Sure it's nothing great. But it’s a simple and all around good Graphics engine. It gets the job done. The ship models are the most impressive of the graphic lot, and have a nice gritty feel to them. As far as performance, the GameCube doesn't even miss one beat. Even during the most hectic firefights, or end-level bosses, the game never had one bit of framerate slowdown. While I noticed a slight change in frame rate during co-op play, it was barely noticeable and didn't affect gameplay too much. As for the cinemas in the game. They are borderline horrible but at least they get the message across of whatever they are trying to show you.

The audio portions of the game almost go hand-in-hand with the graphics. Perfect renditions of the original allow those of you who remember the score to soak in the goodness of the classic beeps and zooms. While many might not appreciate the simplicity of the soundtrack and effects, it was done purposely by Midway to recreate the feel of the 80's counterpart. Well that what they say anyway. But was the cheesy voice acting done purposely...? I think not but Midway did manage to get the voice of Kyoko & Memory right on the mark.

Not much to do after you beat Defender. No good unlockables everything "extra" in the game is already there from your first boot-up of the game. Plus with only a good 8 hours of play when it comes to replay Defender falls flat on its face.
Red Light

With this whole slew of Midway games. Mortal Kombat: DA, Dr. Muto, Haven... the one that shines the most is Defender. I didn't have super high expectations of the game so I wasn't let down at all. Sure it's no Starfox or Rouge Leader and it doesn't have the impact that the classic Defender had, but it is a darn fine flight shooter that most gamers can enjoy. So if you're waiting on that next "big" game on your favorite console, Midway's Defender is a good buy to occupy your time.