NE146 Posted March 10, 2007 Share Posted March 10, 2007 Oh! I should say if I play Defender on mame.. it's funny because I tend to use the keyboard more since I try to approximate the same layout... Q= UP A=REVERSE Z=DOWN -------------- / = THRUST L-SHIFT = FIRE ENTER = SMART BOMB SPACE = HYPERSPACE I dunno, it works Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadow460 Posted March 10, 2007 Author Share Posted March 10, 2007 30K is easy on just about all the home versions I have. And to me, Stargate actually seems easier, not harder. I actually do enjoy Stargate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goochman Posted March 10, 2007 Share Posted March 10, 2007 The thing that made Defender great in the arcade was your parents couldnt play it - Space Invaders and such they could talk 'poop' on how arcade games arent that great - I didnt know anyone over 18 that could play that game(atleast for a long time ). I was 'ok' - 50K was prob my best, but I sure looked like I could kick some Alien butt "poop" Umm... OK. Defender Rocks. I mastered it in the arcade at age 14, and loved the 2600 version even though it was too easy. A properly made defender controller went a long way to make that game even better at home. Just trying to keep it PG-13 here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris-in-NJ Posted March 10, 2007 Share Posted March 10, 2007 Whereas I could never, ever play arcade Defender due to all the buttons, 5200 Defender is almost too easy. I never liked the 2600 version... I've got 2600 Stargate, but don't think I've played it more than a handful of times, as it's just plain dumb (IMHO) to have the controls on the right-hand joystick changing all the time; I can never remember what the right joystick does. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paranoid Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 Just checked out the 8 bit version via emulation, and actually, it is a pretty fun game. I'm going to have to find a better CV emulator. Any suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+FujiSkunk Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 Just checked out the 8 bit version via emulation, and actually, it is a pretty fun game. I'm going to have to find a better CV emulator. Any suggestions? If you're running Windows and don't mind a little manual configuration, MEKA does the job very well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zwackery Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 I was really lousy at Defender in the arcade, although visually I thought it was a real eye-catcher, so I was pretty content with the simplified controls of the 2600 version (it was also the second Atari title I rolled the score on after Space Invaders), plus you got issue #1 of the Atari Force mini-comic. I've got the 5200 version and it's okay and I've got Defender 2000 for the Jag, also okay, but I really enjoyed the Defender update that got made for the PS2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Cafeman Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobra Kai Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 Hahaha..." A reversal of direction confuses the enemy" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
potatohead Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 The version created for the 8bitters has one fatal flaw... One shot eliminates all enemies on the same vertical row. Why is this? It completely changes the intense gameplay dynamic. Does the 5200 version also do this? I've often wondered. Other than that, the rest of the game is solid and enjoyable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadow460 Posted March 11, 2007 Author Share Posted March 11, 2007 Yep. it does. It took me a minute to get used to the version on Arcade's Greatest Hits because of that. I realized rather quickly that my shots were not as powerful anymore. Ironically, that version seems easier... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
potatohead Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 Yep. it does. It took me a minute to get used to the version on Arcade's Greatest Hits because of that. I realized rather quickly that my shots were not as powerful anymore. Ironically, that version seems easier... It is! If you are a poor defender player, the all in one row thing actually helps the game out quite a bit. The player can then focus on the enemy shots and droppings. If, however, you are a solid player, the more intense dynamic that happens when shots expire on one enemy, helps with an overall rhythm. Lots of ship movement, mixed with repeated requests for shots keeps the player moving. That's where the challenge (and the trance state, many early gamers crave) is. IMHO, it's two completely different games. Wonder if that would not make for an interesting hack? If possible, it would significantly improve the Atari 8bit ports of this game. Might need to make a play pad of sorts though. Triggering shots on both trigger up and down helps, but would not be enough, if the one shot per enemy rule were actually in force. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BydoEmpire Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 I actually like Defender on the 5200, probably because it's a little more forgiving (then again, I also like Galaga on the 7800). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpfalcon2003 Posted March 12, 2007 Share Posted March 12, 2007 Defender for the 5200 is okay, but I rather Defender II/Stargate for the 2600 than this version. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabriel Posted March 12, 2007 Share Posted March 12, 2007 I actually like Defender on the 5200, probably because it's a little more forgiving (then again, I also like Galaga on the 7800). It's an excellent feel-good-game. It does take a little while to master, but after you've done so it's fun to play forever. The sounds are spot on. The particle effects are extremely satisfying. Maybe it's just me, but flying to the right seems harder than flying to the left. Anyone else notice the same thing, or is it just me? The only bad thing is that my 4 to 8 hour marathon sessions tend to throw the stick pots permanently askew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Urchlay Posted March 12, 2007 Share Posted March 12, 2007 Maybe it's just me, but flying to the right seems harder than flying to the left. Anyone else notice the same thing, or is it just me? The only bad thing is that my 4 to 8 hour marathon sessions tend to throw the stick pots permanently askew. Last time I played 5200 Defender, I lasted 4 hours... didn't notice any problem moving to the right. I had just finished calibrating the controller (mechanical calibration, moving