Much like most of Midway’s recent efforts, the graphics in Defender aren’t going to win any awards, but they do their job, and at times they can really impress you. Staying true to the original game, most of the missions you embark on take place on very plain landscapes with a few being in outer space. The scenery isn’t much to look at, but the ships sure are. Both the human ships and the Manti ships are wonderfully rendered and look like they’ve been in a few heated conflicts before Kyoto ever set her lovely hands on the controls. Likewise the sound isn’t much to swoon over, but it gets the job done.

As in the original game, the story is all about keeping the peace. As a young pilot named Kyoto, you must embark on several missions to take out the Manti, an alien race hell-bent on destroying all humans. And just like in the original Defender, you’ll do all of this in the friendly confines of the latest technology that can be equipped on one of your six spaceships.

The control layout is a little unique, but it’s easy to get used to it. You can move your ship with the analog stick and perform flips and rolls with the C-stick. The nice thing about the controls is that they are ultra-responsive. There’s no lag time between when you press a button and when that particular action happens on screen, which is an absolute necessity when playing an arcade shooter like this.

While you do get six ships to choose from in the game, only two will be available to you from the get-go. Each ship possesses it’s own weapon and is ranked in four categories: speed, armor, agility, and strength. Obviously, each ship has its own strengths and weaknesses, so it’s up to you to decide which one would be best for the mission you’re playing through. Each mission starts off with a briefing of what you need to do (which most of the time is killing Manti). After each mission, you’ll collect money from killing Manti, saving colonists, and completing your mission objectives. The money can be used to upgrade your ship in several ways, ranging from protective shields to faster and stronger projectiles to upgraded turrets on your ship.

The difficulty in Defender is also a welcome change. While it’s definitely not the hardest game this generation, it provides a well-balanced challenge that focuses on swarming you with up to fifty enemies at once and having you pick up isolated colonists at the same time. In addition to the basic single-player campaign, there’s also multiplayer mode that allows you to death-match or co-op with a buddy. Unfortunately it isn’t too involving, so don’t expect to spend hours with the multiplayer like you might have done with Halo.

The only real negative in the game is that despite the few extras (a music video and a making-of video), there isn’t much to keep you occupied with the game. Unlike Robotech, there aren’t enough missions to keep most gamers satisfied, so the game ends up being a short, but pleasant experience.

For all the flack Midway gets from most gamers, this has been a breakout year for them. After their incredible run of sports games that included the superb MLB Slugfest 2003, and the successful revival of Mortal Kombat, Defender is another notch on the belt for one of the oldest American publishers. While many gamers can’t appreciate a good shooter nowadays, those who can are recommended to give this one a try. You might be surprised at what you find.

. . . Reno