My main issue with 4 was the powers kinda trivialize things and make vehicles obsolete. Yes, I know I can still drive and customize cars, but what’s the point when I can clear half the city in 2 super jumps? None of the crazy weapons are worth using when you can just stomp or make tornadoes by sprinting. I still had fun with 4, but late game got old kinda fast compared to 3.
Having played 2, 3, and 4, I found 3 hit the sweet spot where things were zany, but not too over the top.
Early access means getting access to the game prior to its 1.0 release. It also usually means you can provide feedback to the dev(s) and help shape the game’s development. EA games can also be priced less than their 1.0 launch price.
Shortcomings of the system are mainly that there’s no guarantee the game will be finished or the dev may just slap 1.0 on it and call it done, despite it being in an unfinished state.
I don’t know if there’s a way to “fix” the system and I think it works well for the most part. I think people need to not buy into hype so quickly and also be aware that they’re buying an unfinished product that has no guarantee of actually being completed.