the plastic stops inside the stick), and 4 hours of play didn't break it. I had to get used to centering the stick myself, but that only took a couple of minutes... Defender on the Atari 8-bit computer was probably the second game I ever owned, so I played a lot of it. From what I can tell, the 5200 version is identical (except the controllers of course), so you might try the 8-bit version if you're able. If you're playing in MAME, you might try a trakball (the kind replaces your mouse). I use a Kensington Expert Mouse trakball... I assign its Y axis to move the ship vertically, one mouse button for thrust, and the other for reverse (the buttons are under your pinky and thumb). Ctrl on the keyboard fires lasers, the space bar is the smart bomb, and the third mouse button is hyperspace (harder to reach, but doesn't matter since I never use it). The X axis on the trakball does nothing. With this setup, you fly the ship with one hand and control the weapons with the other. I got pretty good at playing this way, a couple years ago. The same setup might work OK with a regular mouse, I've never tried it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darthkur Posted March 12, 2007 Share Posted March 12, 2007 ......Maybe it's just me, but flying to the right seems harder than flying to the left. Anyone else notice the same thing, or is it just me? Oddly enough I find it the exact opposite. I feel it's much more challenging to be moving left for some reason. I guess it's just how our brains are wired. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabriel Posted March 12, 2007 Share Posted March 12, 2007 Last time I played 5200 Defender, I lasted 4 hours... didn't notice any problem moving to the right. I had just finished calibrating the controller (mechanical calibration, moving the plastic stops inside the stick), and 4 hours of play didn't break it. I had to get used to centering the stick myself, but that only took a couple of minutes... No, you misunderstand. I mean the difficulty of the game seems a bit harder to me when I fly towards the right, not that there's some kind of response issue in moving towards the right. As to the controllers, I'm usually a big defender (pun intended) of the stock 5200 stick, but I've killed about three so far by playing Defender for long periods of time (they only register left movements afterwards). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Urchlay Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 No, you misunderstand. I mean the difficulty of the game seems a bit harder to me when I fly towards the right, not that there's some kind of response issue in moving towards the right. Hm, I've never noticed any difference... but that'll give me an excuse to hook up the 5200 and try it again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BydoEmpire Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 No, you misunderstand. I mean the difficulty of the game seems a bit harder to me when I fly towards the right, not that there's some kind of response issue in moving towards the right. Hm, I've never noticed any difference... but that'll give me an excuse to hook up the 5200 and try it again Excellent idea, I think I need to do some research myself... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phonedork Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 The Jag version of Defender classic is my fav. The 5200/8-bit is good, but I don't like the oversize version of the ship. Thats funny you should even complain about the size of the ship on Defender. LOL! Because Defender 2000 on the Jaguar has the biggest ship ever for not only Defender, but any side scrolling shootem up! LOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opeygon Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 the colecovision port is by far my favorite. but all in all, the game kicks ass no matter what you play it on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Thag Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 Of the 'big four', the 5200 version of Defender is the best, IMO. None of them are arcade perfect, but the 5200 captures the feel of the original better than the others. The Colecovision one is decent too, but it's graphicly too sparse and slow. Of course, these days, instead of firing up the 5200 version, I walk about five feet away and play Defender on my sparkly full size original Defender arcade machine. THAT, my friends, is one awesome piece of retrogaming goodness to grace the room of doom! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZylonBane Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 The Jag version of Defender classic is my fav. The 5200/8-bit is good, but I don't like the oversize version of the ship. Thats funny you should even complain about the size of the ship on Defender. LOL! Because Defender 2000 on the Jaguar has the biggest ship ever for not only Defender, but any side scrolling shootem up! LOL! He specifically said Defender Classic, not Defender 2000, you trolling retard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reaperman Posted February 21, 2008 Share Posted February 21, 2008 (edited) I've come to realize something. It doesn't matter what platform the game is played on...Defender just plain sucks. I think the best platform I've played it on was actually the Saturn, but that's still not saying much. finally somebody comes out and tells the truth about defender. It's not even close to a good game on anything, and it seems the more they try to modernize it the worse it gets. I'm not sure why I hate it, but it just feels like there isn't any fun to be had. The view distance is too short, (or really ship too fast) and I can't make myself care about anything going on. but everybody else loves it... why? It took me over a decade to care enough to figure out that there was more than one level. Maybe if the ship moved a lot slower, there was more on a single screen, and the ship actually flew somewhere... oddly I'd rate dropzone as an average title. I know they're similar, but dropzone just has more going for it. More interesting scenery, more to do, better sounds (granted it was created quite a bit later). Of course 'more going for it' didn't save the jag version, which was FAR worse than the original. near as I can remember it had 3 game modes: 'what you're used to disliking', 'even worse' and 'godawful'. If I recall there was a vesion of pong stuffed in that cart that was so distracting it managed to be fun for a while. I didn't know there was a saturn version--what made it better, and what was it called? Edited February 21, 2008 by Reaperman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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