Published by Developed by Released Platforms |
Genre Perspective Visual Gameplay Vehicular Setting |
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Description
Defender put players in charge of a ship sent to protect mankind from wave after wave of attacking alien forces.Armed with smart bombs and the ability to use hyperspace to move quickly around the planet, the player ship must fight against Bombers, Pods, Swarmers, Baiters, and Landers - that can capture the humanoids and transform them into deadly and relentless Mutants. Fail to save the humanoids from freefall or Mutant transformation, and the planet is destroyed.
Screenshots
Promo Images
Trailer
Alternate Titles
- "Earth Attack" -- Zellers title
- "ディフェンダー" -- Japanese spelling
Part of the Following Groups
- Console Generation Exclusives: Xbox 360
- Defender games
- Defender variants
- Genre: Scrolling shoot 'em up
- Video games turned into board / card games
User Reviews
A classic | VIC-20 | Katakis | ã‚«ã‚¿ã‚ス (43211) |
A great game from the Atari era. | Atari 5200 | Dark Lord (46) |
The Apple II version of Defender had none of the appeal of the arcade game. | Apple II | Droog (522) |
Critic Reviews
neXGam | ColecoVision | Jul 27, 2012 | 8.3 out of 10 | 83 |
Digital Press - Classic Video Games | Atari 5200 | Feb 14, 2004 | 8 out of 10 | 80 |
The Atari Times | Atari 2600 | Sep 02, 2002 | 80 out of 100 | 80 |
Micro 7 | VIC-20 | Jun, 1984 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
67 |
GameSpot | Xbox 360 | Nov 20, 2006 | 6.6 out of 10 | 66 |
Atari HQ | Atari 2600 | 2001 | 6 out of 10 | 60 |
Retro Archives | Atari 8-bit | Mar 07, 2022 | 10 out of 20 | 50 |
PC Magazine | PC Booter | May 29, 1984 | 9 out of 18 | 50 |
Retro Archives | ColecoVision | Mar 07, 2022 | 9.5 out of 20 | 48 |
360 LIVE | Xbox 360 | Dec, 2006 | Unscored | Unscored |
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Trivia
1001 Video Games
The Arcade version of Defender appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.Arcade success
The original Defender arcade was slow to become a hit when it was released as many thought it was too difficult due to its control configuration of five buttons and a joystick. It ultimately gained many fans and remained popular throughout the 1980s. Defender has been described in Gamasutra as "quite possibly, the hardest significant game there is".Board game
In 1983, Entex adapted this video game into a board game.Comic
Atari's 2600 release of Defender included the comic book Atari Force #1. Here is that comic at AtariAge.comDevelopment
Game creator Eugene Jarvis cites Space Invaders and Asteroids as major influences on the design of Defender.[Source: Retro Gamer Magazine, Load 55]
Legacy
Eugene Jarvis, creator of both Defender and its sequel Stargate, says that although the gameplay and coding of Stargate is more refined, he prefers the relative simplicity of the original Defender.[Source: Retro Gamer Magazine, Load 55]
References to the game
- Defender a song inspired by it on the full-length Pac-Man Fever album - The Defender.
- In the 1983 episode Smaller Than Life from the TV series Magnum P.I., a kid is seen playing Defender on an Atari 800.
Information also contributed by LepricahnsGold, Nélio, PCGamer77, Pseudo_Intellectual and FatherJack
Related Web Sites
- Defender's Wikipedia page (Here you can find all sorts of info about Defender.)
- X360A achievement guide (X360A's achievement guide for Defender.)
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