Paper Boy
Reviewed by Charles DuMarr
Paper Boy first appeared on the video game scene in the arcade. The object is to
avoid obstacles while tossing papers at the porches of subscriber's houses, and
also racking up points by wrecking the non-subscriber's landscaping! The arcade
game had three levels of difficulty and cool handlebar controls. The NES port does
not allow you to choose level of difficulty, and it does not feature all the baddies
and obstacles featured in the arcade game. However, I believe comparing any NES
game to its arcade counterpart is bound to be disappointing, and i think the NES's
Paperboy should be judged by itself.
Graphics 6 out of 10
The graphics are nothing to ooh and ahh about, but they get the job done. I mean, they're
not bad: the puppy looks like a puppy, etc. The game has a pretty clean look, though.
You will not find the graphics or colors annoying, the color scheme is soft pastels.
Music and Sound 6 out of 10
The theme to Paper Boy is repetitive but sort of catchy. The sound effects add to
the enjoyment of the game: The dog barks, the cars honk and vroom, and the windows
when broken produce a satisfying shattering sound.
Game Challenge 6 out of 10
The game progresses as the days of the week: you start Monday and must continue
until Sunday, then the game ends. There are two ways to get the big "GAME OVER"
prematurely. You can either use up your three turns by crashing into obstacles, or
if you have lousy aim, all your subscribers will cancel their subscriptions. Customers
cancel when you miss their porch or break their window (NOTE: you get points for
hitting the non-customer's windows). On Monday, there are relatively few enemies
and obstacles to foil you, but as you approach the end of the week, tornadoes, the grim
reaper, and more bad things will try to block your progress down the sidewalk. With
practice, you will find yourself becoming adept at outmaneuvering the baddies and
you can easily make it through the game without dying after you have 40 or so games
under your belt.
Game Play-Fun 8 out of 10
There are basically three directions to go in the game: northwest, northeast, and north.
You can't go backwards (you can brake) and there's only one button to press (throws
paper). While the game play is simple and doesn't have that much variety, it is quite
fun to play. Enemies such as the breakdancer and the wife in the bathrobe also make
for some laughs. It especially becomes quite fun when you get very good at it, and
can navigate easily through the game without crashing. Sometimes games can be really
fun when you know you're damn good at it, perhaps because of the satisfaction of being
able to do something well, or maybe because of the ego-boost that results. It's not that
hard to master the game, but when you do it becomes even funnier.
Frustration
There are no real frustrations in this game. One thing maybe: If you get every paper on
the porches, one of the non-customers will resubscribe, and sometimes its sort of
impossible to get the paper on the re-subscribers porch because of the way its shaped.
But that's nitpicking a little, isn't it?
Replayability 9 out of 10
Once you become good at Paper Boy, you can just keep playing and playing and not get
tired of it. The replay value comes from the fact that its a simple game, but the
enemies and obstacles do appear somewhat unexpectedly so you do have to pay attention.
And there's just something about playing a game you really good at....
Game Value 8 out of 10
Funcoland lists this game at $10. For that price, I think the game is worth the money.
You will get hours of enjoyment out of this game, and besides, its sort of a necessary
game to have in your collection. If you think $10 is still too much, you might be able to
work out a deal with someone on the BUY/SELL/TRADE message board here at this site.
Overall 7.5 out of 10
My overall score for this game is not just an average of the above scores, but is based
on my own subjective impression of the game. Personally, Paper Boy is one of my favorites
and I play it quite often. it's not too much of an in-depth challenge, but it is good for a
quick game when your bored and it doesn't involve too much thought. So, if you want
some instant game satisfaction, this is a good game to reach for.