Defender on Live Arcade

By Tom Bramwell Published 15 November, 2006

Sometime today.

Defender will be this Wednesday's Xbox Live Arcade release, Microsoft's announced.

Midway's classic shoot-'em-up will feature classic and enhanced graphics options, offline and Xbox Live multiplayer including co-operative modes, as well as the requisite online leaderboards and unlockable achievements.

The game will sell for 400 Microsoft points (GBP 3.40 / EUR 4.65), with a trial version to download if you're not sure about whether you can be bothered with it.

Those of you who normally stay glued to your screens for the 8am GMT launch time might want to sit tight though, with MS bloggers admitting that it might be a little while before it's there.

Gamerscoreblog, which carries the Defender announcement, said "this one's coming hot out of cert [the certification process], and we're still aiming to bring it to you on Wednesday".

"However it's probably not going to hit at our traditional time of 0800 GMT, but our team is working really hard to get it to you as early as possible on Wednesday."

At the time of writing the game had yet to appear on Xbox Live Marketplace.

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About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000. Follow him on Twitter.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (22) Latest comment 6 years ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • brooza #1 6 years ago

    Another Midway game!

    Bring us some new stuff!

  • Carpathian #2 6 years ago

    I know people seem down on old stuff but the one problem I've always had with the MAME version of this is trying to zip about using keyboard control.

    If this maps as well to using a 360 controller as it should then this may be my first retro full purchase.......

  • Artemis_Matsas #3 6 years ago

    @Carpathian: Have you ever tried plugging a joypad to your PC?

  • Carpathian #4 6 years ago

    Yeah, but the last two I've bought were cack and ended up either bringing the PC down driver wise or being faulty. I realise that would be how 90% of people enjoy their Midway fun but for me the XBLA version may prove useful.

    Put it down to initial hardware bad luck on the PC or nostalgia for arcade cabinets with bits melted by fag ends but this one, out of the ones done so far, does interest me.

  • rashes #5 6 years ago

    sensible soccer is the only interesting retro game I see coming down the line on XBLA. Who owns all the old Core Design and Bitmap Brothers IP?? Why don't they start putting that stuff up there? I know it mightn;t sell well in the states (neither will Sensi), but it would sell like hotcakes in Europe...

    Edge magazine make out that sensi is only going up because they suggested it.

  • Artemis_Matsas #6 6 years ago

    Hey, i understand.
    Actually i'm using my PS2 controller using a USB converter and it works fine. I'm playing MAME games with it, and Marvel Ultimate Alliance without any problems. The analog sticks work like a charm.

  • Stoatboy #7 6 years ago

    Carpathian - a wired 360 controller works a treat for me on PC, and can be called into emergency service on the 360 when needed too.

    I'll probably get Defender. I've always wanted to be good at it (or at least less bad at it), and leaderboards and achievements may provide a little motivation.

  • peterfll #8 6 years ago

    Woo - hoo! Woo - hoo! Woo........ hoo.

    I could never play Defender in the arcade when I was 10 years of age and the old relfexes were better.

  • Salubrious_K #9 6 years ago

    @rashes - My thoughts exactly! I just want Sensible Soccer and Speedball(/2). Hmmm... actually I want Bip as well (that little multiplayer biplane game).

  • GiantHaystax #10 6 years ago

    Hope you can still cause MASSIVE DAMAGE on the enemy crabs/ships with a smart bomb!

  • jonsaan #11 6 years ago

    WIDESCREEN please. How hard can it be for gawds sake.

  • Kiigan #12 6 years ago

    Various people said:

    "If this maps as well to using a 360 controller as it should then this may be my first retro full purchase......"

    "WIDESCREEN please. How hard can it be for gawds sake."

    I take it then that you guys weren't that into the original Defender?

    Like the version that appeared on Midway Arcade Classics on Xbox, the port of Defender to the Xbox pad makes the game far too easy compared to the arcade original - a lot of skill is lost. It's fine as an option if that is what you want, but I'd hardly call it a selling point to fans of the original.

    Similarly - widescreen? The original Defender wasn't 16:9 - and if they fuck around with the original too much, it alienates fans of the original. By all means, it'd be nice to see great modern take on Defender that uses widescreen, but if we're talking about retro ports trying to press people's nostalgia buttons, the original game really needs to be kept intact.

    Here's what to expect: the version from Midway Arcade Classics, only with some achievements and leaderboards.

  • rashes #13 6 years ago

    @Salubrious_K

    Yes Speedball 2 would be my number 1 choice... followed closely by Alien Breed. Two player co-op alien breed over Live would rock so much.

  • bloke #14 6 years ago

    Played it the other day: my problem is that I can't play Defiender with any degree of skill unless it's standing up and on an original cabinet with the 'proper' controls.

    Joypad is useless - although I guess if you were learning it for the first time it might be a different story.

    However, I did get a job on a games mag once by claiming to be able to do a 10 man pickup (fnar).

    Luckily, I was never asked to prove it :-)

  • Barry619 #15 6 years ago

    @Kiigan

    I totally agree with this guy, these are simple ports, they are designed (or meant to be anyway!) pretty close to the orginals, not re-workings, that is why they are at such a low price, and anyone who moans about £3.40 when it's of there free will to purchase it or not, and even has a playable demo to try before hand, is a moron!

    Re-workings of these games might be kinda kool, but we all know if that happened they would then get slated for not being like the orginals! so they can't win with that really.

  • KD #16 6 years ago

    sensible soccer and worms is all i want from live arcade now. All credit to these older games if they roll in at 400points, its just less than twice the price i used to pick up my amstrad cassette games for and not bad inflation on near 20 years

  • gogobaka #17 6 years ago

    Speedball 2 and NHLPA 93 please.

  • PSegAgesPete #18 6 years ago

    Double Dragon, Vendetta, Pitfighter, Mortal Kombat 1, Daytona, Scud Racer, Sega Rally, Virtua Fighter 1, 2, etc etc would be nice too (wishful thinking on the latter games!) :p - maybe one day eh! hehe

  • Veldaban #19 6 years ago

    Do you think it'll score more than an 8 then?

  • AOFanboi #20 6 years ago

    More stupid ancient arcade games you can get for every console out there. Where's the promised Settlers of Catan, bastiches! I am not buying a 360 until that's on Live Arcade.

  • wellzy4eva #21 6 years ago

    I want classic multiplayer games like:

    - 1942/1944/Giga Wing
    - Alien Breed/Chaos Engine
    - Contra/Metal Slug/Total Carnage
    - Micro Machines
    - Sensible Soccer/SWOS

    Just so you can chill out with your mates between rounds of proper xbox360 games, fighting games are all very well (Although some of them have been crap) but bit more diversity (No matter how old the games are)

    Ooh, and Mega Lo Mania (You all know I'm right about that one...)
    Edited by wellzy4eva at 16/11/06 @ 02:00

  • homerramone #22 6 years ago

    The controls they've mapped for this really are the worst ever !

    Hyperspace next to Fire - cmon - Maybe they couldve gotten someone who actually played the arcade original past level 4/5 to try them !