Hiya!

I have done something I never thought I would be able to do. I got, not only my main to Master Rank level in Street Fighter 6, but I have gotten virtually everyone in the roster to Master Rank level. Too bad it’s nothing to brag about as I didn’t annihilate a cornucopia of online opponents to do that. No, I did that through the new V-Rival system Capcom implemented in Street Fighter 6’s Battle Hub.

In the game, Li-Fen, Chun-Li‘s adopted daughter/ward, wanted to create a way for players (that’s you) to practice playing Street Fighter but without having to go online as things like nerves will get in the way. So, she created Sim Sim, which houses the V-Rival system. In actuality, this is essentially Capcom collating a whole bunch of data from all of the online matches which have been played and they tried to develop an AI system which can, hopefully, mimic the playstyle and reaction of players of all skill levels.

Now, I’ve played using the V-Rival system extensively, which is very evident as, like I mentioned, got almost all characters to Master rank there. I’ve also have had a lot of Ranked and Casual matches under my belt. So, does Li-Fen’s Sim Sim’s AI actually perform like a real human being? Can this new V-Rival system help you get better in matches? Well, yes and no.

Before any of that, I do have to say the entire user interface isn’t intuitive. There are a couple of modes you can pick after you click on Sim Sim. The “Battle a V-Rival” has you picking your character and the selecting an opponent as well as your CPU’s rank. This could have been handled a lot better as there are some niggling issues I have with the entire set up.

For example, if you pre-select your opponent and their level and then change your character, the V-Rival you picked earlier will also change. It also feels weird that having to pick which side at the bottom of the menu. Additionally, having to pick the AI Rank with a button feels unintuitive. It would feel more natural to pick that while picking your AI opponent since you’re already selecting other options, such as their costumes and if they use Classic or Modern controls.

There’s also the option to “Battle your own V-Rival” and sadly, I haven’t really been able to fully utilize this mode. This mode is supposed to simulate you and how you play! The problem is you have to play, at the very least, 10 mirror matches. To really get a more nuanced version of yourself, you would have to play 50 or more mirror matches!

This should have been awesome but I don’t understand why it can only gather information from mirror matches. I get a lot of your gameplay strategies are character dependent, but I just can’t see myself grinding to 50 mirror matches. I did get through the “Simple” V-Rival mirror match but I don’t really see the resemblance. I have seen other pro players use this and they seemed impressed with how the V-Rival Ai mimic their playstyle.

Let’s go to the meat and potatoes of this review, though: Does the V-Rival system do a good job of copying players gameplay and decision making? Well, it’s a little bit “yes” and a little bit “no.” In the lower levels up to Platinum, the AI do make a lot of mistakes players of these levels make. I was impressed at how they would even drop combos and it does give the illusion of someone getting nervous. When it comes to the higher ranks, which is Diamond and above, things get a little fishy.

As I’m only at a low Diamond rank, it does come off as suspicious at how a 3-star Diamond player would be so exceptionally good at whiff punishing and countering a Drive Impact with their own Drive Impact after they do a single standing light punch. I will concede it’s possible but when they do it too often, my brain is calling for shenanigans. It’s not exactly Level 8 CPU but it can feel like it if Sim Sim decides to start taking prisoners.

I also do see a problem with the ranking system Li-Fen programmed into Sim Sim. Like I said, I’m only a 1-star Diamond rank player and I’ve practically given up on getting to the Master ranks for various reasons. So how was I able to get multiple characters to Master rank in just a few weeks’ time? Well, it’s because all you have to do to level up in rank is to beat the V-Rival AI which is slightly higher than yours. This means you can lose several matches against a high ranked V-Rival and it won’t matter as you never lower your rank from losing. However, if you win just once, you’ll gain a rank. I understand this is all for fun and the V-Rival ranks don’t mean squat. It still feels too easy to get to Master Rank because of this.

I will say the V-Rival AI does play enough like a human wherein you can actually get better. Without all the pressure of trying to fight online against a real human, the V-Rival does allow you to breathe and practice things like trying to Perfect Parry Luke‘s Sand Blast projectile or to a better job at delay tech throwing when Cammy is Drive Rushing at you will go with a low medium kick or a throw.

If you’re having trouble identifying your mistakes, you can always talk to Li-Fen to examine your V-Rival matches. She’ll tell you what you’re doing right and what you need to work on. This is valuable information, especially if you’re like me who can’t really figure out where you’re going wrong. It’s not exactly expert advice as Li-Fen will say things like “You keep on getting thrown” or “They keep hitting you with a counter Drive Impact” or something like that. It’s more surface level information but it does give you an idea of what you’re weak at. How you handle this new information is going to be something you’ll have to figure out yourself.

Li-Fen did have a great idea with Sim Sim and the V-Rival tech. It does feel undercooked at points but it’s well made enough to potentially level up your gameplay. It also feels enough like a human player, enabling you to figure out what a Luke or a Chun-Li will do in certain situations and you can prepare for those situations or, if you’re a Luke or a Chun-Li player yourself, steal the tech for your own use. It’s a worthwhile training tool and I do hope Li-Fen/Capcom keep on working on it.

Byee!

What are your thoughts on the V-Rival system? Let me know in the comments section below!