Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ The Games, Movies, TV & Comics You Love
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
flag of UK
UK
flag of US
US
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of Australia
Australia
  • Games
  • TV
  • Movies
  • Hardware
  • Video
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Guides
  • Deals
  • More
    • PS5
    • Xbox Series X
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo Switch 2
    • PC
    • Platforms
    • Tabletop Gaming
    • Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • SFX
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsletters
    • About us
    • Features
Total Film
Gaming Magazines
Gaming Magazines
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe from just £3
  • Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$12
View
Trending
  • Summer Game Fest
  • New games for 2025
  • Upcoming Switch 2 games
  • Switch 2 stock

Recommended reading

Two horse riders move down a cobbled street
MMO Games Ex Helldivers, WoW devs' studio CEO says AI "was supposed to vacuum my house" but "some ridiculous Silicon Valley tech bros" decided to have it make art instead
System Shock
Games "They pressed the AI button, it might have been a bad idea, but in truth there's no un-pressing that button," says Epic CEO, immediately after Epic shows a "conversation" with an AI that embarrasses us all
The Witcher 3 screenshot of Geralt
The Witcher The Witcher 3 performance director can't see AI fully replacing actors, especially not for games wanting to focus on a "strong story" as "It can’t replace that human spark"
Action RPGs Nier director Yoko Taro worries that devs will lose jobs to AI and may be "treated like bards" in 50 years, but Danganronpa mastermind Kazutaka Kodaka says it still can't act like a real creator
Split Fiction's nefarious CEO character, J. D Rader
Games After reportedly laying off more than 300 people, EA CEO says "AI is powering our future" and is already being used "in design, animation, and storytelling"
Quake 2 Copilot AI
FPS Games Microsoft's AI-powered Quake 2 demo makes me sick, not just because it's wrong on every level, but because I literally felt queasy playing it
Horizon Forbidden West
Horizon Horizon and The Last of Us 2 star says there's a risk game devs will say "let's just have AI" do voices for NPCs and minor characters: "We're gonna be losing out on our next generation of great performers"
  1. Games
  2. RPG

Do the promised advancements in video game AI always live up to the hype?

Features
By Lorenzo Veloria published 2 April 2014

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

One step closer to Judgement Day

One step closer to Judgement Day

It's tough to argue that games haven't gotten better over the years. They look better, they play better, and, most importantly, games are smarter. Early AI were simple goombas that walked into bottomless pits, but that has advanced as far as games like FEAR (which has some of the best enemy AI in a shooter). Recently, the Alien: Isolation developers started showing off their upcoming game's amazing living, breathing alien that's said to hunt and react to players' play styles. Or, at least that's what they're saying now. The thing is, sometimes developers exaggerate and inflate their tech's capabilities, ultimately leading to a disappointing AI showing in the end product.

We couldn't have gotten to this point without game developers taking chances and pushing the envelope for sure. But devs working on groundbreaking AI might occasionally jump the gun, overhype the new tech's abilities, and make crazy promises. It doesn't always turn out bad, per say, but I thought it would be fun to look back at some of the most lofty AI promises developers excited us with pre title launch.

Page 1 of 9
Page 1 of 9
Evolving combat through AI (Halo Combat Evolved)

Evolving combat through AI (Halo Combat Evolved)

You can't talk about the advancements in gaming AI without bringing up the enemy intelligence in the original Halo. It might be common now, but before Halo: Combat Evolved released, gamers weren't exactly used to enemies taking cover, dodging grenades, and generally using their brains to kick their ass. Pre-release, the developers claimed they had something special in Halo's AI. I mean, it was right in the title: Combat Evolved.

Did it live up to its promises? Oh, hell yeah. Halo changed our expectations of FPS enemy encounters. No matter how many times you played a level, something different would happen simply because the enemy AI reacted to your actions. If you killed enemy squad commanders, the cowardly grunts would run away. Friendly soldiers drove you around when you hopped in the back of a Warthog. It was almost like the characters were real people or, at least, that's what it felt like at the time.

