1992 – Mortal Kombat
Early fighting game AI at its best. CPU opponents in Mortal Kombat did an effective job of trying to block and react to your moves, making for an effective challenge.
1993 – Secret of Mana
The first time when I truly started noticing partner AI not being totally useless. You could even plug in a seconf controller and get a friend to help if it became too unbearable.
1994 – X-COM: UFO Defense
A classic example of RTS history, X-COM was a mammoth leap forward for the genre. This was due to many factors, but believable AI was no doubt one of them.
1995 – Warcraft 2: Tides of Darkness
One of the most popular strategy games of all time, Warcraft 2 was remembered by many for being the first game to introduce Blizzard’s Battle.net online service. Years before this was added to the game, it was able to stay a competitive experience thanks to varied oponnent AI.
1996 – Tomb Raider
Tomb Raider is largely remembered for its 3D graphics and female protagonist, but its AI was pretty decent as well. The way monsters worked together in packs was effective and often tricky for the player to work around. The wolves in particular proved to be a real menace.
