Defender

Other releases and variants

Release record

Also released in South America by Digitel, Polygram, Polyvox.

Source: Catalog numbers, label types, rarity, controllers and player counts: AtariAge 2600 software database

How it was made

What the press said at the time

Computer Entertainer rated graphics first and play action second, from four symbols (excellent) to one (poor) — stars in most years, diamonds in 1986–87 — comparing each game only with other games for the same system.

Cartridge & preservation record

Program size 4 KB, measured from the preserved dump.

Catalogue number as recorded for the physical release.

How the Atari 2600 version differs

Because the 2600 joystick has only one button, the fire button fires the laser, launches a smart bomb or triggers hyperspace depending on how high the ship is on the screen.

The ship vanishes from the screen whenever it fires its laser, and cannot be hit while it is gone. Electronic Games called this disturbing at first but a subtle nuance of play once players got used to it.

The Space Gamer thought the 2600 cartridge belonged in every library despite the console's graphical limits, but said arcade purists would miss the original controls.

Also on other platforms

Arcade · Atari 5200 · Atari 8-bit · Adventure Vision · VIC-20 · ColecoVision · TI-99/4A · Intellivision · Apple II · Commodore 64 · IBM PC · ZX Spectrum · BBC Micro · Game Boy · SAM Coupé

• Atari 5200. The 5200 port, released in November 1982, has updated visuals; Creative Computing compared it favorably to the arcade original and praised its gameplay variations.
• Atari 8-bit. Softline readers ranked the Atari 8-bit version fifth among Atari programs in 1983, but the magazine said its appeal did not justify the high cost of a ROM cartridge.
• IBM PC. Computer Games found Atarisoft's IBM PC version fast but soon boring, and said its keyboard controls were unsuitable for the quick maneuvers the game requires.

Worth knowing

• The vanishing ship. Electronic Games defended the flicker in November 1982: "Alas, every time the Defender fires its laser, the ship disappears! This is somewhat disturbing at first, but it becomes a subtle nuance of play once the arcader gets used to it. When the ship is firing — and hence, off screen — it can't be hit".
• The programmer's lucky 25. Atari Age published the full method for the hidden "BP" initials on the 25th wave, adding: "The height you need to hit is actually the 25th line of vertical resolution from the bottom — another example of the programmer using his lucky number 25."
• First comic pack-in. Atari Age announced: "The first cartridge to include a bonus comic book is Defender. This full-color 48-page adventure" was followed by comics in Berzerk and Star Raiders.

Release record

• North America: Price new: Computer Entertainer's review (Vol. 1 No. 8, November 1982).

• Complete copy (North America): Cartridge · Box · Instruction manual · 2 keypad overlays

Source: Catalog numbers, label types, rarity, controllers and player counts: AtariAge 5200 software database

How it was made

What the press said at the time

Computer Entertainer rated graphics first and play action second, from four symbols (excellent) to one (poor) — stars in most years, diamonds in 1986–87 — comparing each game only with other games for the same system.

How the Atari 5200 version differs

Computer Entertainer said the 5200 version is close to the arcade game, and unlike the Atari 2600 version the ship does not disappear every time you fire, with separate buttons for Smart Bombs and Hyperspace.

Videogaming Illustrated called the 5200 Defender a vast improvement over the pared-down Atari 2600 version, though a later reader poll rated it the least faithful arcade translation on the 5200.

Also on other platforms

Atari 2600 · Intellivision · ColecoVision

Release record

• North America: Model number confirmed by the UPC barcode, which encodes it. Price new: Computer Entertainer's review (January 1984).

Source: Model numbers, end-label variants and CBS numbers: the ColecoVision FAQ v4.1, each serial confirmed against Coleco's 1982 catalogue, the game's manual or its UPC; barcodes from PriceCharting, check digits verified

What the press said at the time

Computer Entertainer rated graphics first and play action second, from four symbols (excellent) to one (poor) — diamonds through early 1987, stars after — comparing each game only with other games for the same system.

How the ColecoVision version differs

Computer Entertainer said Atarisoft's ColecoVision version has all the elements of the original, from enemy spacecraft to mutants. The 0 button triggers hyperspace, and the graphics are simple but well drawn.

Also on other platforms

Arcade

Release record

• North America: Product number confirmed by the UPC barcode, which encodes it.

Source: Product numbers: each confirmed by the game's own manual, a publisher-prefix UPC that encodes it, a box scan, or INTV Funhouse's collector list where Mattel's own 1979–83 catalogues or manual order forms print the same number; barcodes from PriceCharting, check digits verified