Page 2 of 9
Page 2 of 9
The smartest NPC crowds ever (Assassin's Creed)

The smartest NPC crowds ever (Assassin's Creed)

The original Assassin's Creed did some crazy stuff. You got to explore massive cities, climb any building you could see, and hide yourself within a crowd of NPCs. That's the AC we all remember anyway, but before the game actually came out, Ubisoft had some lofty AI promises. The developers even went so far as to say in early interviews that NPCs who saw Altair murder a guard with his hidden blades would remember the assassin days later if they crossed paths again. They'd even pick Altair out of the crowd yelling, "Hey, Assassin!" or something.

Did it live up to its promises? Assassin's Creed definitely made strides with crowd AI. Hiding yourself in a group of monks, distracting peasants with a handful of coins, and seeing NPCs watch in awe as you scaled a building made them feel like real people. But the developer's more extravagant promises never saw the light of day--not even in the later iterations. I guess we'll have have to wait a few more console generations before we can walk into a bazaar where everybody knows our names.

Page 3 of 9
Page 3 of 9
AI enemies that use combat tactics (F.E.A.R.)

AI enemies that use combat tactics (F.E.A.R.)

Halo might have gotten us used to smarter enemies in our shooters, but the developers of FEAR decided they wanted to take their game's AI to the next level. The enemies you face in FEAR are supposed to be special forces badasses, so if they acted like idiots it wouldn't be very fun. So, developer Monolith said in interviews that the enemies would be smart--very smart. They'd take cover, work as a team, throw grenades at you, and do everything you'd think a special ops team would do to try to kill you.

Did it live up to its promises? There's a reason why FEAR is still considered to have some of the best AI in games. The enemies' coordination, tactics, and movement made each encounter feel like you were going up against trained professionals. Every time you came out of a skirmish alive was an accomplishment. So, yeah. I'd say the AI lived up to the hype.

Page 4 of 9
Page 4 of 9
Smarter enemies in a stealth game (Splinter Cell: Conviction)

Smarter enemies in a stealth game (Splinter Cell: Conviction)

The thing about taking on enemies in stealth games is that every bad guy you run into is blind, deaf, and dumb as a post. Seriously, sometimes you can be standing right beside them (albeit in the dark) and they would have no idea you were there. With Splinter Cell: Conviction, the developers said that wouldn't be the case. Instead, enemies would spot you, hunt you down, and kill the crap out of you if you didn't stay on your stealthy (tip?) toes.

Did it live up to its promises? The enemies in Conviction are a little smarter than the gun-toting terrorists in previous games, I'll give them that. They "hunt" you down by converging on your last known location, the immediately become confused when you aren't there anymore. But when it comes down to it, they are still the same, brain dead chokeout fodder we're all used to. Plus, the fact that every thug constantly taunts Sam, revealing their location, and practically begging players to kill them doesn't make a strong case for their intelligence.

Page 5 of 9
Page 5 of 9
A companion that doesn't screw everything up (Bioshock Infinite)

A companion that doesn't screw everything up (Bioshock Infinite)

I wasn't all that excited when I found out Bioshock: Infinite's Booker would be followed at all times by an AI companion. Traditionally, companion AI never felt right and was a bit of a pain. But the developers said the supernaturally gifted Elizabeth would help Booker through Columbia. She'd toss him ammo, use her powers to open portals, and would never get in the way of the action. They were confident the AI would hold up to gamer's expectations, but I would be lying if I said I didn't expect Elizabeth's potentially wonkey AI to screw up the new Bioshock--at least a little.

Did it live up to its promises? Yeah, I was totally wrong. Playing the game through with Elizabeth at my side was an amazing experience. Not only did she stay out of the way when the guns were blazing, she was actually helpful. When I was in a bind, she might toss me a few rounds of ammo, pick some locks, or call in backup turrets with a tear. Turns out, the promise came through. Elizabeth actually felt like a real person, and an really helpful person at that.

