Defend the human population from swarms of attacking aliens. Extremely popular even though it was deemed a flop at a 1981 Chicago arcade machine trade show because of its difficulty. The attract mode for the game was programmed in just five hours.
Defender was produced by Williams Electronics, Inc. (1967-1985) in 1981.
Williams Electronics, Inc. (1967-1985) released 215 machines in our database under this trade name, starting in 1959. Williams Electronics, Inc. (1967-1985) was based in United States.
Other machines made by Williams Electronics, Inc. (1967-1985) during the time period Defender was produced include: Blackout, Beatles, The - Custom, Firepower, Black Knight, Algar, Barracora, Pharaoh, Cyclone (1981), Jungle Lord, and Furie
Name | Defender |
---|---|
Developer | Williams Electronics, Inc. (1967-1985) (United States) |
Year | 1981 |
Type | Videogame |
KLOV/MOG # | 7547 |
Class | Wide Release |
Genre | Shooter |
Monitor |
|
Conversion Class | Williams |
Game Specific | Defender Pinout |
# Simultaneous Players | 1 |
# Maximum Players | 2 |
Game Play | Alternating |
Control Panel Layout | Single Player |
Controls |
|
Sound | Amplified Mono (one channel) |
Cabinet Styles |
|
Control Panel | Defender Control Panel Image |
PCB | Defender PCB Image |
Your mission, as captain of the Defender, is to protect the humanoids stranded on the planet from their alien abductors. The scanner will help you determine a strategy to shoot down the alien ships before they reach the humanoids. If you destroy the aliens after they have captured their prey, you must return the humanoids to the safety of the planet or they will fall to their death. If an alien carries its victim out of your range, the humanoid will mutate, join the alien force, and take to assault with deadly vengeance!
The challenge becomes ever more intense as the action progresses. Fighter ships Bombers and mines will test your skills. A direct hit will destroy the mother ship Pods but smash it into a swarming mass of mini-ships Swarmers which then must be wiped out! If you do not act quickly, the cosmic Baiter will attack! Use your two escape options only if all else fails! Your "Smart Bomb" power is limited and "Hyperspace" puts you into an unknown space warp. But beware! If all the humanoids are abducted, the entire planet will explode in a blinding flash!
Tips:
Overall Like |
4.25 |
---|---|
Fun (Social) | 3.33 |
Fun (Solo) | 4.25 |
Collector Desire | 4.27 |
Gameplay | 4.03 |
---|---|
Graphics | 4.00 |
Originality | 4.58 |
Sound/Music | 3.94 |
Personal Impressions and Technical Impressions each account for half of the total score.
Within the Personal Impressions category, Like
carries a little more weight than the other factors.
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This game shared the title of Highest Grossing Video Game of All Time along with PacMan. To date it has earned more than one billion dollars.
According to Midway, the geneology of the games is as follows: Defender, Stargate, Robotron: 2084, Blaster.
This game was included in the Williams Arcades Greatest Hits game for PCs and the PlayStation game console. The release also included Stargate as Defender II, Bubbles, Joust, Sinistar and Robotron: 2084.
The machine shown at the bottom of the page with the silver coin door is the classic cabinet that the majority of US players have seen, although a later version had a black coin door. The machine at the top with the blue door, however, is believed to be a reproduction of an early production model that contains side art very much inspired by the film Star Wars. Perhaps Williams changed the production side art designs upon advice from legal counsel. This original prototype machine is pictured on early Williams Defender flyers. Oddly enough, a number of these machines have been seen in various countries throughout Europe.
This is one of many games that has been bootlegged or copied. Some of these versions have added improvements to the game but others are direct copies. Examples of these games are Mayday, Defence Command, Defense Command and Mirage.
Defender was licensed to Taito for Japanese manufacture and distribution.
There are 15,024 members of the Video Arcade Preservation Society / Vintage Arcade Preservation Society, 9,571 whom participate in our arcade census project of games owned, wanted, or for sale. Census data currently includes 165,398 machines (6,956 unique titles).
Very Common - There are 870 known instances of this machine owned by Defender collectors who are active members. Of these, 802 of them are original dedicated machines. 12 of them are conversions in which game circuit boards (and possibly cabinet graphics) have been placed in (and on) another game cabinet. 53 of them are only circuit boards which a collector could put into a generic case if desired.
For Sale - There are 31 active VAPS members with a Defender machines for sale. There are 3 active VAPS members with a Defender circuit boards for sale.
Wanted - Very Popular - There are 40 active VAPS members currently looking for Defender. There is one active VAPS member looking for a Defender circuit board set.
This game ranks a 95 on a scale out of 100 (100 = most often seen, 1=least common) in popularity based on census ownership records.
This game ranks a 55 on a scale out of 100 (100 = most often seen, 1=least common) in popularity based on census want list records.
Rarity and Popularity independently are not necessarily indications of value. [More Information]
All the game settings are configured in software on the screen. This is the Williams way of doing things. In Defender, they used the rudimentary system used on their pinball machines no notations except in the manual. After Defender made it, they started clearly labeling the onscreen adjustment menus. The boardsets use a 6809 processor for game play and a 6800 for sound on a separate board.
This game is available at the following public arcades, bars or museums:
Name | Location | State | Country | Details | Check-ins |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Level One Bar + Arcade | 130 Hutchinson Ave, Columbus | Ohio | United States | 0 | |
The Very Best Arcade (The Very Best Weiner Shop) | 252 E High St, Pottstown | Pennsylvania | United States |
Arcade (Classic Videogame) Status: Verified Children: Allowed Focus: Classic Games Food: Yes Alcohol: No Payment Method: Coins |
1 |
Upstate Pinball & Arcade Museum | 109A West Trade St, Simpsonville | South Carolina | United States |
Arcade (Classic Videogame) Children: Allowed Focus: Classic Games Food: No Alcohol: No Payment Method: Admission Charge |
2 |
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Year | Count | Median $ | Average $ |
---|---|---|---|
2015 | 3 | 517.50 | 555.83 |
2016 | 4 | 402.50 | 503.13 |
2017 | 2 | 441.75 | 441.75 |
2018 | 8 | 590.00 | 700.63 |
All Years | 17 | 590.00 | 598.15 |