There are a couple of advantages to being a multi-console gamer… you don’t have to worry about missing out on a great game (and you don’t have to go online, on a site like IGN for example, and hide your disappointment by claiming it’s a terrible game you would never play) because of blind console loyalty… and if the game runs a little rough on one console you can always play it on another.

I played The Witcher 3 on PS4 because I wanted the best possible experience and, at the time, I only had a base Xbox One so the PS4 had a power advantage… when I pre-ordered Cyberpunk 2077 at that point I’d upgraded to an Xbox One X which was more powerful than my base model PS4… and I wasn’t foolish enough to think a base Xbox One or PS4 would be able to run that game anything close to acceptable… by the time it released I had an Xbox Series X and all was good.

Today sees the launch of arguably the biggest game of the year… Final Fantasy VII Rebirth… and despite having enjoyed the first part of the remake… I won’t be buying the game.

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve swung from not buying, to buying, to picking up in a sale, to not touching… which is where I am now.

The more information released, and the State of Play dedicated solely to the game, made me wary… I don’t mind a mini game or two to pass the time (and I spent far too many hours playing Gwent) but the list of mini games buried within Rebirth seemed excessive.

Then there was talk of new combat systems… I’m a simple, older, gamer… don’t try and confuse me with Limit Breaks, Synergy attacks and combos… debuffing enemies and the whole works… I’ve fallen off games before where the developers over-complicated things.

So, I downloaded the demo… and played through Cloud’s return to his home village, and saw the devastation rained upon it by Sephiroth… it allayed some fears, what I saw was good.

Then I listened to the IGN Beyond podcast… and the revelation that, to do everything and max out all the characters, materia, complete all the mini-games etc… took, for an experienced player, over 120 hours… and that is one big nope from me.

I spent, according to TrueTrophies.com a total of 36 hours in the first part… I didn’t unlock everything, but I never expected to do so either… I enjoyed what I played and that was that… even knowing that I won’t unlock everything the 120+ hour gamer did, I’m still looking at over 100 hours of play… and I don’t have the time or energy for that.

I’m no stranger to long games… The Witcher 3 has had me sink around 130 hours, Forza titles always consume 100+ hours of my time… and I’ve ordered the Deluxe Physical Edition of Baldur’s Gate 3 which will consume weeks of my life when it arrives… but the content for those 100+ hours has to be worth it… and from what I’ve learned of Rebirth, the content isn’t going to do it for me in any way.

So, I’ll watch as others play the game and enjoy every second, good for them, gaming should be fun… but I know that I’d almost be going through the motions a little rather than the hours racing past as I get lost in the game… and I’m okay with that.