(4.5 / 5.0), 4
I am a huge defender fan. I loved the look of the original but being older I liked the game play of Stargate a bit more. I find Stargate to be massively difficult.
Defender Arcade is a hack of Stargate, but it pulls out some of thing things that makes Stargate really difficult. I find Defender Arcade to look and flow better than Stargate. So to me, this game ranks better than both Stargate and the original Defender on the 2600. And the colors are just a bit better than Stargate as well.
Defender Arcade is a significantly improved version the original Defender produced by Atari. This version is actually based on Atari's later release of Stargate, which was a far better effort than Defender. Talented homebrew author Bob DeCrescenzo made many changes to the game to bring Defender fans a 2600 version that is much truer to the arcade classic compared to Atari's initial release of the game.
You can read all the details of Defender Arcade's development in this long running thread in our Atari 2600 Hacks forum.
Choose Your Label
For the first time ever, we're letting you choose between two different labels for your copy of Defender Arcade. Both were created by artist John "Atariboy" Calcano and both match the style of our previous 2600 "Arcade" hacks. Please choose one of the two labels above before adding Defender Arcade to your shopping cart.
 |
 |
| Style A | Style B |
| Original Game | Stargate |
| Hacked By | Bob DeCrescenzo |
| Number of Players | 1 |
| Controller | Joystick |
| Cartridge Size | 8K |
| Label Design | John "Atariboy2600" Calcano |
Once again homebrewers bring us the game we really wanted back in the early '80s. Many of the home versions of arcade games were enjoyable enough but I was always a little disappointed that they were so different. No disappointment with Defender Arcade.
This game may be more like the arcade, but I miss the buildings. Without them the screen kind of feels empty in a way. I also prefer the bright red mutants that look like skulls over the ones in this port.
That said the game plays well and can be difficult at times. Either it's not as cruel as the original or I've gotten better at games with age. Probably the latter. Overall it's a good game but if you have the original you may want to stick to it.
That said the game plays well and can be difficult at times. Either it's not as cruel as the original or I've gotten better at games with age. Probably the latter. Overall it's a good game but if you have the original you may want to stick to it.
Any fan of Defender owes it to themselves to pick up a copy of this killer hack! The graphics and gameplay are far superior to the Atari release. Once you play this version you'll never go back!
Related Products
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
AtariAge on Instagram
Watch us on YouTube
Chat on Discord