Defender (2002 video game)

Defender (video game)

Industry	Video games
Founded	October 2002
Products	Defender (video game)

Defender—known as For All Mankind outside of North America—is a shoot 'em up video game initially launched in October 2002 for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox, with a subsequent release for the GameCube arriving the next month. In 2003, THQ issued a separate version tailored for mobile phone devices. Additionally, the game was reintroduced on the Xbox 360 Live Arcade platform in November 2006. This iteration serves as a modern remake of the original 1981 title, incorporating three-dimensional (3D) visuals and gameplay set across various planets and moons within the Solar System. The core objective involves combating successive waves of alien invaders while safeguarding astronauts.

Although sharing its title, cover art, and launch timing with the console versions, the Game Boy Advance edition represents an entirely different game.

Gameplay

The player’s mission centers on rescuing humans endangered by alien forces and escorting them to designated extraction points. Alien landers attempt to capture these individuals; when successful, players have a brief window to eliminate the lander and catch the descending human. Failure to do so results in the human being assimilated, which upgrades the lander into a more formidable adversary. Humans that fall to the terrain are lost permanently. The enemy roster includes diverse alien spacecraft and ground units capable of converting humans into zombies.

Game Boy Advance version

The Game Boy Advance release is a separate entity featuring both an authentic rendition of the original 1981 Defender and a modernized version with digitized sprites alongside additional gameplay modes.

Reception

Across all platforms, except for the Game Boy Advance edition, the game garnered "mixed or average reviews" according to the review aggregator Metacritic. The Game Boy Advance adaptation, however, received predominantly "unfavorable" critiques.