Page 6 of 9
Page 6 of 9
Hyper-intelligent fish AI (Call of Duty Ghosts)

Hyper-intelligent fish AI (Call of Duty Ghosts)

Because the Call of Duty franchise releases a title once a year, sometimes it seems the developers stretch it a bit to highlight the improvements from one year to the next. In building the hype for the latest entry Ghosts, Infinity Ward decided to show off the intelligence of the fish players would encounter in the very first Call of Duty deep sea diving level. Apparently the fish had super advanced, individual AI that had them scurrying away from players as the gun-toting soldiers passed by.

Did it live up to its promises? As super advanced fish AI goes, Infinity Ward totally nailed it. As soon as you get close to those fish, they swim away. Sure, we've seen those kinds of fish smarts before as we chased around a school of fish in the moat in Super Mario 64. But hey, IW didn't mislead us. The developers said those fish would move and by golly they move.

Page 7 of 9
Page 7 of 9
Game AI in the future (Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor and Alien Isolation)

Game AI in the future (Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor and Alien Isolation)

And so the look to the past brings us to the now. There are a few games on the horizon toting their game's artificial intelligence prowess--one of those being Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor, promising persistent enemy AI. That means, if you fail an assassination attempt, your victim remembers how much of jerk you are later on in the game. Whether that translates to your enemies being better prepared next time, hunting you down to get revenge, or simply spouting a few extra lines of dialogue about how you burnt their face off is yet to be seen. The developers have some big promises to live up to.

The other game is Alien Isolation, which will focus on deceiving and outmaneuvering an enemy AI so highly advanced, it feels like a living, breathing alien. The extra-terrestrial beast is said to hunt you. It will search your potential hiding places, corner you, and stab you through the chest with its tail if you aren't careful. At least, that's how the developers describe it. We'll just have to wait how it pans out in the final game.

Page 8 of 9
Page 8 of 9
Is it alive?

Is it alive?

Were there any instances in gaming history that left you pleasantly surprised or woefully disappointed? What do you think game AI is going to be like in the future? Let me know in the comments below.

Also, be sure to check out our other articles like Alien Isolation: The first Alien game to really matter and our Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor - Road to the Review

Page 9 of 9
Page 9 of 9
CATEGORIES
PC Gaming Nintendo Wii-u PS4 Xbox Xbox One Platforms PlayStation
PRODUCTS
Middle-earth: Shadow Of Mordor Alien: Isolation
Lorenzo Veloria
Lorenzo Veloria
Social Links Navigation

Many years ago, Lorenzo Veloria was a Senior Editor here at GamesRadar+ helping to shape content strategy. Since then, Lorenzo has shifted his attention to Future Plc's broader video game portfolio, working as a Senior Brand Marketing Manager to oversee the development of advertising pitches and marketing strategies for the department. He might not have all that much time to write about games anymore, but he's still focused on making sure the latest and greatest end up in front of your eyes one way or another.

