Paperboy 2 on the SNES is a Good Arcade game

Paperboy 2 was released in 1991, and depending on the version of the game you’re looking at, it was developed and published by a different company. This game wasn’t in the arcades, but it has many similarities to an arcade game. I’ll be looking at the SNES version, which was published by Mindscape.

There were a few improvements in this game, which are good but not good enough. This is still an arcade game, so getting a high score is the most important thing. I remember playing this a lot when I was in high school. This was one of the games I took a chance on when I was collecting games.

I do like that it has you throw papers on either side of the street, and that you have a little more control over the newspaper articles between each level. This was something I didn’t know about when I first played it. Paperboy 2 is a fun game, especially if you liked the first game.

TLDR: This is much the same as the first game.

Narrative

Much like the previous game, Paperboy 2 doesn’t have a story. You don’t really need one in a game like this, but it would’ve been nice. There is something in the game’s manual that adds something to the game.

While explaining what you need to do, there is a little narrative. It isn’t amazing, but it does explain that this is the same character from the first game. This game also leaves the door open for the player to be a boy of girl. It doesn’t really change the gameplay, but it is nice to see that the developers realized that not just boys play video games.

These few paragraphs in the manual explain that some things have changed (Link). It would’ve been nice if there was some goal that you were shooting for, like a new bike or something like that. The closest thing you get is a reminder that your boss reviews your work at the end of each day.

Gameplay

If you liked the gameplay from the first game, then you’ll like what is here. This is a hard game, but it isn’t an impossible one. The game is played for a high score, so there isn’t really a narrative ending.

Not having a story does have a negative impact on the gameplay, as well as sticking too close to its arcade roots. Because this isn’t a port of an arcade game, the developers had a chance to do something different, but they chose not to. It isn’t all bad, though.

There are a few spots where you can change the newspaper headline between each stage. If you hit the robbers at the gas station, save a baby, or break windows, then you’ll get different headlines. It is a little thing, but kind of cool.

Aside from that, you’re doing the same thing. You go down the street avoiding obstacles, and try to deliver papers to subscribers, and break the windows of the nonsubscribers. It is an odd business strategy, but it seems to work in this game. There is also the obstacle course at the end of each stage, which is a nice change of pace.

Overall, the gameplay is pretty good. It is still a challenging game, which is part of the fun for something like this. With limited game modes, I can’t say that PaperBoy 2 had great gameplay, but it is solid. I enjoy it for what it is.

Visuals

This is a great looking game! It is better than the NES version, and better than the first game’s ports on the SNES and Genesis. There is more variety in this town, and things are much better looking.

There are more buildings in this game, and you see more of the town. This was a nice touch as it is supposed to be the same town as the first game. If I hadn’t read that in the manual, I wouldn’t have even noticed or cared. Everything is brighter and more colorful.

While the Paperboy/Papergirl look good, I’m really here for the enemies. Many of the enemies from the first game are here, and they’re joined by some more wacky characters. There are a lot of strange things happening on this road for it being early in the morning. I can buy Zombies being up at this hour, but many of the other people should be in bed. Who the hell gets a pane of glass delivered this early?

It was easy to see which houses you had to deliver papers to. Much like the first game, it is a little annoying when an enemy comes out of nowhere, but I don’t mind it too much. The neighborhood and obstacle course look different and better, which is nice.

Overall, the graphics are quite good for the time. The game was released in 1991, and it is a graphical upgrade over the NES version of the game. Everything in it looks better than the last game in the series, and I quite like how the enemies look.

7.5/10. While it doesn’t go as far as I would’ve liked to be different from the first game, there are enough things here to say that it is better. I enjoy the gameplay and how challenging the game is. The graphics and controls are good.

Pros

• Good graphics
• Great controls
• Fun gameplay
• Hilarious enemies

Cons

• It is too much like the first game
• Very difficult

Conclusion

Paperboy 2 was a step in the right direction. Having more game modes would’ve helped this game out quite a bit. It moves things along by having it take place in the same town as the first game.

If you didn’t read the manual, then you might not know it is the same town. It isn’t all that important, but knowing that is pretty cool. The graphics and gameplay are a little better in this game, but not by much.

I wish this were more of an adventure game like the N64 game. That would’ve made things a little better and given some more things to do. Also, having a story behind this would’ve made things more enjoyable and given the character a little personality.

While the job of a paperboy is probably obsolete at this point, there are ways to make it more interesting. Like giving the character a goal of raising money for something like a new bike, PC, or console. Any of those would’ve made this mean more than it does.

If you liked this post, check out some of my others on the Paperboy games. Such as Paperboy on the Genesis or Paperboy 64.