10 Best Enemy AI In Video Games
1. Replicas - F.E.A.R.
We're just shy of F.E.A.R. being two decades old and still, no other shmup has come close to surpassing or even meeting the quality of its intricate AI. The first entry in Monolith's series is legendary for that very reason.
Thematically apt, considering F.E.A.R.'s primary antagonist; Replicas, innumerable clones all under the control of shady telepath Paxton Fettel, share more than the same face. To flush out the player character, these dogs of war can converse with each other and form strategies in direct response to their quarry's current status and location.
Hunker down under cover, and Fettel's army will flank your position. Try to blitz your through every threat and you'll be met with heavy suppressive fire. These strategies aren't employed as an arbitrary response, mind you.
Either of those situations can play out in wildly different ways. If you expect a flanking maneuver, NPCs could instead decide the best course of action is to retreat and set up an ambush by constructing a blockade from environmental objects. You'll even hear Replicas barking orders at each other on occasion that may or may not be acted upon, just to keep the player guessing as much as possible.
It's funny. Alma may be the poster child for F.E.A.R., but she's far from its most dangerous threat. Here's hoping Monolith revisits the series one day. Imagine what it could do with today's hardware.