Defender!

[+wongojack]

I've been withholding judgment , but I have to say that the 5200 version of Defender has to be my favorite. I really like the difficulty options, it plays fast, and the original joystick is a nice fit. This weekend I used a number of different control options and this is one where I really think you lose something by going to digital. I'm not really a guy who gets high scores, but I was able to break my high score target over and over again, and I think I'm on my way to being able to "roll" the score on easy! I did end up using a PC stick for best results, but stuck to anaolg.

 

Anyway, I really think this version of the game is impressive, and I'd much rather play it than one of the arcade ports that are around (Midway Arcade Treasures). The game needed a revision as the arcade version was just too hard when not being played in the quarter munching arcade frenzy of the early 80s.

 

Not to mention the fact that playing it in MAME requires a very specific button layout for which you basically have to build a custom cabinet to achieve.

[boxpressed]

Good points. I love 5200 Defender. I'm still awaiting the day that I can play it with a real arcade stick with two independent buttons!

[Gabriel]

5200 Defender was my poster child game for evangelizing my system back in the day. It's definitely one of my favorites.

 

My problem is that I find it too easy. Even on Hard the only thing which causes a Game Over is boredom in playing.

 

If anyone hack minded is paying any attention and feeling generous, a hack of the game where extra men are earned every 20K or 30K instead of every 10K would be great.

[VectorGamer]

Defender is one of the best titles on the 5200. But, I prefer to play the ColecoVision port of Defender over the 5200's.

[fiddlepaddle]

I always really enjoyed the coin op and never got into playing any other version, specifically because in that game, the control layout is really what makes the game, in my opinion.

[+wongojack]

Cool anecdotes! I have probably played the Coleco version, but I don't remember it. I'll check it out.

 

For me the difficulty in the arcade version is just too high to really get into the game, that combined with the lack of a joystick has always made the arcade version of the game difficult to love. I WANT to love the game, but it hates me and I give up.

 

So the difficulty in the 5200 version is nice for me, although the extra men do rack up quickly . . .

[VectorGamer]

the arcade version is just too high to really get into the game, that combined with the lack of a joystick

 

It does have a joystick for up/down movement.

[Charlie_]

The CV version is not nearly as exciting. although it looks nice...

 

But what do I know. Gabriel says the 5200 version, it's too easy...

I'm lucky to get a few stages in...

 

I still play it all the time though, Lots of action with things blowing up all over the place.. usually my ship.

[+wongojack]

 

It does have a joystick for up/down movement.

 

Yes, I knew that. So tantalizingly like a 4 way joystick and yet not. I've just never been able to get the hang of the "thrust" "reverse" buttons, so I think of it as stick-less.

[+FujiSkunk]

It's like the difference between automatic and manual transmissions.

[Gabriel]

Here's some of my advice for playing 5200 Defender.

 

1. Fire constantly. Yes, you will turn your hand into a gnarled stump from banging that 5200 lower button, but do you want a functional hand or to keep your Defender ship alive?

 

2. Don't be shy with Smart Bombs. If you see two Pods on the screen, go ahead and nuke em. The saddest thing you can see in a Defender Game Over screen is smart bombs left unused.

 

3. Fly to the left. I don't know if this is something that has real effect or if it's just something that works for me. To paraphrase Treebeard, "I like flying left. It somehow feels like going downhill." I don't often reverse, preferring instead to just lap the planet to deal with any targets I missed on my first pass.

 

4. Learn to fly by radar. The more you can play by looking at the radar screen, the better.

[zylon]

The TI99 version gets my vote.

[Lynxpro]

Defender is one of the best titles on the 5200. But, I prefer to play the ColecoVision port of Defender over the 5200's.

 

Which was done by AtariSoft.

[Charlie_]

Quote doesn't seem to be working in the new IE11 for Win 7 ??

 

Anyway, zylon, the ti-99 version is very good!

[+FujiSkunk]

I'm partial to the Commodore 64 version myself. It isn't the hardest port, but it does represent the arcade game very nicely, especially in the sound department.

 

Which was done by AtariSoft.

 

I believe Atari/AtariSoft are responsible for all official ports of Defender, at least in the 8-bit era.

[Lynxpro]

I'm partial to the Commodore 64 version myself. It isn't the hardest port, but it does represent the arcade game very nicely, especially in the sound department.

 

 

I believe Atari/AtariSoft are responsible for all official ports of Defender, at least in the 8-bit era.

...and for several other titles too.

[7800]

Defender II for the 2600 is actually pretty fantastic... it has the best ship maneuverability that I've seen in any version of the game.

[bradhig]

Defender 5200 looks better then the 2600 version.

