[Retro Gaming] Remember Paperboy?

One day you're in, the next day you're out. This can be considered the mantra of today's technology.

However, no matter how advanced today's technology is, no one can beat the memories of your childhood. The games back in the 80s might not have been as advanced as compared to today's, but you can't deny the fact that they are already etched in your memory.

Wanna reminisce and feel the nostalgia of your young, innocent self? Then, how about we talk about one of the best games in the 80s, the Atari Games' Paperboy in the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) library.

Paperboy in the 80s

According to Simply Eighties, Atari first introduced this immensely successful game as a coin-operated arcade game in December 1984. In 1986, it was ported to most 8-bit home computers, and it was adapted to computers and consoles until 1991. Paperboy was the first NES game in the U.S., as well as the first Sega Master System game in the U.K.

Hey Poor Player noted that most kids in the U.S. played the NES version of Paperboy when the arcade port was released on consoles.

It should be noted that due to the game's success, some versions even have a papergirl.

What Is the Objective of the Game?

The primary concept is to ride your paperboy's bicycle and deliver all of the newspapers. Although it appears to be a simple task, there are lots of challenges to overcome along the delivery path.

The player must deliver a week's worth of daily newspapers to subscribers, vandalize the homes of non-subscribers, and dodge hazards on the street. Subscribers are lost when a delivery is missed or a subscriber's home is damaged. The game finishes if the player loses all of their lives or runs out of subscribers.

Paperboy's Detailed Gameplay

Easy Street, Middle Road, and Hard Way are the three difficulty levels that a player needs to choose at the start of the game.

The player seeks to deliver newspapers to subscribers while controlling the paperboy with the handlebar controls. Each day begins with a view of the street, with subscribers and non-subscribers shown. Subscribers' homes are easily distinguished from non-subscribers' homes in the level itself, with subscribers residing in brightly colored houses and non-subscribers living in dark houses.

The player earns points for each correctly delivered paper, as well as breakage points for destroying non-subscribers' homes. All points are worth double for that day if the delivery is flawless, and an extra subscriber is added. Crashing on the course finishes the round, although it will not cost the player a life.

When a player fails to deliver a paper to a house or breaks a subscriber's windows, the homeowner cancels their subscription and the house goes dark. Don't worry because the player can reclaim subscribers by delivering a flawless delivery.

The paperboy can only hold ten papers at a time. However, there are refills scattered throughout the level.

Can You Still Play Paperboy Today?

I have good news for those who want to play this game but don't have their gaming consoles (which by the way are more than 30 years old). Well, you can definitely play this classic game as Paperboy was re-released on the Nintendo 64, Xbox 360, iPhone, and iPod Touch.