First, the beta did encounter some technical difficulties which did hamper the opportunity to try out the game, which is a little unfortunate to be honest. However, once the beta managed to work properly, I got to experience 4 of the 6 characters, as 2 of them are kept for the end of the weekend. However, the cool stuff about the beta is that it does showcase a few locations which are nicely designed in my opinion and, even more than that, they do display a few of the wonderful new gameplay mechanics announced for quite some time now.
What I didn’t like however is the fact that they didn’t allow you to play alongside a friend, instead they went with the idea of a random online matchmaking which is good, although many including me complain that the local play was not implemented. Maybe they are still developing it, but even as it sits, the game is quite solid, with the multiplayer being very nice. Hopefully the ability to play alongside a friend will be included later down the road.
The interactive environments are the heart and soul for the entire experience, and right from the beginning I feel that the game does an amazing job when it comes to showcasing unique, extraordinary and fun experiences.
I did encounter some clunky animations here and there, and the character design does need a little more work, but overall the game is pretty solid and it manages to provide a very good quality which is what the title was intended for in the first place. They did a great job with this particular beta version, considering the current state of the game, but they have to enhance the graphics, bring in more attacks and maps, then they have a winner on their side.
The performance issues were expected, but such a massive downtime of more than 6 hours was not. But while this hampered the opportunity of actually playing the game for some people, it clearly shows that there is a lot of room for improvement, which is indeed a major plus. In the end, this is a game that everyone should play, and if you was able to access the PS4 beta before it went down then you are indeed lucky. It’s a wonderful experience and definitely a boost to the normal Street Fighter extravaganza that you know and love, so why waste your time with other games where you can check out a beta for this cool tittle this weekend? A word of warning though, the next beta is live this fall, so if you want to play the game then this is the best chance of doing so until September or more!
To learn more, visit the official Street Fighter V beta website.