Defender 2000

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Defender 2000 is a 1996 scrolling shooter for the Atari Jaguar, made by Llamasoft and published by Atari Corporation. It’s part of Atari’s 2000 series, updating the classic Defender (1981) for a new audience.

Story and setting
In a distant future, the Alpha Promixian empire attacks mining settlements on resource planets. You work for the System Defense Team, commanding the Threshold ship to fend off waves of aliens and protect humans.

Gameplay and modes
Defender 2000 has three modes:
- Classic Defender: A faithful recreation of the original arcade game.
- Defender Plus: A modernized version with updated visuals and small gameplay tweaks.
- Defender 2000: A bigger, more action-packed version with power-ups, tougher enemies, better visuals, and bonus rounds.

Common gameplay elements
- You control a ship that moves left to right, with a radar at the top showing enemies and humans.
- Landers try to grab humans and bring them to the top of the screen; if you don’t save them, they become mutants.
- Your ship fires a laser and can drop bombs to clear groups of enemies.
- If you fail to protect humans, the planet explodes and mutants appear.

Defender 2000 specifics
- Power-ups in 2000 mode: AI droids, a shield that absorbs two hits, a lightning laser, and rapid fire. Saving humans also grants extra firepower.
- Rescue mechanics: Abducted humans turn into mutants and leave dangerous tombstones when dropped.
- Progression: Collect four warp tokens to unlock three-dimensional bonus rounds and skip five levels after finishing them.
- Levels and difficulty: The game has over 100 levels with two difficulty settings named “Tikka Masala” and “Vindaloo” (the latter unlocks after finishing the game in the first mode).
- Hidden content: Entering certain names on the high score table unlocks two easter eggs—Plasma Pong (a revised Pong) and Flossie Defender (a version with a sheep replacing the ship and llamas replacing humans).
- Extras: The game supports the ProController and includes a two-player mode where players alternate turns.

Development and release
- Developer/publisher: Jeff Minter of Llamasoft created Defender 2000 for Atari, following his work updating Tempest to Tempest 2000.
- Origins: Minter pitched Defender for the Jaguar after seeing potential for a modern update; the project moved from planned cartridge release to CD, then back to cartridge.
- Design and music: Graphics were created by Metropolis Digital, with motion-captured human characters. The soundtrack was composed by Alastair Lindsay, who also did Tempest 2000’s music.
- Production notes: The audio CD tracks were later converted to in-game tracker music when the CD plan was dropped. Minter left Atari after finishing Defender 2000.
- Release: Unveiled in 1995 and shown at events like CES and E3, Defender 2000 was released in North America on February 14, 1996, and in Europe shortly after.

Reception
- Critics gave mixed reviews. The Classic Defender mode was praised for faithfully recreating the original arcade game. Defender Plus drew mixed opinions, and Defender 2000’s new mode sparked debate about whether it improved the classic concept.
- Some outlets praised the game’s visuals, sound, and faithful elements, while others felt the updates didn’t significantly advance the Defender formula for modern shooters.
- Over time, opinions have remained mixed, with some calling it one of the better Jaguar titles and others viewing it as inconsistent in its attempts to modernize Defender.

Defender 2000 remains a notable attempt to reimagine a classic arcade game for a new era, balancing reverence for the original with ambitious, if contentious, new ideas.