Defender (Atari)
Platform: Commodore 64
Gametype: Undefined
_________________________

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.

In 1983, Entex adapted this video game into a board game.

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.

Game creator Eugene Jarvis cites Space Invaders and Asteroids as major influences on the design of Defender.

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".

Atari's 2600 release of Defender included the comic book Atari Force #1. Here is that comic at AtariAge.com

Defender was popular enough to have a song inspired by it on the full-length "Pac-Man Fever" album - "The Defender".

---

Description from the packaging:

Play the original arcade classic in your own home. 

The world's most popular video games can be yours to play at home, now that Atari makes them for the Commodore 64. And the possibilities don't stop there. More compatible software will be available soon from Atarisoft, including educational, management and productivity programs. 

The Planet's fate is in your hands. 

The thrill of the arcade game.

Landers, Bombers, Baiters, Pods, and Swarmers. The alien attack has come, and defeat at the hands of crazed invaders threatens the humanoids. Their only hope is the spaceship, Defender. Armed with smart bombs and able to shift into hyperspace, Defender evens the score only to become the object of another foul attack; kidnapped humanoids transformed into killer mutants! 

Atari currently offers the following games on Commodore 64 cartridges: Pac-Man, Centipede, Defender, Dig Dug, Donkey Kong, Stargate and Robotron: 2084. And there's much more to come!


http://www.mobygames.com/game/defender
