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Defender (1981)

by Shockwave, Williams Electronics

Genres:Strategy, Shooter

Themes:Action, Science fiction

Game modes:Single player, Multiplayer

Story:Defender is an arcade video game developed released by Williams Electronics in 1980. A shooting game featuring two-dimensional (2D) graphics, the game is set on a fictional planet where the player must defeat waves of invading aliens while protecting astronauts. Development was led by Eugene Jarvis, a pinball programmer at Williams; Defender was Jarvis's first video game project, and drew inspiration from Space Invaders and Asteroids. Williams planned to display the game at the Amusement & Music Operators Association (AMOA) trade show, though development delays resulted in the team working on the game up until the show started. Defender was commercially successful, selling over 55,000 units to become the company's best selling arcade game. Praise among critics focused on the game's audio-visuals and gameplay. It is frequently listed as one of Jarvis's best contributions to the video game industry, as well as one of the most difficult video games. Defender was ported to numerous platforms, inspired the development of other games, and was followed by sequels and many imitations.Show more

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February 19, 2025

My father told me when I was four, one late night, he saw this cunning kid turn on the precious XT computer then input some DOS commands and play this. And he smiled and said I don't have any idea now you had a computer-thing job. God, I miss him... Anyway, this game was introduced in alias "Stargate". I still remember the map shifted landscape to space. It was awesome.

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Science fiction

Science fiction

Black & White 2

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Science fiction

Science fiction

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Science fiction

Science fiction