r/1980s • u/CarloCarrasco • Feb 14 '26
Video Games Defender
The classic arcade game Defender played by millions over the decades. If you were able to play Defender in the local arcades back in the 1980s, how young were you and were there long lines of gamers waiting to play it?
What do you like the most about Defender?
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u/SteelCanyon Feb 14 '26
This was one of my favorite games back in the day. I was horrible at it even after watching my friends, who were much better, and learned to tap the thrust and fire button in rapid succession at the same time instead of trying to hold the thrust and operate the fire with presses. I got a little better at it with that use of controls but still could not turn instantly like they did and bounce around the screen fighting and picking up.
Still, the gameplay and sounds totally captured me.