See more PC Gaming Features
Read more
Two horse riders move down a cobbled street
Ex Helldivers, WoW devs' studio CEO says AI "was supposed to vacuum my house" but "some ridiculous Silicon Valley tech bros" decided to have it make art instead
System Shock
"They pressed the AI button, it might have been a bad idea, but in truth there's no un-pressing that button," says Epic CEO, immediately after Epic shows a "conversation" with an AI that embarrasses us all
The Witcher 3 screenshot of Geralt
The Witcher 3 performance director can't see AI fully replacing actors, especially not for games wanting to focus on a "strong story" as "It can’t replace that human spark"
Nier director Yoko Taro worries that devs will lose jobs to AI and may be "treated like bards" in 50 years, but Danganronpa mastermind Kazutaka Kodaka says it still can't act like a real creator
Split Fiction's nefarious CEO character, J. D Rader
After reportedly laying off more than 300 people, EA CEO says "AI is powering our future" and is already being used "in design, animation, and storytelling"
Quake 2 Copilot AI
Microsoft's AI-powered Quake 2 demo makes me sick, not just because it's wrong on every level, but because I literally felt queasy playing it
Latest in RPG
Hytale
Hytale's original dev wants to buy it back from Riot, but "a lot of content would be cut early on" to release it as quickly as possible
Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster image showing a giant city built upon a hill by the sea
Bravely Default's remaster is secretly the Switch 2's must-play RPG, but it's still flying under the radar
Fallout
After revealing he was ordered to destroy his copy of Fallout's source code, OG lead Tim Cain says we're losing game history because companies "take authority but not responsibility" for preservation
A zoomed-in screenshot from Deltarune Chapter 3, showing Susie, Kris, and Ralsei participating in the cooking show.
Deltarune Chapter 3 was originally supposed to be even longer, as the devs "made most of" a third TV Time gameshow round before it was cut
The Witcher 4 tech demo trailer screenshot of Ciri chatting in a market
The Witcher 4 narrative lead says CD Projekt Red "can't break" the stuff that people want from a Witcher game: "We have to do that"
A Short Hike
"I might never finish this game, so I'm releasing the demo": After 9 years, A Short Hike dev soft-cancels Paper Mario-inspired RPG but lets players try a build
Latest in Features
Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster image showing a giant city built upon a hill by the sea
Bravely Default's remaster is secretly the Switch 2's must-play RPG, but it's still flying under the radar
Rematch players celebrating in a large stadium
"The essence of football is not in the rules": Rematch's creative director on nailing that five-a-side feeling and making a game "about kicking a ball rather than kicking heads in"
Sean Gunn as Maxwell Lord in Peacemaker season 2 trailer
Maxwell Lord - The comic history of the villain who mind-controlled Superman and almost destroyed the Justice League
Donkey Kong Bananza gamesradar+ summer preview 2025 DK and Pauline looking scared
Donkey Kong Bananza is a destructive delight that's basically Super Mario Odyssey+, and I can't believe it wasn't a Switch 2 launch title
Hades 2 announcement trailer
70 hours later and with a full launch imminent, I already miss Hades 2 being in Early Access
Toothless, Miles Morales' Mask, Battle Droid with STAP, and Nike Dunk sets divided from each other by white lines, with a 'GamesRadar+ New Lego' badge in the middle
New Lego sets for July 2025, including the perfect gift I think fans will go nuts for
  1. Sam fires at the ghost mech squid boss in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
    1
    Death Stranding 2: On the Beach review: "This tarpunk delivery epic is more Metal Gear Solid than ever, for better and worse"
  2. 2
    Rematch review: "As with Rocket League, the just-one-more-game pull is magnetic"
  3. 3
    Tron: Catalyst review: "Disc slinging is a thrill in this gorgeous rendition of the series, but I'm let down by a time-loop story that falls flat"
  4. 4
    FBC: Firebreak review: "A disappointingly bland multiplayer FPS that's missing far too much of what made Control special"
  5. 5
    Dune: Awakening review: "Both extremely compelling and extraordinarily boring, sometimes at the same time – yet still a true Dune love letter"
  1. A T-rex in Jurassic World Rebirth
    1
    Jurassic World Rebirth Review: "An unscary sequel that needed a little more time in amber"
  2. 2
    M3GAN 2.0 review: "A bold sequel with a slightly underwhelming conclusion"
  3. 3
    28 Years Later Review: "Enough terror, splatter and suspense to satisfy”
  4. 4
    Predator: Killer of Killers review: "Great characters, thrilling action, and gorgeous Arcane-esque animation"
  5. 5
    From the World of John Wick: Ballerina review: "Brilliant action, even if the plot gives you a sense of déjà vu"
  1. Lee Jung-jae as Gi-hun in Squid Game season 3
    1
    Squid Game season 3 review: "A staggeringly excellent final season wraps up one of the greatest Netflix shows ever"
  2. 2
    Ironheart review: "A relic of Marvel's content-at-all-costs era"
  3. 3
    Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 review: "The show's most assured run of episodes to date"
  4. 4
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 8 spoiler review: 'The Reality War' is "a mix of the good, the bad, and the truly baffling"
  5. 5
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 7 spoiler review: 'Wish World' is "an exciting and ambitious" start to the season finale, with hints of WandaVision

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...