Defender (1981)
Arcade · Mac · Web Browser
3.08 from 91 ratings
250 members have it in their collection · 2 playing now · 34 backlogged · 21 wish listed
How long? (from 1 logged playthrough)
Defender is an arcade video game developed released by Williams Electronics in 1980. A shooting game featuring two-dimensional (2D) graphics, the game is set on a fictional planet where the player must defeat waves of invading aliens while protecting astronauts. Development was led by Eugene Jarvis, a pinball programmer at Williams; Defender was Jarvis's first video game project, and drew …
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Defender is an arcade video game developed released by Williams Electronics in 1980. A shooting game featuring two-dimensional (2D) graphics, the game is set on a fictional planet where the player must defeat waves of invading aliens while protecting astronauts. Development was led by Eugene Jarvis, a pinball programmer at Williams; Defender was Jarvis's first video game project, and drew inspiration from Space Invaders and Asteroids. Williams planned to display the game at the Amusement & Music Operators Association (AMOA) trade show, though development delays resulted in the team working on the game up until the show started.
Defender was commercially successful, selling over 55,000 units to become the company's best selling arcade game. Praise among critics focused on the game's audio-visuals and gameplay. It is frequently listed as one of Jarvis's best contributions to the video game industry, as well as one of the most difficult video games. Defender was ported to numerous platforms, inspired the development of other games, and was followed by sequels and many imitations.
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Details
- Publishers
- Shockwave, Williams Electronics
- Genres
- Shooter, Strategy
- Themes
- Action, Science fiction
- Series
- Defender
Release dates
- Mar 1981 (Full Release) (North_America) Arcade
- 1994 (Full Release) (North_America) Mac
- Jul 2000 (Full Release) (Worldwide) Web Browser
Related
Bundled in
- Williams Digital Arcade (Dec 1994)
- Williams Arcade Classics (Dec 1995)
- Williams Arcade's Greatest Hits (Feb 1996)
- Williams Arcade's Greatest Hits (Mar 1996)
- Midway's Greatest Arcade Hits: Volume 1 (Jun 2000)
- Midway's Greatest Arcade Hits: Volume 1 (Nov 2000)
- Williams Digital Arcade (Dec 1994)
- Williams Arcade Classics (Dec 1995)
- Williams Arcade's Greatest Hits (Feb 1996)
- Williams Arcade's Greatest Hits (Mar 1996)
- Midway's Greatest Arcade Hits: Volume 1 (Jun 2000)
- Midway's Greatest Arcade Hits: Volume 1 (Nov 2000)
- Midway's Greatest Arcade Hits (Nov 2001)
- Midway Arcade Treasures (Nov 2003)
- Midway Arcade Treasures: Extended Play (Dec 2005)
- Midway Arcade (Feb 2012)
- Midway Arcade Origins (Nov 2012)
- Oculus Arcade (Nov 2015)
Remakes
- Defender (Oct 2002)
Ports
- Defender (Dec 1982) · 5200, A800
- Defender (Dec 1982) · 2600
- Defender (Oct 1983) · VC20
- Defender (Nov 1983) · TI99
- Defender (Dec 1983) · INTV
- Defender (Dec 1983) · CVIS
- Defender (Dec 1982) · 5200, A800
- Defender (Dec 1982) · 2600
- Defender (Oct 1983) · VC20
- Defender (Nov 1983) · TI99
- Defender (Dec 1983) · INTV
- Defender (Dec 1983) · CVIS
- Defender (Dec 1983) · APL2
- Defender (Dec 1983) · C64
- Defender (Dec 1983) · DOS
- Defender (Dec 1995) · GB
- Defender (Dec 1997) · Handheld Electronic LCD
- Defender (Mar 1999) · GBC
- Defender (Nov 2006) · PC, X360
- Defender
Rating distribution
5 stars
4
4 stars
22
3 stars
45
2 stars
17
1 star
3
Community All Reviews Statuses
Status brian.hammerman.9 Aug 27, 2013
Atari 2600 never play Atari but it got a 7.6 on ign so i think that will ake my list of classic games