Synopsis
As the first side-scrolling shooter, Defender is one of the most influential and most popular games ever created. Even though it was deemed by some as too complicated due to its unique five-button control system, it shares honors with Pac-Man as the highest grossing videogame of all time, earning more than one billion dollars in revenue. Gameplay involves piloting a ship around a mountainous alien landscape while rescuing humanoids and shooting (right and left) at landers, mutants, bombers and other enemies. The ship is equipped with smart bombs and hyperspace, and a scanner positioned at the top of the screen helps players track offscreen enemies. Colorful graphics, explosive sound effects, and intense shooting action makes Defender challenging and loads of fun.
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Similar Games
Extra Credits
Looking to create a more difficult, more complicated shooter than Space Invaders and Asteroids, the creators of Defender invented a whole new type of game: the side-view scrolling shooter.
Strike Force (1991) and Stargate (1981) were its sequels.
Also Available On
| Platform | Publisher | Developer | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adventure Vision | Entex | Entex | 1982 |
| Apple II | Atarisoft | Atarisoft | 1983 |
| Atari 400/800/XL/XE | Atari, Inc. | 1983 | |
| Atari 5200 | Atari, Inc. | Atari, Inc. | 1983 |
| Atari Video Computer System | Atari, Inc. | Atari, Inc. | 1982 |
| Atari Video Computer System | Sears, Roebuck and Company | Atari, Inc. | 1982 |
| ColecoVision | Atari, Inc. | Atari, Inc. | 1983 |
| Commodore 64/128 | 1983 | ||
| Hybrid Windows/Mac | Shockwave.com | Digital Eclipse Software, Inc. | 2000 |
| Intellivision | Atarisoft | 1983 | |
| Mobile | iobox | NuvoStudios, Inc. | 2001 |
| Mobile | THQ Wireless | Lavastorm Engineering, Inc. | 2003 |
| Mobile | iobox | NuvoStudios, Inc. | 2001 |
| Texas Instruments TI-99 | Atarisoft | Atarisoft | 1983 |
| Xbox 360 | Midway Home Entertainment | Midway Games Inc. | 2006 |
