Defender

Release Date: October 22, 2002

Arcade, FPP, planes, splitscreen, multiplayer, singleplayer

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Official remake of the classic scrolled shooter, this time in a three-dimensional edition. We play the role of the pilot of the title fighter and set off to fight against the aggressive alien race. Several dozen different levels to overcome.

Mechanics
Game modes
Technical aspects

Defender, released on PS2, Xbox and Gamecube, is the official remake of one of the most famous 2D shooters. This series was started on arcade machines. This time, however, we are not dealing with a side-scrolling shooter, but a 3D product. However, freedom of movement has been severely restricted. Fans of the classic Defender will probably be interested in the news that the described product contains the original version of this game, dating back to the eighties. The new Defender was developed by 7-Studios. The company has also prepared such games as Fantastic Four or Legion: Legend of Excalibur.

Mechanics

The assumptions of the game remained practically unchanged. We play as the pilot of the titular fighter and embark on a difficult mission to get rid of the aggressive alien race that threatens the whole galaxy. The gameplay is limited to the extermination of the units appearing on the screen. We usually deal with hostile fighters or stationary turrets. From time to time, however, we will participate in boss fights. To get rid of them, we have to aim at the points specified by the game. It is worth mentioning that the described remake still has a very high level of difficulty, so reaching the final boss requires a lot of skill and knowledge on each of the levels.

Unlike the classic Defender, in which we moved in a fully two-dimensional environment, we move to 3D. The controlled spacecraft is observed from a third person perspective. The player must remain in constant motion to effectively avoid hostile attacks. In this version of the game, the Defender comes in six different versions. Depending on the choice made, it can be a heavy bomber or an extremely agile and light-armored reconnaissance ship. We can modify our ship in-between the missions. The new version of Defender also features power-ups, well known from many other games of this type.

Subsequent duels take place in many different types of locations. In the initial phase of the game, it is mainly the areas around the planets of the Solar System (Venus, Mars, etc.).