Paperboy 2

Paperboy 2

Company type	Video game
Industry	Video games
Founded	1991–1992
Products	Video game for Amiga, MS-DOS, Game Boy, Genesis, SNES, NES, Game Gear, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum

Paperboy 2 serves as the follow-up to the original arcade action title Paperboy. Launching between 1991 and 1992, this sequel was made available on a variety of home systems such as the Amiga, MS-DOS, Game Boy, Genesis, and SNES. Unlike its arcade predecessor, it was designed specifically for home consoles and personal computers.

Gameplay

The gameplay preserves the fundamental premise, where players assume the role of a paper delivery person who must dodge obstacles like rolling tires and eccentric houses while distributing newspapers to residences lining both sides of the street. The game is recognized for its demanding level of difficulty.

Successfully executing four distinct actions during a stage results in players receiving front-page headlines that correspond to their in-game achievements. Examples include smashing a window with a newspaper ("Mysterious Vandalism Baffles Police") or preventing an armed robbery at a gas station ("Paperboy {Papergirl} Foils Armed Robbery"). These events enrich the narrative and provide rewards that acknowledge player proficiency.

Reception

The Game Boy iteration received scores between 5 and 6 out of 10 from three critics at Electronic Gaming Monthly. Ed Ricketts from Amiga Format awarded the Amiga version 44%, while N-Force rated the NES edition at 42%. Jonathan Gagnon of Game Players gave the Game Gear release a score of 5 out of 10. The SNES version was given a low rating of 29% by Jonathan Davies of Super Play, and Brett Alan Weiss from AllGame assigned it one and a half stars out of five. The NES version received a score of 50 out of 100 from Total!, which criticized its camera mechanics, control scheme, soundtrack, and overall gameplay. For the Mega Drive/Genesis platform, Sega Force rated it 55 out of 100, commending its music and sound effects but pointing out repetitive gameplay and outdated graphics.

Conversely, Power Unlimited gave a more favorable score of 78% to the Game Gear version, praising its engaging gameplay and strong visual presentation, although they mentioned that the music could become irritating after extended play.