It's amazing how far some players have gotten in two weekend beta tests. I'm already getting mixed to death by Kimberly players, she's terrifying. I said that Juri didn't seem that great but players online made me start to feel otherwise.
Anyway, it's kind of nuts and bolts but the big thing I'm noticing in my matches is that the offense is not air-tight like it is in SFV. That is to say, SFV was built such that once your opponent blocks one of your medium punches, you have them so locked down that you can press any attack you like and there's nothing they can do about it.
By contrast, everything is disadvantaged on block in SF6, meaning the defender has a beter chance to fight back while they're blocking powerful offense. Add a versatile parry and a fast armor attack and there's a much more complex system of offense and defense than in the previous game. Players at a very high level will still need to understand frame data, but it's not a game about remaining at +2 frames at all times. (Throws have long range now so "the shimmy" tactic is greatly weakened.)
On a similar note the combo and meter systems are really nuanced with a lot of room for both tactical resource management and raw player technique. You really have to think, from moment to moment, about which combo variation you're going to use: for damage, for how much of your vital Drive meter you want to spend. You can overspend, you can underspend; there's a lot to think about. Combo tech can also get pretty advanced, though I'm trying to keep it simple.
The first time you play the game you think the damage is really low, but once players work out the combo system there's a feeling that you're deciding how hard you want to hit every time you land a big shot.
Advanced players were a little bored by SFV and this game responds to that by building a foundation for really, really high-level play that's going to be incredible to see in action when Evo rolls around.
