Many moons
ago, a side-scrolling shooter called Defender shined brightly in arcades. The
game had quite a bit of freedom for its time, allowing you to roam freely
throughout each stage. You could fly towards one end of the screen, turn around
and fly all the way back to accomplish a task that you might’ve missed (i.e.,
kill an alien). Angled lines were drawn on the bottom of each level, creating
mountains for the players to screw up and crash into. Most older gamers will
feel nostalgic when they think of the fun, somewhat innovative gameplay that
Defender produced. There were no other games like it at the time, and if you
take a gander at the list of games available for PS2, Xbox and GameCube, you’ll
find that there aren’t many (if any) other games like it today. Midway is here
to remedy that with a 3D remake of their classic shooter.
You can tell
that this game has changed a lot just by looking at the screen shots. For one
thing, the game is now made up of semi-detailed wire frame models, covered in
polygons and smooth textures. The player is no longer restricted to small,
two-dimensional, rectangular levels. With three dimensions, the player has the
ability to go wherever he or she wants (assuming the game will let you, of
course — it does have its limits). None of the levels are particularly long,
but the missions aren’t either, so having larger worlds would not have improved
the game much.
One big
change in how the game is played is the new mission system. Every level has a
pre-set list of objectives that the player is required to accomplish. Sometimes
the objectives are as simple as gunning down a few aliens, other times it’s a
tad more complex, having you locate an ally ship and then escort it to the
nearest portal.
There are
multiple ships to choose from (six in all), each with their own strengths and
weaknesses. Speed, Armor, Agility and Strength are measured, but that’s not the
only thing to be concerned with. Some ships favor weak weapons that can be
fired quickly, while others favor slow, more powerful weapons that can take out
an alien with one hit.
Every action
can be learned within a couple of seconds. The command layout is very
straightforward: A is fire, Y switches your weapons, the left analog stick
controls your direction and the trigger buttons change your speed. If the
standard analog movements aren’t enough for you to dodge enemy fire, press the X
and B buttons to strafe left or right. The ship automatically locks-on to your
nearest opponent, but you can switch the target to an enemy unit, a friendly
unit or a colonist by pressing one of the directional buttons. I’m sure this
sounds a little complex, but believe me, it’s not. The game itself is pretty
simple, and most of the important functions (such as picking up ally troops)
occur automatically when you fly by them.
If you were
to compare Defender’s graphics to the original game, you’d be blown away. The
transition from 2D to 3D is really amazing. But with all of the technology we
have today, Defender doesn’t look so great, even on Xbox. In fact, it actually
looks worse on Xbox than on other consoles since Xbox is more powerful and has
higher visual standards.
It would
seem as if all classic games — whether they were loved in the past (as Defender
was), or just merely liked — will have a three-dimensional remake at some point
in time. This is mainly due to game companies who want to relive the past, but
gamers are also to blame for requesting/suggesting that remakes are made.
In some
cases, games should be brought into the third dimension. But when a game is as
old as Defender, is there really a need for a 3D revision? Some people thought
so. The thing is, Defender was unique in 2D form. Its gameplay style — moving
back and forth between small levels — does not translate well into the third
dimension. In fact, the translation feels more like a variation of every other
flight/combat game out there. It would not be improper (nor ironic) to call
this game a Star Wars Starfighter clone. Granted, it isn’t boring, and some of
the more action-oriented levels are fun to play, but Defender does not play like
Defender. The only thing that’s the same is the name. Everything else has
changed, and not for the better. I see where the developers were coming from.
More likely than not, this is the direction I would have taken had I been in
charge of developing the game. But it was the wrong direction, and from what I
can tell, there isn’t a right direction that could have been taken. Some games
can’t be brought into the third dimension without losing something in the
process. Sadly, Defender is one of those games.
Gameplay: 6
If you’ve played
Star Wars Starfighter, you’ve played Defender (more or less). As with the
Clonetroopers in Attack of the Clones, the original host is always superior to
the copy.
Graphics: 5.9
Don’t
misinterpret the score: this is not an ugly game! But if Defender were a pop
star, it could not compete with the likes of Jessica Simpson or Britney Spears.
Or Avril Lavigne, for that matter.
Sound: 5
Defender has very
little music, few sound effects and one of the most annoying computerized voice
in the world. (A computer-like female voice briefs you on your mission and then
informs the player of any necessary details, but all I wanted to do was shut her
up!)
Difficulty: Easy
Most of
Defender’s missions are really easy to complete.
Concept: 5
Good idea:
bringing a classic game into the third dimension. Bad idea: making the
"classic" game play like every other game in a particular genre.
Multiplayer: 5.9
Defender’s
multiplayer modes (deathmatch and co-op) aren’t bad, but the fun is limited.
The amount of people that can play simultaneously is quite limited, too. Only
two people can play Defender at once. Even an Xbox link cable and several
consoles/TVs cannot remedy this.
Overall: 6
If Defender had
been named something else, it would have been thought of as a half-decent
flight/combat game (which it is). But as the long-awaited remake to a 2D
classic, Defender had so much (perhaps too much) to live up to.
