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Message: <blockquote data-quote="CC13" data-source="post: 69324" data-attributes="member: 1151">It is indeed the Irata!  They actually only gained their collective name in Defender II: Stargate, which is why my initial hint was designed to point you in that direction.  Also, don't worry too much about Atari's pinball machines—the only three of any real interest are Airborne Avenger (which was the first pinball table Steve Ritchie designed), Hercules (the largest pinball machine ever made) and Superman (usually considered the best player out of Atari's lineup).  Anyway, let's find out why The Irata are such compelling nemeses below:6. The Irata (Defender)Developed & Published By: Williams ElectronicsPlatform: ArcadeYear of Release: 1980Throughout this countdown, I have tended to emphasize the broader influences of each game on the list, pointing out how it would help shape elements of gaming we take for granted today.  I take this approach because I think that the part of video game history I dedicated this list to loses influence by the day not only to the ravages of time, but also to competition from NES-centric video game nostalgia.  However, though Defender does indeed have a legacy worth boasting about, one little bit of trivia can summarize what makes it so appealing much more efficiently: this was the game that Will Smith played to get into the right mindset for Independence Day.  Still, that legacy I mentioned merits an exploration, as few games have changed the face of the medium quite like Defender.For starters, Defender invented the horizontally scrolling shoot-'em-up.  The space-based shooters that came before it had all been single-screen affairs, including classics like Space Invaders, Galaxian and Asteroids.  The latter two did manage to spice up the Space Invaders formula by the addition of greater freedom of motion, either for you (as in Asteroids) or your opposition (as in Galaxian), but Defender upped the ante with erratic, fast-moving enemies in a colony that essentially served as a large arena.  Adding in smart bombs to save your ship from sure destruction and colonists that had to be protected lest the colony be destroyed certainly didn't lower the tension, either.Defender's genre-pioneering ways quickly found an audience, but its other great innovation would take much longer to gain full acceptance.  Unlike many other games I have mentioned thus far, Defender's control scheme is actually noted for a rather high level of complexity.  You have a joystick to change your orientation, as well as a then-unheard-of five buttons: reverse, hyperspace, smart bomb, thrust and fire.  In addition, the on-screen mini-map would prove key for efficiently pushing back the alien menace, which includes Landers that want to steal your colonists and merge with them to become fast, deadly Mutants, Bombers that will pepper the air with mines, Baiters that will force you to move quickly near the end of a battle and Mother Ships, who leave behind several Swarmers when destroyed.  In short, Defender can credibly be called the first hardcore game to enjoy mainstream success, with 55,000 arcade machines manufactured and over $1 billion in quarters since 1980, establishing Williams as a force to be reckoned with in the video game industry and paving the way for classic arcade titles like Joust, NARC and Smash TV.Next Time on The Top 25 Pre-1991 Western Arcade & Console Game Villains: The spiders are his only friends...</blockquote>

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