Video game AI, or artificial intelligence, refers to the in-game programming that controls the behavior of non-player characters, enemies, and everything else. AI can range from a simple one that provides a fundamental challenge for the player to a more advanced one that can adapt to the player's actions and make more complex decisions.
One example of excellent AI in video games includes Alien Isolation, where players can navigate the game world while avoiding a horrific creature that can even listen to the player’s mic. AI in video games can greatly enhance the player's experience by making the game world feel alive and dynamic. However, sometimes they do the opposite by dumbing down everything so players can have fun. Let’s look at a few such games with dumb AI.
10 Saints Row 4
Saints Row 4 is an open-world superhero video game known for its over-the-top humor and satire. Players assume the role of the leader of the Third Street Saints, who is now the President of the United States and must defend the country against an alien invasion. The game features a wide range of weapons and powers, such as super speed and jumping, as well as a variety of side missions and activities.
Saints Row 4 is considered one of the funniest games of all time, with its irreverent tone, satirical storyline, and wacky characters, making for a truly enjoyable and hilarious experience. Moreover, it purposely uses dumb AI and ragdolls to enhance its craziness further.
9 Goat Simulator
Goat Simulator is a sandbox-style game that simulates the life of a goat. In the game, players control a goat and explore an open-world environment, completing tasks and causing chaos in a comical manner. The game features a unique and wacky physics engine that allows players to experience the daily life of a goat, which mostly includes head-butting and licking things.
Goat Simulator is popular for its offbeat and silly humor, poking fun at traditional simulation games and allowing players to enjoy a lighthearted and comedic experience. It is a game that will make players laugh with its silly mechanics and purposely dumb AI.
8 Assassin’s Creed
Assassin's Creed is a series of action-adventure games that follows the story of the fight between Assassins and Templars. In the game, players take on the role of an assassin and complete various missions, often involving stealth and parkour. The games are known for their open-world environments and historical settings.
Assassin's Creed games have not-so-realistic AI, which can make non-playable characters and enemies seem unrealistic. However, Ubisoft has purposely dumbed down the AI, so players can easily outsmart enemies and feel like true Assassin.
7 DEEEER Simulator: Your Average Everyday Deer Game
DEEEER Simulator: Your Average Everyday Deer Game is an open-world action and simulation game where players take the role of a deer. The game features a wacky and humorous tone, with a physics engine that allows players to interact with the world comically. The AI of the other animals in the game is purposely designed to be "dumb" and easy to outsmart, which adds to the game's humor and fun.
In DEEEER Simulator: Your Average Everyday Deer Game, Players can use the deer's abilities to headbutt, lick, and ragdoll to cause chaos and interact with the environment in silly ways. The purposeful use of "dumb" AI in the DEEEER Simulator adds to the game's comedic and lighthearted tone, making it a fun and enjoyable experience for players.
6 Grand Theft Auto 4
Grand Theft Auto 4 is an open-world action-adventure game set in a fictional version of New York City. In the game, players assume control of Niko Bellic and complete various missions, often involving violence and driving. The game features a wide range of weapons, cars, and a living city with NPCs that go about their daily lives.
While Grand Theft Auto 4's AI is not entirely dumb, developers have purposely designed it to be comical, such as NPCs getting stuck in objects, cops following players to their death, or behaving unexpectedly. These funny reactions can lead to moments of unexpected and unintentional humor, adding to the game's satirical and over-the-top tone.
5 Metal Gear Solid
Metal Gear Solid is a series of action-adventure stealth games that follow the story of Solid Snake, a soldier tasked with infiltrating enemy bases and taking down powerful weapons known as "Metal Gears." The game is usually challenging, with enemies using advanced tactics to detect and engage the player.
That said, Metal Gear Solid’s AI behavior is also comical, particularly when enemies display unrealistic or unusual behavior. This unexpected and unintentional humor adds to the game's overall tone, making it a fun and comedic experience through quirkiness.
4 Mario Kart
Mario Kart is a popular series of kart racing games featuring characters from the Super Mario franchise. In the game, players race against each other or computer characters in various tracks filled with power-ups and obstacles. Moreover, Nintendo has designed the AI of the computer-controlled characters to provide a challenging and competitive experience for the players.
That said, the AI in Mario Kart is known for its quirky and comical behavior, such as being overly aggressive, taking unexpected shortcuts, etc. As a result, it makes Mario Kart a fun and comedic experience.
3 Hotline Miami
Hotline Miami is a top-down 2D action video game where players take on the role of a hitman in a neon-lit 1980s Miami. The game features fast-paced, violent gameplay and challenging level design. Developers have designed the enemies in the game to be "dumb" and easy to outsmart, as they behave in predictable and straightforward ways, allowing players to take advantage of them.
This "dumb" AI is purposeful and adds to the game's overall difficulty and challenge, making it a demanding and rewarding experience for players who enjoy high-difficulty action gameplay. The AI's simplicity also helps to maintain a fast-paced and intense experience, making the game a must-play for players who appreciate violence and challenges.
2 The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker
Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker is an action-adventure game set in the fantasy world of Hyrule. In the game, players take on the role of Link, a young hero, on a quest to rescue his sister and defeat the evil Ganondorf. The game features a semi-open-world environment, puzzle-solving, and combat.
While the game is known for its epic adventure and challenging gameplay, it also features a light-hearted and humorous tone. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker's NPCs, as well as the main character's expressions, can be comical and funny, adding to the game's overall charming and playful atmosphere. The game's humor comes from cleverly written dialogue, whimsical characters, hilarious AI, and comical situations that can make players laugh and smile.
1 Totally Accurate Battle Simulator
Totally Accurate Battle Simulator (TABS) is a physics-based strategy game where players can control and simulate battles between different units from various historical periods. The game is known for its comical and unrealistic physics engine, which leads to a wide range of funny and unexpected results. The game's units can fall over, get stuck in each other, or perform unexpected actions, all of which add to the game's overall wacky and humorous tone.
Totally Accurate Battle Simulator's humor comes from the fact that the game simulates battles in a funny and unrealistic way, making it a great game to play with friends and family, and it's also a great way to have a good laugh and enjoy a silly game.