Defender
Score: 65% ESRB: Teen Publisher: Midway Developer: Midway Media: DVD/1 Players: 1 - 2 Genre: Action/ Shooter
Graphics & Sound: While Midway's remake of the classic game Defender features serviceable graphics, they are by no means wonderful. Ship models look pretty good, and the landscapes have a moderate amount of detail, but textures are generally lackluster. Overall, it looks like there wasn't enough effort put into making the game take advantage of the Xbox hardware. Sonically, Defender's sounds are good but not great. The voiceovers are pretty good, and the sound effects and music have a positive impact on game play. So even though it isn't state of the art, Defender has sufficiently capable graphics and sound.
Gameplay: In the game, you defend humanoids from the dreaded Manti, an alien race that loves to absorb and mutate them, and each mission gives you objectives you must fulfill in order to protect them. There are a number of space ships available, each with unique capabilities, and you can unlock more as you progress through the game. The action takes place from behind the ship you pilot, and the controls are both responsive and configurable enough for most pilots to use them effectively. When aliens capture humanoids, if they successfully absorb them, the humanoids mutate to create a more deadly ship. It is therefore extremely important to guard, transport, and rescue humanoids as quickly as possible. Many of the missions force you to transport humanoids to reinforced positions, and if they are abducted, to rescue them by killing the alien ship and catching the falling humanoid. You earn credits in the game, and you can use them to buy better weapons or extra lives. This provides some real incentive to complete the game, and for many, including fans of the original, the game play is compelling enough to do so.
Difficulty: Once you get used to the controls, the difficulty level is not too bad, as long as you don't let the Manti mutate too many humanoids. If they do, then the mission at hand becomes more difficult, which means protecting humanoids has to be your number one concern. Since this is an arcade style game, completing a mission is often a matter of trial and error, attempting missions over and over again until you find your way through. While the controls are responsive, until you master them, it can be difficult to make it through missions successfully.
Game Mechanics: While it may have been easier for Midway to take the original Defender and only do a minor update, the company took a risk and moved the entire game to 3D. This means the game plays completely differently, and for the most part they did a good job. Defender offers solid control, decent graphics and sound, and a nice mission structure. Defender is not a game everyone will appreciate, but for those who already favor this style of space combat, it offers a pretty decent experience. If you loved the original game, this version of Defender is at least worth a rental.
-Gordy, GameVortex Communications AKA Gary Lucero
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