we don't even know the scope of the new era is capable is probably not wise. We've seen games get expanded almost bigger than the games themselves (witcher, skyrim, final fantasy XV)

As for the padding out of Midgar, these new scenes will only feel like padding if we determine that they don't serve any function in the main plot or subplots. But they have confessed that they are expanding the story and adding new subplots, so there will be many scenes that we don't recognise. I think the best way to enjoy Part One would be to see it as a new creative work and as a tribute to the Midgar portion of the original game, and not a scene-for-scene remake. I hope they'll get deeper into what life in Midgar (both above and below the plate) is actually like. That to me is quite exciting as Midgar is an amazing city.

Midgar is a giant city. Not a giant world. THere's a difference. And i dont play FF7 for the same reason i play grand theft auto.

How many "Dungeons" are we going to explore? Or how much are we going to do in a seemingly peaceful city? Will it be filled with Fetch Quests or minor errands? Will the Mako reactors serve as dungeons? what about optional dungeons? how will it work? I'm assuming sewers, mako reactors, military facilities, and maybe highways are going to be the biggest draw-in.

I just hope that whatever subplot they include, it feels natural and immersive.

I'm nervous about the ghost-like enemies, but not because of the entities themselves. I'm all for new mysterious enemies. What I'm nervous about is the early appearance of Sephiroth as I am a believer of "less is more" when it comes to suspense and horror. Starting the Sephiroth goose chase before even learning about the Nibelheim incident seems premature (not to mention that this is pre-Jenova breakout).

I also hope that it doesn't detract from the Jenova blood-trail scene in the Shinra HQ. That was best unseen with only the aftermath and the scene of horror gradually revealed. If we have to fight Sephiroth and the ghosts at this point it will take me a little while to accept this change.

I agree.

But the other padding? I'm excited about seeing additional motorbike scenes with Jessie. That doesn't take anything away from the plot as I'm pretty sure we're meant to assume that Cloud had been on a motorbike before in the original game as he certainly seemed to be a pro at it.
In fact, I'm really looking forward to spending more time with AVALANCHE in general. It seems like they'll be given a fair chance to shine, and we'll also get to spend longer with Barret at his most badass.

My concerns have nothing to do with Cloud's bike's skills. More of how flashy and over-the-top it is. I am excited to see AVALANCHE and how much of an organization it truly is. I also want Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge to be guest party members for specific quests.

But once again, I'm questioning how much can AVALANCHE really do other than play a bit of terrorist? The original was just destroying the mako reactors. WIll we explore each one? Or will they add why Midgar specifically has a total of 8 Mako reactors.

Like you, I'm cautious about the new SOLDIER character, but that depends on how they handle it. It is far too early for the big plot twist about Cloud's identity, but it could sow a few seeds of doubt in Cloud's mind. If they don't go overboard with it and have any statements stating outright that Cloud wasn't in SOLDIER then it could be fairly interesting. We know nothing about this new character or how much he'll be used at this point. He could even just appear in that one scene alone, but that seems unlikely as they've obviously put some effort into designing him.

My problem is that immediately as i saw him, he didn't look like a SOLDIER and he destroyed the immersion for me. He was too anime-like.

One concern I have about changes to Midgar is that it appears to be very light during some scenes. I don't mean the scenes above the plate, as we'd expect to see more light there anyway. I am of course referring to the scenes in the sectors below the plate. These areas are described in the original game as places largely untouched by sunlight (save for a few special spots such as Aerith's garden). After all, the upper plate is directly above them starving the lower sectors from all sunlight. The people complain about living 'under the rotting pizza'. Yet in some scenes in the trailers the lower sectors appear very light for the areas where they are. Maybe there is some artificial light at play, but I am nervous that we might lose some of the darkness which helped create the gritty, grimy atmosphere of Midgar.

That's one of my concerns. the slums don't really look like the slums. But if I'm being truly honest, in the original FF7 cathedral scene did suggest that it was near sunlight. so maybe that specific area is one of the few places.

So far I'm loving everything that I've seen in the trailers / demos though, so the fan in me is greatly outweighing my concerns at the moment.

The trailers look amazing, and the gameplay does as well. But i've learned my lesson with Square Enix. they can take the best moments and throw it in our faces and suddenly the time between those moments outweights what the trailers have shown.

 

[Paddy McGee]

As someone who's honestly not the biggest fan of FF VII, I'm rather eager to play the remake to give the story another chance and see if it lands this time. However, I have a couple of concerns.

