You can now try out the open beta for EA’s UFC 3. Earlier available to the select few who received the closed beta code, it is now playable to everyone on the PS4 and Xbox One. Just head over to the marketplace and download the beta. Cool news, right? Not so fast.

Join the fight. Download the #EAUFC3 Open Beta now.

Play on Xbox One 👉 https://t.co/JCis0uikg5
Play on PS4 👉 https://t.co/PuYqyibnPh pic.twitter.com/PzqnLT3g0K

— EA SPORTS UFC (@EASPORTSUFC) December 1, 2017

In a not so surprising development, there seems to be complaints and accusations about the prevalence of pay-to-win issues within the game which when put in plain terms, you can make your fighter stronger than the next competitor simply by spending more money on the system.

As Astutegaming.com puts it – “Every single technique, ability, fighter, and stat roll, is entirely acquired and upgraded through the loot box system. A brand-new player fresh out of the tutorials, can dump $1,000 into the game, acquire the rarest loot drops and immediately jump into online competition with a beastly custom fighter that has an exceedingly large health pool, vastly improved endurance, and substantially stronger strikes than the average player who simply pays the $60 price of admission.”

As if that isn’t enough, they added – “Microtransactions are also the only means of acquiring perks and boosts. Perks are powerful abilities that can be equipped for a small number of fights before expiring. They can range from a low-level stamina improvement during a certain phase, whether that be striking, grappling or ground game, to a significant hit point increase during pivotal health events, wherein your opponent has damaged you enough to potentially end the fight. Boosts on the other hand are similarly temporary enhancements that offer endurance boosts and durability bonuses. It is clear to see that in combination with technique enhancements and overall stat increases, EA has taken every single aspect of genuine competition and buried it.”

A damning move by EA if this proves to be true.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiwpUtdmW-0&w=560&h=315]

Responding to this, EA, in a letter to IGN explained that this feature is restricted to the Ultimate Team mode and (aim) “to prevent uneven matchups as much as possible.”

“Our matchmaking logic takes fighter attributes, moves, boosts, and perks into account and prioritizes matching players with similarly upgraded fighters in addition to player skill,”.

“The goal is to prevent uneven matchups as much as possible. Furthermore, the game features Online Ranked Championships and unranked Online Quick Match for competitive and casual head-to-head online play.” they added.

EA’s statement to IGN ended with “The beta is very helpful in tuning all aspects of our game, including Ultimate Team. We welcome constructive feedback, and thank everyone playing the beta for providing us with vital information to make the game as fun and engaging as possible for our fans,”.

Right. It’s a case of he said, (s)he said here – so let us be the judge and give the game a shot yes? The beta runs til December 4th so this weekend would be a good time to give it a go and decide for ourselves if it’s worth shelling out our hard earned cash for it. Wait. It’s by EA.

UFC 3 will be available worldwide on February 2, 2018 for Xbox One and PS4.