Arcade Hits - Joust & Defender (USA)

At the title screen, use the D-Pad to highlight either Joust or Defender, then press X (A button) to start. In Joust you ride a flying ostrich, flapping upward with repeated presses of the A button and using the D-Pad to move left or right. The goal is to knock enemy knights off their mounts by colliding with them from above. In Defender you pilot a ship across a side-scrolling landscape, pressing X to fire and S to activate a smart bomb. Your main objective is to shoot down aliens and rescue humanoids being abducted.

The core loop in both games is simple but punishing: survive as long as possible against waves of enemies. Joust awards points for each kill and each round cleared, while Defender adds a rescue mechanic where you must catch falling humans before they hit the water. If you run out of lives, the game ends and you can restart from the title screen. There's no save feature, so each session is a fresh high-score attempt.