1. Size: I honestly wonder how big each episode will be: 50, 100GB? The trailers we've seen are sharp and beautiful - I find it very hard to see them scrimping on asset quality. If the game is 75 GB (which honestly isn't that crazy in the modern gaming sphere) and is comprised of three parts(and that's my guess for how this game is going to be split) that's 225 GB's to see out the entire single player game! That's nearly a quarter of an entire 1TB harddrive. It makes me worry for those who aren't all that technically competent to remove a hard-drive. Now - I'm hoping that this won't be an issue as each section is standalone but if that isn't the case.... well, yikes. This is something that modern video games, as an entity, has to deal with but, for me, FF VII is a unique case as it's an episodic game with AAA budgets for each episode. It's HUGE.

2. I've found many of the positive examples of episodic games (Telltale games, Life is Strange come to mind) tend to start out well and slog through the middle. How long will it take someone who is not a previous fan of the game to lose interest? If the first part of the game ends as the group leaves Midgar, that means that long, rather boring slog to Junon and elsewhere is in Disk two - what was originally an introduction area becomes the middle section of the game. How long will it take someone who doesn't have the nostalgia factor or interest in the series to just stop playing? Maybe it'll be reorganised or condensed some way but I dunno - I wonder about my cousins and nephews, whom would be around the age to see this game advertised and think "OH THAT'S COOL", just losing interest in that section - honestly, that how I felt when playing it on the original game (ask @Dionysos and @Linnaete - I had some other, weird ways of keeping interest in game during a stream).

3. While the game is both targetted at new and old fans of the series, I feel like it may not execute either particularly well: it's got that OG fan appeal but there could be major changes to the cast and story that could really piss off some hardcore fans; it's got that exciting appeal and lore for newcomers... but will they feel as close or tied to the characters and will the story still land with people? Will the game involve Compiliation details and all that nonsense? Will everyone come out of finishing the game feeling unsatisfied, no matter where you come from? i'm not as worried for this - as the eco-friendly thread throughout will certainly resonate in the modern era but it's still a concern nevertheless.

 

[Raspberry]

As someone who's honestly not the biggest fan of FF VII, I'm rather eager to play the remake to give the story another chance and see if it lands this time. However, I have a couple of concerns.

1. Size: I honestly wonder how big each episode will be: 50, 100GB? The trailers we've seen are sharp and beautiful - I find it very hard to see them scrimping on asset quality. If the game is 75 GB (which honestly isn't that crazy in the modern gaming sphere) and is comprised of three parts(and that's my guess for how this game is going to be split) that's 225 GB's to see out the entire single player game! That's nearly a quarter of an entire 1TB harddrive. It makes me worry for those who aren't all that technically competent to remove a hard-drive. Now - I'm hoping that this won't be an issue as each section is standalone but if that isn't the case.... well, yikes. This is something that modern video games, as an entity, has to deal with but, for me, FF VII is a unique case as it's an episodic game with AAA budgets for each episode. It's HUGE.

2. I've found many of the positive examples of episodic games (Telltale games, Life is Strange come to mind) tend to start out well and slog through the middle. How long will it take someone who is not a previous fan of the game to lose interest? If the first part of the game ends as the group leaves Midgar, that means that long, rather boring slog to Junon and elsewhere is in Disk two - what was originally an introduction area becomes the middle section of the game. How long will it take someone who doesn't have the nostalgia factor or interest in the series to just stop playing? Maybe it'll be reorganised or condensed some way but I dunno - I wonder about my cousins and nephews, whom would be around the age to see this game advertised and think "OH THAT'S COOL", just losing interest in that section - honestly, that how I felt when playing it on the original game (ask @Dionysos and @Linnaete - I had some other, weird ways of keeping interest in game during a stream).

3. While the game is both targetted at new and old fans of the series, I feel like it may not execute either particularly well: it's got that OG fan appeal but there could be major changes to the cast and story that could really piss off some hardcore fans; it's got that exciting appeal and lore for newcomers... but will they feel as close or tied to the characters and will the story still land with people? Will the game involve Compiliation details and all that nonsense? Will everyone come out of finishing the game feeling unsatisfied, no matter where you come from? i'm not as worried for this - as the eco-friendly thread throughout will certainly resonate in the modern era but it's still a concern nevertheless.

I'm going to assume by PS5, we're going to now have upto 4TB if not more.

Square Enix already confirmed these will be stand-alone games.

Personally, Life is Strange and Telltale games shouldn't be compared to a game known for being open world.

 

[Paddy McGee]

I'm going to assume by PS5, we're going to now have upto 4TB if not more.

