Whether seen as a villain or a hero, Artificial Intelligence is the hot topic in the entertainment industry. When used consciously, AI becomes a very useful and practical resource in a number of areas, especially when it comes to games and the execution of their gameplays, delivering less predictable and more fun combats, as well as more elaborate challenges according to the player's profile.
With all this in mind, in this article we've put together nine games that use AI in innovative ways and are well worth a look! If you're a gamer, you've probably heard of some of the titles we're going to mention here!
How AI Works in Games
First of all, it's important to know how this feature works in games so that we can then sort out which games that use AI in an innovative way really do an excellent job. The AIs that are most commonly used in game programming are threefold: reactive AI, knowledge-based AI and learning-based AI.
Reactive AI is the simplest of the three. All it does is react to stimuli in the environment exactly as its name suggests. Knowledge-based AI is a little more complex, since it stores a series of data collected during the game that will be used to define the decisions it needs to make during the game. And learning-based AI is the most sophisticated of the three, not needing pre-defined data to learn how something works based on its own actions and results, adapting to the environment and the player.
A artificial intelligence is used in games to control enemy mobs, the attitudes of NPCs, whether they are allies or not, and to generate interesting stories based on the decisions made and interpreted by the player. With that in mind, let's find out which titles have made the most of this resource and made it onto the list of nine games that use AI in innovative ways. Is your favorite game among them?
The Last of Us (2013)
The Last of Us deserves to be among the games that use AI in an innovative way, not exactly because of the use of this feature in the mobs, but because of the way it has been implemented in Ellie, the NPC who is the key to curing humanity. The way the AI has been programmed gives the girl more personality and it's almost impossible for the player not to become attached to her during the course of the story.
The story takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where a virus has turned everyone into zombies. The protagonist, Joel, lost his daughter at the beginning of the pandemonium and is then given the mission of taking Ellie, a 14-year-old girl, out of the quarantine zone. Ellie is humanity's hope because she is the only person so far who has proved immune to what turns humans into the living dead.
Red Dead Redemption 2 (2018)
What makes Red Dead Redemption 2 secure its place as one of the games that uses AI in an innovative way is not the combat mobs, but the NPCs. The company has managed to make choices considered "silly" by some, such as the clothes your character will wear, provoke reactions in these NPCs who will comment and even make sarcastic jokes, bringing these characters to life and making them more immersive for the player.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is set in 1899 in the United States, at the beginning of the end of the Wild West era. Here, sheriffs are hunting down what's left of the outlaw gangs and anyone who doesn't surrender could end up dead. The protagonist ends up failing at a robbery with his gang and, in order to avoid a tragic end, he has to flee.
FIFA 22 (2021)
The FIFA series is one of EA Sports' most classic. There isn't exactly a story to be told in the game that focuses on soccer, bringing famous players from all over the world to the console. The point is that edition 22 of the franchise has brought a new feature that is very much appreciated by gamers: the use of AI to give players more personality, making their individual movements more realistic and, for this reason, the title deserves to be among the games that use AI in an innovative way.
Alien: Isolation (2014)
Alien: Isolation is a game based on the horror and science fiction films "Alien" released in 1979 and, in its chronology, takes place fifteen years after the events of the original title. Here, the daughter of the film's protagonist investigates the disappearance of her mother.
The AI is implemented in an incredible way in the game's villainous Xenomorph, making it an almost impossible opponent to defeat. The AI, which learns from the player and the pain it feels, is able to adjust to the player's approach so that the same attack isn't repeated with the same effectiveness, and it also has keen senses that can easily detect the player. Thanks to this being one of the games that uses AI in an innovative way, the player can experience real tension while trying to reset its content.
XCOM: Enemy Unknown (2012)
XCOM: Enemy Unknown is a revisit to the title that originally launched the franchise in the 1990s. Here aliens with great intelligence and technology invade Earth and start abducting people.
The difference that makes it one of the games that uses AI in an innovative way is that the enemies can learn from the skills they are fighting and adapt to them. It evaluates what the player has to offer during the battle and alters the behavior of the NPCs to suit the type of attack or defense being made, making everything much more dynamic and unpredictable.
Far Cry 2 (2008)
The reason Far Cry 2 is among the games that use AI in an innovative way is the difficulty that the mechanics end up adding to the game. Due to the random way in which the programming of enemies can act, some players have even called the game "sadistic". There are simply no friendly NPCs and each battle will be very difficult even for veteran players of the franchise.
The game's story turns the player into a mercenary trapped in a war-torn part of Africa. The protagonist is also seriously ill and has to negotiate with corrupt military men in order to stabilize himself and stay alive.
Halo: Reach (2012)
Halo: Reach stands out among games that use AI in an innovative way because of the behavior of its enemies. The AI that controls them rarely behaves in the same way, so even if the player finishes the game and starts a new campaign several times, the experience will never be the same.
In the lore, you control the character Noble Six, a member of a squad known as Team Noble whose mission is to defend Reach, the planet that serves as Earth's last line of defense against the invading Alliance. The Elites, the game's enemies, are considered by many to be the most ruthless and intelligent mobs in the gaming world.
BioShock Infinite (2013)
The plot of BioShock Infinite takes place in a fictional place called Columbia, which remains high up in the sky. The FPS game has a Steampunk feel to it and the reason why Columbia is set apart from the rest of society is precisely because this metropolis wants to have its own laws and rules apart from any other society.
As in The Last of Us, it's the protagonist's NPC companion who shines when it comes to implementing AI in gameplay. Elizabeth is always by his side and is able to interact on her own with objects, locations in the settings and also responds to the protagonist's needs, providing supplies, weapons and whatever else the player needs to stabilize himself. Elizabeth is charismatic and it is she who makes the title one of the games that uses AI in an innovative way.
No Man's Sky (2016)
In No Man's Sky, the player wakes up on an unknown, toxic planet and has to survive the environment and repair his ship to escape. From this experience he is free to travel through space and explore a world that, thanks to the game's AI, is practically infinite.
No Man's Sky is one of the games that uses AI in an innovative way in this respect: the construction of unique settings and environments. The player has the opportunity to travel through galaxies, stars, planets and even discover new forms of life.
Conclusion
Over time, of course, new experiences will be formed and programmers will face ever greater challenges to bring new ways of implementing AI into their gameplays. After all, how can you impress a player after they've experienced so many great works like the ones on this list?
But what about you? What do you think of this challenge? Share your opinion about it and the list with us in the comments! Also check out our article on virtual reality in cinemas!
