Future Publishing


Paperboy 2

Publisher: Mindscape International Inc
Machine: Super Nintendo (EU Version)

 
Published in Ace #055: April 1992

Paperboy 2

Look out! He's back, with an all new route! And, well, that's just about it actually. Paperboy mania swept the arcades and homes of America when the first game appeared way back in 1986. The ker-razy antics of the adolescent delivery boy captured the imagination of the nation, and now fans of the original can enjoy this sequel.

Well, I say sequel. Extension would perhaps be a more appropriate term. There's nothing new in this game that was missing from the original except the ability to ride in both diagonal directions, as opposed to up and left in the first. The routine is still exactly the same; the paperboy (or girl) gets to ride a number of streets, delivering papers to the correct houses in traditional American style on the back of his BMX, avoiding all those zany problems which anyone who has taken a Saturday job as their newsagent will be only too aware of. Fierce dogs attack the paperboy and trucks run him over. You get the picture.

Graphics weren't the strong suit of the original, and they're equally sparse here, looking pretty sad compared to most current releases. But then visual appeal isn't the point of the Paperboy games. Instead, their fast gameplay and humour kept people coming back for more. And this title just about manages to deliver an acceptable amount of both.