Square Enix already confirmed these will be stand-alone games.

Personally, Life is Strange and Telltale games shouldn't be compared to a game known for being open world.

4TB SSD storage? I don't think we'll be getting that in the PS5. I'm incredibly skeptic about that - https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Inch-Internal-MZ-76E4T0B-AM/dp/B07864XY8B - SATA 4TB SSD's currently cost up to about 600 dollars for a decent off the shelf model; the PS5 has been clearly described to use some sort of high-bandwidth, custom version (seriously, they're hyping it like it's the Michael Phelps of SSDs)https://gizmodo.com/sony-seems-ridiculously-proud-of-the-ps5-s-ssd-1838874367 so that's going to be more expensive, not less.

But lets say - for whatever reason - they go with one of Samsung's cost-effective SSD's https://www.pcgamer.com/samsungs-4tb-860-qvo-is-dollar100-cheaper-than-other-4tb-ssds-right-now/ you're not getting something like that into a PS5 at a cost-effective level no matter how many you sell at a loss, unless the price goes down signficantly in the next 8 or so months.

2TB - at max - for the top of the line, you're-overpaying-now version of the PlayStation seems slightly more reasonable, but still a little over the odds for me. I wouldn't be surprised if the base PS5 model launched with 500GB space.

Also: the base PS4 model also only comes with a HDD of 500GB. If they intend on supporting the PS4 all the way through - there'll be a tight squeeze on that platform (of course, I'm skeptical that the will, but you never know).

I do get what you mean with my comparison with those games though - if we venture outside gaming, I think "The Hobbit" film series represents closer to what my concerns are like. They took a small, 300+ page book and turned it into three films with extra padding inserted in an attempt to extend the story - in the end, the second and third films felt drawn out and boring. SE is attempting something similar: - they're splitting a story that was originally one game into three separate, huge parts that are the size of a full game? That's worrying for filler and pacing.

 

[Vivi-Gamer]

Good topic, I still feel very conflicted with the Remake, I mean the Gameplay Demonstration and trailers look great! But I still kind of see this as a sideline project despite it being treated as S-E's main AAA title for next year. This mostly comes from me not feeling the need for the Remake as I am content with the PS1 version (but not the current gen ports...). Also the bigger reason is that I do not see this as Final Fantasy XVI & after the mess that was Final Fantasy XV I'm more concerned to see how S-E are going to continue with the series, while I am sure they're using the Remake to make a more progressive combat system, not having an Original Story, World Character etc. just sort of makes the project less essential in my eye - That said, I've got holiday booked off for it and will no doubt be fully involved with it come March!

As for it being Part 1 at the end of a console generation... can we expect an Upgraded PS5 version when all the content is done with - Absolutely! While the PS4 Version may even be backwards compatible with the upcoming PS5 (We've not had a proper confirmation of the consoles backwards compatibility yet), I can see a Complete Edition being released if say it is in 2 parts and Part 2 is released in 2022. As someone who goes batty over Complete Editions & complains constantly about DLC or Coded content in Additions (Most recently the long awaited physical Edition of Life Is Strange 2 has the final Episode on a code... Devastated), I really don't mind this. There is no way I will be waiting until the Project is complete do experience it and I imagine by the time Part 2 arrives i'll want to reply it anyways so buying an Upgraded version of it along with the rest of the game will be very appealing.

Regarding the new characters and changes overall I think the best way to look at Remakes are as if they're an Adaptation - much like from Book to Film, there will be changes depending on the medium, in this case the upgraded hardware and also to cater to a new generation with different gameplay mechanics. I am open to change, I like the idea of a Solider antagonist similar to VIII's Seifer who always gets in the parties way, so far he seems like a great Addition. The one part I don't like so far is the ghostlike spirits similar to Harry Potter's Dementors... they just seem very out of place and a bit lame.

DLC... yeah I don't like it one bit, I'm already annoyed to see exclusive Editions withholding Summons within the game, having such content inaccessible creates a gameplay imbalance. if you received the Summon at the start of the game it will be TOO strong or too Weak to be relevant past the 5-10 hour mark of the game. Or if it is accessible midway throughout the game and advertise the fact that it is withheld that is going to be a slap in the face to standard Edition players - Say if it is available in a Shop midway through the game but you see it withheld and the game demanding you buy the DLC it just sort of breaks the immersion of the experience.

