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Atarisoft's Defender -Colecovision
Retro Gaming Review
 |
| Title: | Defender |
| Manufacturer: | Atarisoft |
| Platform: | Colecovision |
| Release Date: | 1983 |
| Part #: | 70002 |
| Rating: | 4 out of 5 |
| ESRB Rating: | N/A |
Rating: 
Atarisoft's Defender Screenshot: 
Defender is one of those games that differs greatly across different platforms. I found the arcade game a bit daunting, but loved the ability to play it at home on my Atari 2600. Yes, it was an awful flicker-fest, but it was Defender and it was in MY living room. The Colecovision had a great track record for awesome arcade ports - Defender is no exception. It's beautiful and plays smoothly.
As much as we don't want to meet our demise... even your ship's explosion is a vision of beauty as a fountain of debris erupts to fill the screen. Nicely done!
You may notice your ship's flaming exhaust is missing as seen on other platforms, but we can live without that for the awesome gameplay delivered on the Colecovision.
Defender's Story Arc
Aliens from a distant solar system are swarming over the planet Humanis. They're kidnapping Humanoids and mutating them into a permanent part of the alien force. Their mission is to transform all of the Humanoids before destroying the entire planet. First, they infest the planet with Landers which close in on the planet, abducting the Humanoids.
Then the attack intensifies. Baiters, Swarmers, and Bombers terrorize the skies. And then, when you least expect it. a deadly Pod collides with your Spaceship, and blasts you to pieces.
Holy shit! Check this out...
Defender was developed and released by Williams Electronics in February 1981. Defender was one of the most prominent arcade games of the Golden Age, selling over 55,000 units to become the company's best selling game and one of the highest-grossing arcade games ever! The game's control scheme uses a two-way joystick and five buttons. Jarvis designed the controls to emulate both Space Invaders and Asteroids simultaneously. The player's left hand manipulates the joystick similar to Space Invaders and the right hand pushes buttons similar to Asteroids.
Defender was developed and released by Williams Electronics in February 1981. Defender was one of the most prominent arcade games of the Golden Age, selling over 55,000 units to become the company's best selling game and one of the highest-grossing arcade games ever! The game's control scheme uses a two-way joystick and five buttons. Jarvis designed the controls to emulate both Space Invaders and Asteroids simultaneously. The player's left hand manipulates the joystick similar to Space Invaders and the right hand pushes buttons similar to Asteroids.
As Captain of the Spaceship Defender, your mission is to destroy the alien force and save the Humanoids. Your speed and skill have earned you this heroic mission.
Defender's Game Play
The game play is magnificent on it's own and certainly when compared to other releases. The Colecovision, with it's full keypad, offers some interesting control options not afforded by the Atari 2600's single fire button.
You begin with 3 lives and 3 smart bombs. The Colecovision controller uses the left button to fire and the right button to detonate Smart Bombs, while Hyperspace is on the keypad - the zero key. If you recall the arcade controls for Defender, you'll see how well it's multitude of buttons can be replicated on the Colecovision.
As is often the case with Colecovision games, Defender is a wonderful experience. If only the Colecovision's game library was larger!
Final Judgement:
Atarisoft's Defender
on the Colecovision is a visual delight and plays well to boot. It's an arcade classic and this is a great platform on which to experience it.« Return to Retro Video Game Reviews
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