Science fiction has frequently wrestled with the concept of artificial intelligence and its role in the future as technology continues to develop. Its understandable, then, that androids and artificial intelligence play such a large role in media and entertainment. Recent games such asDetroit: Become Humandeal with howandroids may be treatedin the future, however the concept has been around for some significant time.
Games that deal with the concept of artificial intelligence have been seen for some time. While many are still considered to be popular, some classic games have been forgotten, or at the very least, did not receive the popularity they deserved when they first came out. Though they may have been forgotten, they still hold an interesting view into the questions surrounding androids and artificial life.
5Robopon
Pokemon’spopularity may have been unsurprising looking back at it, but once the game had gathered enough attention, it gained its imitators.Roboponcan be closely compared to Game Freak’s franchise, as it contains collectible partners and a child protagonist whouses them to battleothers of its kind. However, it has more going for it than simply being a copy of the popular game series.
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While the premise is familiar, this game changes up the formula by allowing the use of software and hardware to upgrade robot warriors. A simple robot punch can also provide electric damage with the right software. Players can also include weaponry and special skills on each mechanized companion. The variety of upgrades and android battlers provided a significant level of customization which unfortunately failed to catch on with the more mainstream game.
4Starflight
Starflighttells the story of the remaining survivors of Arth, and playersare told that they must find a solution to their pending destruction. Through exploration and interaction with other races, the player’s crew will learn more about their race, origins, and the details of Endurium, a crystal mineral that allows for space flight. Key to the exploration of the game is the artificial lifeforms known as Mechans.
The androids that can crew the player’s starship share a history that is only explained as the story progresses. Theseartificial intelligencesare the key to the completion of the game. Their memories store the history of the survivors of Arth and how they can prevent their home from being destroyed, as well as find their previous, ancient home.
3The Desolate Hope
On the Lun Infinus station, the critical work of simulating how humanity can survive off Earth has taken a back seat to the artificial life forms fighting an attack from a tenacious virus. Coffee, being the only remaining mobile android, must find a way to fight the virus and keep the station operational.
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Prior to Scott Cawthon’swork withFive Nights at Freddy’s,he releasedThe Desolate Hope.While hefound success with the former, it seems like the latter has been largely forgotten. The game is a mixture of genres and styles that build upon one another, and allow the coffee pot protagonist to be charming in its own unique way. The mixture of genres adds satisfying variety to the gameplay along with the delightful artistry used throughout.
2Deus Ex
While theDeus Exgames have proven themselvespopular over recent years, they are prequels to the original game that started the series. The original seems to have been largely forgotten by all except the dedicated fans. While the later series games focus on the role of a human’s augmentation with overt technology, the original shows the world beyond that with nanotechnology being the primary focus.
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Machines are ubiquitous in this world, yet there are only two individuals who are a blend of human and nanotech machine. As JC Denton, the player is one of these artificial humans who is not quite android, not quite human. They must face true conspiracy theories, including Area 51, chupacabras and the Illuminati. Depending on the choices made within the game and specifically at the end, the player can rule the world or send it back to the Stone Age.
1NieR
NieR: Automatamade an incredible splash when it became available to play, so much so that it overshadowed its predecessor:NieR. While the game’s sequelpolished many of the aspectsof the original , it takes place thousands of years outside its timeline and does not share any of the same characters or narrative.
The original game’s protagonist is the father of a dying child and seeks to find a cure in ancient ruins and fighting Shades in the process. As the game progresses however, it is revealed that all the characters that were assumed to be human, are in fact android replicants of the original humans. In order to survive a deadly disease, humanity abandoned their bodies and became formless beings with the intent of returning into their replicated bodies. Unfortunately, this became impossible when the androids developed their own personalities. As the original humans watched and raged, they became the shades the player fights.