 

[Raspberry]

4TB SSD storage? I don't think we'll be getting that in the PS5. I'm incredibly skeptic about that - https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Inch-Internal-MZ-76E4T0B-AM/dp/B07864XY8B - SATA 4TB SSD's currently cost up to about 600 dollars for a decent off the shelf model; the PS5 has been clearly described to use some sort of high-bandwidth, custom version (seriously, they're hyping it like it's the Michael Phelps of SSDs)https://gizmodo.com/sony-seems-ridiculously-proud-of-the-ps5-s-ssd-1838874367 so that's going to be more expensive, not less.

But lets say - for whatever reason - they go with one of Samsung's cost-effective SSD's https://www.pcgamer.com/samsungs-4tb-860-qvo-is-dollar100-cheaper-than-other-4tb-ssds-right-now/ you're not getting something like that into a PS5 at a cost-effective level no matter how many you sell at a loss, unless the price goes down signficantly in the next 8 or so months.

2TB - at max - for the top of the line, you're-overpaying-now version of the PlayStation seems slightly more reasonable, but still a little over the odds for me. I wouldn't be surprised if the base PS5 model launched with 500GB space.

Also: the base PS4 model also only comes with a HDD of 500GB. If they intend on supporting the PS4 all the way through - there'll be a tight squeeze on that platform (of course, I'm skeptical that the will, but you never know).

I do get what you mean with my comparison with those games though - if we venture outside gaming, I think "The Hobbit" film series represents closer to what my concerns are like. They took a small, 300+ page book and turned it into three films with extra padding inserted in an attempt to extend the story - in the end, the second and third films felt drawn out and boring. SE is attempting something similar: - they're splitting a story that was originally one game into three separate, huge parts that are the size of a full game? That's worrying for filler and pacing.

I'm assuming the PS5 will cost around 800 dollars in my opinion. THe price has always continued to raise. I doubt the PS5 is going to release at 500GB if the new models now have 1TB. I"ll make a thread about why there is so much padding for part 1 (if there is one)

Good topic, I still feel very conflicted with the Remake, I mean the Gameplay Demonstration and trailers look great! But I still kind of see this as a sideline project despite it being treated as S-E's main AAA title for next year. This mostly comes from me not feeling the need for the Remake as I am content with the PS1 version (but not the current gen ports...). Also the bigger reason is that I do not see this as Final Fantasy XVI & after the mess that was Final Fantasy XV I'm more concerned to see how S-E are going to continue with the series, while I am sure they're using the Remake to make a more progressive combat system, not having an Original Story, World Character etc. just sort of makes the project less essential in my eye - That said, I've got holiday booked off for it and will no doubt be fully involved with it come March!

As for it being Part 1 at the end of a console generation... can we expect an Upgraded PS5 version when all the content is done with - Absolutely! While the PS4 Version may even be backwards compatible with the upcoming PS5 (We've not had a proper confirmation of the consoles backwards compatibility yet), I can see a Complete Edition being released if say it is in 2 parts and Part 2 is released in 2022. As someone who goes batty over Complete Editions & complains constantly about DLC or Coded content in Additions (Most recently the long awaited physical Edition of Life Is Strange 2 has the final Episode on a code... Devastated), I really don't mind this. There is no way I will be waiting until the Project is complete do experience it and I imagine by the time Part 2 arrives i'll want to reply it anyways so buying an Upgraded version of it along with the rest of the game will be very appealing.

Regarding the new characters and changes overall I think the best way to look at Remakes are as if they're an Adaptation - much like from Book to Film, there will be changes depending on the medium, in this case the upgraded hardware and also to cater to a new generation with different gameplay mechanics. I am open to change, I like the idea of a Solider antagonist similar to VIII's Seifer who always gets in the parties way, so far he seems like a great Addition. The one part I don't like so far is the ghostlike spirits similar to Harry Potter's Dementors... they just seem very out of place and a bit lame.

DLC... yeah I don't like it one bit, I'm already annoyed to see exclusive Editions withholding Summons within the game, having such content inaccessible creates a gameplay imbalance. if you received the Summon at the start of the game it will be TOO strong or too Weak to be relevant past the 5-10 hour mark of the game. Or if it is accessible midway throughout the game and advertise the fact that it is withheld that is going to be a slap in the face to standard Edition players - Say if it is available in a Shop midway through the game but you see it withheld and the game demanding you buy the DLC it just sort of breaks the immersion of the experience.

I can't consider the REmake as an "Adaptation' because of the title "Remake". it implies it wants to take everything the original offers and brings it in a whole new definitive light. I personally don't like the idea of a seifer character in FF7. Thats kind of one of the reasons why i hated FF8 more than the average player. A lot of people hated the mechanics while i hated the story.