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"Are those -tombstones- in your neighbor's yard? AAAAHHH!"

Paperboy is one of those really old games I remember playing back when I was really young. I remember mostly watching my older cousin play this when I was at his house. Ah, good times.

Story: 5/10

Well, you're the paperboy. You deliver papers to people's houses. That's about it. The story really doesn't matter here.

Graphics: 2/10

According to this game's data here on GameFAQs, this game was ported to the NES in 1991. I could have sworn it came out on the NES earlier than that, but I can't find any other site that tells me different, I don't have the original box, and it doesn't say the release year on the title screen. So, I'll just have to assume for now this game came out in 1991. And if that's true, then the graphics...are not that good. The game looks like it came out in the mid-80's, not 1991. Tornadoes and fences look like scribbles. The Grim Reaper looks like a gray blob. When the Paperboy crashes into something, he turns into some unrecognizable yellow and blue heap. Maybe if it was released for the NES in 1984 (same year as it came out in arcades), the graphics would be okay. But it wasn't, and the graphics on this NES port pale in comparison to the original arcade version. I'm sure that by 1991, they could have made a cart that had graphics like the original arcade version had.

...But, at least there's that guy at the end of the training course that looks like he's tearing off his head! He's always good for a laugh.

Sound: 5/10

Well, there's only really two tracks here: the neighborhood theme and the training course theme. The music tends not to work very well on my copy, so I can't really go into detail. I can say that while the tracks won't make you wanna get up and dance, they're not overly annoying, either. The sound effects are also alright, except that annoying sound that plays when you break someone's gazing ball. OUCH.

Controls: 7/10

The controls are very simple. The D-Pad controls the paperboy; Left and Right makes him move over, Up speeds him up and Down slows him down. Both buttons make him throw a paper. The controls are a bit sluggish when you try to make the paperboy move left and right, though. Sometimes, it's nearly impossible to dodge multiple obstacles at once or deliver a paper when you're being chased by a tornado.

Gameplay: 9/10

This is what it all boils down to! Not only can this game be addictive, it's also downright funny.

Basically, you go through seven days (Monday through Sunday) delivering papers to subscribers (who live in houses that are not red). In order to successfully deliver the paper, you must throw your paper onto their porches or into their mailboxes. If you miss and hot a wall, break their windows, or totally miss their house, the client will cancel their subscription at the end of the level. If all clients cancel their subscriptions, you get fired and lose the game. However, if you successfully deliver papers to all the customers, you'll get a new subscriber!

Along your paper route, however, are many obstacles along the way that you must avoid. Some of these obstacles are things you'd usually expect, like guys on skateboards, cars, construction workers, and dogs. Others are really strange and pretty funny such as old ladies who suddenly run out of their houses and chase you with butcher knives, the Grim Reaper, tornadoes, and guys that are either breakdancing or trying to get their pants on. If you bump into any of these obstacles, the paperboy falls off his bike and loses a life. Fall off your bike too many times and it's game over (he quits). Fortunately, some obstacles like dogs can be stopped by nailing them with a paper.

There's only one "power-up" in the entire game, and that's an extra stack of newspapers. The paperboy can only carry ten newspapers at a time, and these replenish his supply. Sometimes these are essential to get or else you'll wind up having to pass a customer's house and lose their business.

That was just the basics of the game. One of the best parts is how to score extra points: vandalizing non-customers' property! That's right, if you break the windows of people who do not subscribe to your paper, you get points! You also get points if you break their gazing balls, knock over their garbage cans, or knock over the tombstones in their front yard (the graves of past paperboys! Naw, just kidding). Ahhh, gotta love a game that teaches values. The other way to gain extra points is to pass the training course at the end of each level in under 45 seconds. Don't worry about crashing in the training course, for you won't lose a life; you'll only move on to the next level without the bonus.

The only problem with the gameplay is that they tend not to give you a lot of reaction time to many of the obstacles. You can't see too far in front of you, and skateboarders and cars come up very fast, making them nearly impossible to dodge. Knife-wielding crazy ladies tend to jump out at you when you're right at the door. Vents near the curb are hard to see. This tends to make the game harder then it should, unless you have overly fast reflexes.

Breakdown:

Good points:
-Innovative gameplay. Takes a boring job like a paper route and turns it into something fun.
-Classic, addictive gameplay.
-Funny obstacles.
-A new way to earn points: punish non-subscribers by wrecking their lawn! (Remember kids, don't try this at home. Unless you like getting sued.)

Bad points:
-Graphics aren't as good as the arcade version. This might turn some people off.
-Can't see too far ahead in front of you, making it impossible to dodge so obstacles.

What should you do?

This game was ported to the Game Boy Color awhile years ago, so if you want to buy it or rent it, it'll probably be easier to get a copy of the game for that console. However, if you want the NES cart, you'd have to get it from a used game store, e-Bay, or emulate it. This game's a classic, so it's definitely worth a try!

Reviewer's Score: 8/10 | Originally Posted: 08/28/04