By and large, Street Fighter 5 will retain much of what has made the fighting game series so popular. But it will also introduce a variety of changes such as the new V-Gauge. With the V-Gauge, Street Fighter 5 players can use three new techniques to get the upper hand on their opponent including V-Triggers (a unique ability), V-Skills (special attacks unique to each fighter), and V-Reversals (players can use the V-Gauge to counter an enemy's attack). This, combined with the likes of returning fighter Birdie (who hasn't been in a Street Fighter game since 1998) and brand new character Necalli, could take some getting used to.

Players would have a chance to test all of this with the Street Fighter 5 beta, which was announced at this year's E3. The beta, which would be available on PS4 before PC, began at the end of July and fans were excited to finally get to play the game. But unfortunately, the beta quickly collapsed under the weight of all of those eager players, with people finding themselves unable to log-in while others who were able to login reported matchmaking issues.

Various maintenance periods were set up as Capcom aimed to stabilize the beta and get people back online, but after many delays, the company finally accepted defeat, taking the beta offline and saying that it would return at a later date (and players would also get an extra day to play it for their troubles). At the time, Capcom didn't provide a definitive return date for the Street Fighter 5 beta, but Capcom will soon be bringing the beta back (temporarily) as they put the beta's servers through extra stress testing.

Several tests are planned across Europe, North America and Asia. The first round of tests will begin in Europe, taking place today from 4 PM until 12 AM UK time and there will be another test tomorrow (August 21) that also takes place from 4 PM until 12 AM UK time. As for when the tests will begin in the other two territories, Capcom stated that:

"When we are confident with the results from this test, we will share the dates and times for North America and Asia’s region specific tests. Once we have successfully completed each regional stress test, we will announce the dates and times of the official global beta test."

Although many fans will be happy with this small, eight-hour teaser test (Capcom calls the regional stress tests an "added bonus"), some are worried that the delay of the beta could lead to a delay of the full game as well. Street Fighter 5 was scheduled to release in March, 2016 but if Capcom doesn't feel that they have enough time to test the game on PS4 and PC (as well as the cross-platform play between the two), there is a chance that the game may be pushed back slightly. That doesn't seem to be the case for now, but Game Rant will report any future Street Fighter 5 announcements.

Are you still excited for the game, despite the delay? Do you think that Capcom still has enough time to get the game ready for release? Leave a comment and let us know.

Source: VG247