Was there a more difficult game on the NES than Paperboy? Seriously, I've been playing and replaying this god damn atrocity for the last 20 years and without cheating I can only make it to Wednesday. I'm to the point where if I play this game before bed I wind up seeing visions of kids on big wheels and dogs and s@#t. Anyway, I wanted to post a quick review of Paperboy on the NES so you all can rot in retro gamer purgatory with me.By now we are all familiar with the concept of this game as well as the objective (deliver your papers without getting smashed to bits by everything in the physical universe). Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me if you have to dodge meteors and s@#t in the last level. I still think this game is just as difficult as Silver Surfer (although more fun). See, I can't get away from how hard this thing is.
Alright, bearing down, the actual gameplay is really smooth and not terribly difficult to master. My only real complaint (aside from the aforementioned) is perhaps the reason it is so difficult; lack of movement. Let's think about this for a minute. You can only maneuver that bike slightly to either side and cannot stop. You are perpetually moving toward your doom. The gameplay can best be described as inoperable cancer. You know you are going to die it is just a matter of when. Seriously though, if you could move more to the right or perhaps stop and sacrifice time for safety this game might be playable. I swear there is only one path to victory. The game feels like a "try and die" instead of the fun game it was probably intended to be.
Gameplay aside, the graphics and music are about what you would expect from the NES at the time. Personally, I think that the game is better than its N64 counterpart (creatively titled "Paperboy 64" or some s@#t like that.) Believe it or not, I would recommend buying this game. I think that any true NES/retro gamer ought to have a copy of this game in the pile somewhere. I mean, I have a copy and I despise this f@#ker, but I still play it. Honestly, I just want to finish it without cheating before I croak some day.
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3 comments:
Wow, so it IS hard... I always thought I just sucked at Paperboy but I feel a little better now! Anyway, I'm a bit young to remember the heyday of 8-bit gaming, but my big brother always handed everything down to me when he grew tired of it so I still have a couple of his old systems in my living room that I play. I love your blog - I found it on blogexplosion :)
Hi Ashley,
I'm glad to hear you are partaking in the retro goodness, and in the living room at no less! That's what I like to hear.
Thanks for stopping by and surfing BlogExplosion!
I can't remember when was the last time I played this game! I'm a Playstation2/Wii/PSP gamer now. It is nice to know there is someone who hates it and appreciates it at the same time. I remember that the obstacle course at the end of each day/level would always be a challenge, getting harder after every day. I would almost reach the end, and then I crash right at the last minute, just when I thought I'd taste victory, I tasted concrete (well...Paperboy did). Your post about Paperboy took me back to the early '90s. Thank you for sharing your review and experience.
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