When they say playable characters, I wonder if they mean you can actually play as them rather than just having them in your party. As much as I enjoyed the story element of having a couple of them along for the ride, having them on a more permanent basis isn't that exciting to me. It doesn't really impact on gameplay as I'm more focused on what Noctis is doing and I only really notice the other party members when they hit 0 HP or I feel like dropping a technique or two.

If you can play as them and indeed the rest of the lads then I'm up for that. A real change in playstyles will be required without the warp ability. It'd be interesting to see the implementation of different roles - eg Aranea as a dragoon and maybe a full mage character - too. I probably shouldn't build up my expectations until we know more though!