The new year is upon us so let’s go on an adventure and throw it back to an arcade classic: Paperboy! The game where you get bonus points for breaking windows. But also, one that requires skill, quick reflexes, and at times, a butt-load of quarters.
Paperboy was developed and published by Atari Games. With a release to arcades across America in 1985. Paperboy is an action-packed video game utilizing a newly popular cabinet feature: motion controls handled by a bicycle handlebar. You heard it right. You are basically steering your very own BMX bike in this game. Except for the premise, which requires you to successfully deliver newspapers. Avoiding obstacles of varying proportions. Completing a newspaper delivery training course before advancing to the next level. And even breaking a window or two of any house that isn’t a subscriber to your newspaper.
Paperboy was a pretty fun experience at the arcade. It’s just another of the many cabinet games I have fond memories of playing. Although coming back around to it now, there are a handful of things I just don’t remember from the gameplay!
Gameplay Objective
The objective of the game is pretty clever. You are a paperboy working to deliver papers to all of the newspaper subscribers on the block. There are a total of 7 levels (one route for each day of the week). And 3 levels of difficulty are available to choose from. Successfully make it to the end of the block, and you are sent into a training course to earn additional bonus points before heading into the next day.
Don’t make it through successfully? You probably missed a few deliveries and lost subscribers. Or maybe you delivered papers to non-subscribers? Even worse, hit a few obstacles along your route and 3 strikes there, and you’re out. However the game ends, you find yourself quickly grabbing another quarter to drop in the coin slot to try once again.
Bizarre Obstacles
Speaking of hitting a few obstacles… The obstacles found along the paper route can be seen as pretty bizarre and even a bit distracting. Which means, they are perfect! Here are a few of the ones that had me laughing out loud today. And some of which I had completely forgotten about but totally make me appreciate the game design even more.
Two men brawling on the sidewalk. Pretty sure we experience some fisticuffs.
And look out! There’s an unmanned, runaway lawnmower coming straight for you! Then there is what looks like an escaped mental patient running into traffic. And who could have missed the hearse that pulls out of a driveway and blocks the sidewalk?
There’s even a man breakdancing in the middle of the sidewalk, with his boombox sitting in the grass. Not to mention, the houses that don’t subscribe to the newspaper look like the house straight out of the movie, The Burbs. All just too much fun in my book.
Going back and watching these gameplay videos is pretty fun. I am betting if I were to go back and play this on an original cabinet tomorrow, I wouldn’t be as good as I was as a kid. There was just something to jerking those handlebars around with all your might. Not sure the same passion lives inside me but I’d be willing to give it a shot. Especially now that I actually know the rules and the objectives of the game. Also pretty sure, I didn’t fully understand them at the time and really only tried to throw a newspaper on all the doorsteps and newspaper boxes.
Do you remember the days of playing Paperboy at the arcade? The game was also ported to consoles and handhelds but just wasn’t the same. Drop us a line if you’ve got an awesome recollection of this one, or any other fond memory of the good old arcade days.