Edited March 30, 2014 by bradhig

[kamakazi]

I love Defender on the 5200. More so that I do any other version including the arcade original. Atari developed Defender for almost all 8-bits including the sequel for the NES/Famicom consoles. The NES Defender II turned out to be a very good port. Defender on the 2600 is good. It just seems to me that Atari had more devotion to games "they liked" for the 5200. Defender on the 5200 will leave your hands hurting, though. I've never rolled the score in Defender. I haven't even made it that close. But there was one time during 1983, I might have been 8 years old, when I had come home from school, sat in front of the 5200, turned on the TV, inserted Joust, and started to play a game. Before I knew it I had reached Wave 51. I don't remember my score but I do remember telling Mom what level I was on while she was doing housework. Her boyfriend, however, turned the console off after wave 51. Just came over and turned off the console. No warning or anything. I've never been able to repeat that again. I think I'll go play some Defender now.

[Jinks]

What an ahole guy he was. Turning off any console on a epic high score run is pure evil..

Did you punch his balls in as he walked by as your revenge? I would have..

[Gabriel]

I've never rolled the score in Defender.

 

Anyone who could roll the score in 5200 Defender has performed a fairly impressive feat of videogame endurance. I know the score can handle at least 7 digits, and getting there takes some time. I think I asked about it years ago and was told that the score can actually handle 8 or 9 digits. I don't know if that's true, though.

 

Right now I can't recall if my high score is 2.5 million or 4.1 million. I do recall that I played one game for 4 straight hours and afterwards my hands hurt horribly and were little more than gnarled stumps. The feat also threw the stick on the controller out of alignment and rendered the lower fire button useless. Oddly, it also made the Start button stop functioning. The last time I played a lengthy game, I played long enough to crack 1 mil, but then got bored. That was with a Best Gold stick, which still works fine but needs to be recentered now as it skews a little to the left due to that game session.

[Jess Ragan]

I was really impressed with the 5200 version of Defender. It's so close to the original that it even speeds up for a couple of seconds when your ship collides with a bullet or an enemy. Now that's attention to detail!

 

It'd probably be cheating, but I'd say the best port (not emulation) of Defender was on Midway's Arcade Classics for the Genesis and Super NES. Back in the mid 1990s, Digital Eclipse was at the top of its game, bringing home arcade classics with a skill nobody else could match. Of course, the games were ported to 16-bit systems much more powerful than the original arcade hardware, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised they were so faithful.

 

The most disappointing Defender/Stargate translation was on the NES. I love that system but its track record for ports of arcade classics was spotty at best. Namco could do it, but few others could, and HAL Laboratories (the Kirby guys) really blew it with Defender II. It LOOKED fantastic, but there was so little onscreen activity and so much stripped away from the original that it felt like a tech demo. I think picking up a humanoid INSTANTLY transported it back to the ground, which actually made it more primitive than the original Defender! Augh!

[+Cafeman]

http://cafeman.www9.50megs.com/atari/5200defender.html

A link to my old review - it has a few comments I got from Steve Baker, who coded the 5200 version.

Defender 5200 was always really impressive to me. One of the reasons I loved the 5200 system. Plus - smart bombs and hyperspace all on the 5200 controller - you don't have to hit an A8 Spacebar (which is impossible in heat of battle).

[NIKON]

I wonder if Stave Baker could release his Stargate here on AA or are there legal reasons why??? I would love to just see a video of it in action...the copy that is circulating the net is bugged.

 

 

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE STEVE

Edited April 18, 2014 by NIKON

[kamakazi]

I was really impressed with the 5200 version of Defender. It's so close to the original that it even speeds up for a couple of seconds when your ship collides with a bullet or an enemy. Now that's attention to detail!

 

It'd probably be cheating, but I'd say the best port (not emulation) of Defender was on Midway's Arcade Classics for the Genesis and Super NES. Back in the mid 1990s, Digital Eclipse was at the top of its game, bringing home arcade classics with a skill nobody else could match. Of course, the games were ported to 16-bit systems much more powerful than the original arcade hardware, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised they were so faithful.

 

The most disappointing Defender/Stargate translation was on the NES. I love that system but its track record for ports of arcade classics was spotty at best. Namco could do it, but few others could, and HAL Laboratories (the Kirby guys) really blew it with Defender II. It LOOKED fantastic, but there was so little onscreen activity and so much stripped away from the original that it felt like a tech demo. I think picking up a humanoid INSTANTLY transported it back to the ground, which actually made it more primitive than the original Defender! Augh!

 

That Defender II by HAL was actually only published by HAL. Atari was responsible for the NES port of Defender II. I didn't think it was too bad but it felt more like the original Defender.