Approximate Release Date: November 1, 1991
Genre: Action
Developer: Tengen
Publisher: Mindscape
Let’s take a step back and appreciate how insane the world of Paperboy 2 is.
There are ghosts and zombies in the cemetery, gargoyles that shoot laser beams, hilljacks are throwing tires into the street, strollers with babies inside careen wildly down the sidewalks, monsters are reaching up from sewer vents, monster trucks are just driving down the streets not watching in front of them, castles (complete with moats!) have cannons firing into the street, and more…
… all this, and people will cancel their newspaper subscription after just one missed day? Have some empathy, people! It’s a war zone out there.
As can probably be surmised, Paperboy 2 puts the player in the bicycle seat of either Paperboy or Papergirl, and your job is to deliver as many papers as you can without being murdered by one of the previously mentioned obstacles. If you’re feeling ornery, you can hit people or break windows with your papers instead of tossing them into the mailbox or doorstep. But only jerks would do that, right?
I do dislike the pseudo-isometric view the game uses. It can be hard to hit ramps or dodge projectiles. But Paperboy 2‘s biggest problem is it’s too much like Paperboy. In the sequel, you can play as a girl, have to deliver papers to both the left and right sides of the street, and there are a few different houses. Paperboy 2 doesn’t even look quite as good as the arcade version of its predecessor. It seems more like an enhanced port of Paperboy, so tacking the 2 on the end is strange.
But Paperboy is fun, and so is Paperboy 2. This might be the best Paperboy port at this point in time, even if it’s not entirely original or unique.
Tomorrow: Blizzard Entertainment’s first game isn’t the racing game you’re thinking of … it’s RPM Racing!
People in the Paperboy universe have set a ridiculously high standard for themselves.
They must REALLY care about what’s going on in their community.
In such a dangerous world, who wouldn’t want to. I think we’ve answered our own question!