When Midway announced its next-gen update, it put itself in an awkward position. Not only did it run the risk of diminishing the game’s legacy (a la Michael Jordan’s triumphant return to the NBA), but it needed to exceed just about everyone’s expectations to live up to the hype of a next-gen update for a classic game. The opening full-motion video sequences will have you thinking Midway hit the mark on all points. The first few levels of the game, though, will make you realize soon enough that the movies are the best part of the game.

Gameplay
Simple is as simple does, and the gameplay in Defender is the traditional space-shooter fare. Granted, there’s something to be said for the fact that the original Defender invented that fare, but therein lies the problem. Essentially every level involves destroying as many Manti (aliens) as possible; protecting a base, bridge or transport convoy; and swooping low to the ground to pick up helpless colonists (who grab onto your wings?) and whisk them away to safety.

Despite the introduction of new aliens and environments (both space and land), the levels all remain strikingly similar. In the arcades of the 1980s, when gaming was new and quarters needed to be conserved from week to week, such repetition was fine and in some respects welcomed. Not today. Not even if it is an update to a classic game. Remember, the original was innovative.

The six ships with which you’ll tackle your objectives vary in speed, power, armor and agility, but for the most part any craft will get the job done. The “Defender” is the classic ship, and apparently the one Midway spent the most time finessing. The Guardian is the heavy bomber of the group, meaning it’s slow to both move and react, but it delivers one heck of a blow to enemies. These two are the only ships initially available, with the Nemesis, Defiance, Judgment and Retribution all easily unlockable as you progress through the game.

Each ship has its own set of weapons and upgrades, the latter of which are “purchasable” using the points you accumulate by destroying enemies, rescuing colonists and completing objectives. In a unique twist, losing colonists will subtract points from your total, so there’s definitely motivation to save those helpless blokes from becoming Manti fodder.

Maneuvering your ship is as intuitive as you get, with the left thumbstick controlling directional movement and the right thumbstick used to execute barrel rolls, loops and quick loop-like turnarounds. Firing, switching weapons and strafing are all mapped to the various face buttons, and forward and backward propulsion are mapped to the triggers. You can also configure the setup yourself.

Navigating your way through the levels is simple enough, with popup arrows indicating your next colonist, enemy or objective. There’s also a Rogue Squadron-like radar in the upper right-hand corner of the HUD that displays comrades in blue and enemies in red. In a great homage to the original, pausing the game to bring up the level map displays your relative location using a variation of the classic Defender look, complete with the triangular ship showing your position in the environment.

Graphics
If ever a shooter had full-motion videos that leave your jaw on the floor, this is the one. Good God they’re great! Seriously, we could write an article on those alone. Unfortunately, the movies have two downsides: first, they appear primarily in the opening stages of the game, and second, they only remind you how much you wish the rest of the game looked as good as they do.

Given the loading times before each level, it would seem that each environment would be expansive and as lushly detailed as the opening movie. Alas, while the levels are nothing to sneeze at in terms of size, their graphical detail is lacking, with somewhat flat textures for mountainsides and land and uninspired building design for the few decorative yet deformable structures. The upside to this lack of detail, of course, is that the game never drops in framerate, but it’s not an upside upon which you’ll focus too much.

The Manti design is unique, if not varied, and harkens back to the original Defender. Everyone who played the arcade classic remembers the head-with-legs appearance of the Manti, and this 2002 update does fantastic justice to that design. The game does introduce some new species, but the Manti landers and mutants clearly steal the show as you blast them like in years past.

The ships at your disposal are the highlight of the in-game graphics. Similar to the original (and still the best) Star Wars trilogy, the craft all look worn, battle-tested and extremely industrial. As you take damage, you’ll also see sparks jump off the wings and smoke billow from the engines, maladies from which a sleeker ship probably wouldn’t suffer. Although the third-person view generally limits you to seeing the back of your ship, these graphical touches standout and really help set the scene that you’re alone and working with a ragtag squadron to save the last signs of human life.

Sound
Defender is a space-shooter, after all, so you shouldn’t be buying this game for its operatic quality. What it lacks in originality and variety, though, it makes up for in throwbacks to the original, with gunfire, explosions, Manti and other environmental sounds immediately reminiscent of bygone days in the arcade. For anyone who hasn’t yet played the original, they’ll just as soon turn off the audio and pop on headphones.

Replayability
Defender includes two multiplayer options, co-op and deathmatch, which add to the replayability of the game for two people. Unfortunately, those two options alone will really account for all the extra time you’ll play this game after beating it. And that’s not going to take too long. For most players, Defender will be a five- to 10-hour game. What’s most bizarre about the game’s lack of longevity is that after defeating a level, you’re unable to return to it to try to improve your performance. Beat a level, and it’ll appear on the level-select menu as “area secured.” Simple as that. No returning to blast more Manti.

Defender was up against incredible odds, both as a 3D space shooter and as an update to one of the most classic arcade games of all time. Though it doesn’t deliver the goods, it’s still worth a rental for fans of the original, and it likely won’t tarnish the legacy of its predecessor. We were hoping for some next-gen innovation in the same vein as the arcade standup. Instead, we got a perfectly capable shooter that just doesn’t stand out in anything but its name.