There isn’t too much that I can say about the Sega Genesis version of Paperboy 2. The core game isn’t all that different from the original or the SNES version of Paperboy 2. Sometimes there is a difference between the SNES and Genesis versions of the game, but that isn’t the case here.
While the gameplay is the same, the manual feels a bit cheaper. It probably has to do with the difference in publishers. There are a few other things that I didn’t mention in the SNES version, which I’ll get to here. This really is the same thing as before, though.
I don’t have a favorite version of this game, especially since I’ve only played two versions. There isn’t an arcade version, but this game was on just about everything else. Atari did this a lot with their games, and I’m not sure how successful it was.
I should point out that Tengen was the software side of Atari. Namco partially owned them for a while, but that is a story for another time. I’m not sure how many original games were released by Tengen, but they did make a few unique ports of arcade games.
TLDR: The Genesis version of the game is pretty good, but I wanted more.
Narrative
There isn’t a story for this game, which is something that is seriously missing from these games. In this case, the manual doesn’t add anything (Link). If I were looking for something to knock this game on, it would be this. I can only assume that Mindscape thought this was more of a problem than Tengen did.
For an arcade game from the 1980s, I don’t mind if it has a bare bones story, or none at all. Many of those games didn’t need a story, or they gave the player the bare minimum of information. Just telling the player who they were and what the bad guys were trying to do was enough.
There are quite a few directions that they could’ve taken this. Instead, Tengen didn’t give the player any idea of what was going on. At the very least, the SNES game explained that this was the same Paperboy/girl from the first game, and that the town was the same. You didn’t have a goal, aside from doing a good job. While I can appreciate that, they weren’t tied to the arcade game here, and something could’ve been added.
Gameplay
Paperboy 2 has pretty good gameplay. While it isn’t too different from the first game, there are a few things that make it better. It is a natural improvement over the first game, but I felt like there should’ve been more. I’ll try to focus on some of the things that I didn’t mention from the SNES version of the game.
The controls are pretty good. It felt easy to line up to hit the mailbox or doorstep. Much of what is in this game felt very good. Throwing papers to the left and right as well as jumping felt good. While it is a difficult game to master, it isn’t impossible to do so.
I do like that they have you alternate between throwing to the left or right. It is a nice change from the first game, and it does alter the gameplay a little. You can also scroll the screen to the left and right a little, which makes the playfield feel bigger than it is.
This is an arcade game, even if it wasn’t released as one. You’re playing for a high score, and you have a set number of lives. You’re encouraged to throw newspapers at everything. The manual gives a list of the scores for everything, and you get a little description for the different enemies.
Overall, the gameplay is good. I don’t have much to complain about this aside from the difficulty. It is an arcade game at its core, which means it is designed to get quarters. Since you don’t have to constantly shove quarters into your console, you have a set number of lives. I do wish there was more to this game, especially since it is on the home console.
Visuals
The game looks good. Paperboy 2 is a bright and colorful game that has some intentionally funny parts to it. There are quite a few visual gags in this game that I really appreciate. I didn’t mention them in the SNES game, so I’ll mention them here.
I really enjoy what happens after you hit someone or something. There is always a nice reaction from the people. It’s like watching a cartoon, or something like that. From sunbathing women to some jerk throwing rocks across the street, there is always something funny.
I do like that this game has you throw papers to the left and right. There is also more variety to the houses in this game. Everything looks very good. It is rather funny that if you’re subscribed to this newspaper, you have to repaint your house.
The enemies and obstacles look good in this game. They looked great in the SNES version, and I can’t really see a difference between them. Maybe there are more colors, or something like that, but I didn’t notice.
Overall, the graphics in this game are great. They’re the best part of the game for me. It feels like a logical progression from the arcade game. While it doesn’t stand out on either system, it does look good for the time it was released.
7.5/10. Much like the SNES version of the game, it doesn’t go far enough for me. Much of what made the SNES version work as a sequel was in the manual, and that has been removed in the Genesis version. The controls are fine, and the graphics are good. At the end of the day, this isn’t better or worse than the SNES version of the game.
Pros
- Good Controls
- Great graphics
- Challenging but fun gameplay
Cons
- No story
- A little too close to being an arcade game
- Very repetitive
Conclusion
I just realized that I skipped the SNES version of the first game. At some point, I’ll take a look at that one, but it won’t be for a little while. I think there is also an NES version of the second game, which will also have to wait for a time when I can start to care about Paperboy again.
Paperboy 2 just improves on what was in the original game. This is both a strength and a weakness. It makes the game feel familiar if you played the arcade, but it also feels like you need to be pumping quarters into the system. In 1991/92, this wasn’t a bad thing, but not having a story is a problem for me.
The series tried something new with the N64 game. There was more of a story, and the developers leaned into the zaniness of what was in the arcade game. It didn’t look good, and the controls were rough, but it was better than Paperboy 2.
At the end of the day, this game is perfectly fine. It is an improvement on the first game, but it just doesn’t go far enough for me. The Genesis version isn’t all that different from the SNES game. It just feels like a cheaper version of that game. Tengen didn’t put as much care into its version as Mindscape did with the SNES version.
If you liked this post, check out some of my others on the Paperboy series. Such as Paperboy 64 and Paperboy 2 on the SNES.