Defender

The Story

Eugene Jarvis designed Defender in 1980–81 and nearly broke Williams Electronics in the process — the game was so complex to program that production was nearly cancelled three times. The result was the most demanding arcade game of its era: a scrolling shooter with a scanner minimap, six buttons, thrust-based physics, and waves of enemies specifically designed to punish inattention. Most players died in under 60 seconds. Defender was the game that proved difficulty was itself a feature.

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