Paperboy 2

For the unreleased Sega Master System version, see Paperboy 2 (Master System).

n/a

Mega Drive Game Gear
Paperboy 2
System(s): Sega Mega Drive, Sega Game Gear
Publisher: Tengen
Developer: Tengen
Distributor: Domark (EU)
Licensor: Atari Games
Sound driver: GEMS
Genre: Action
Number of players: 1-2 1
Release Date RRP Code US 1993-02 $59.9559.95 301037-0150 EU 1993-06 T-88036-50 UK 1993-06 £39.9939.99 T-88036-50 BR 1993 044470 US 1993-06 301037-0161
Non-Sega versions Amiga Amstrad CPC Game Boy IBM PC Nintendo Entertainment System Super NES ZX Spectrum

Paperboy 2 is the sequel to Paperboy. Initially released for the home computers, it was ported to the Sega Mega Drive and Sega Game Gear in 1992 and 1993, respectively. The Game Gear version was exclusive to North America.

Gameplay

Gameplay

Paperboy 2 is much the same game as its predecessor. Players control a paperboy (or papergirl), who must navigate a series of obstacles, such as tires rolling down a driveway while a car is being repaired or strange houses like a haunted house, while trying to deliver the morning paper to various customers on a street. Subscribers live in brightly colored houses and have mailboxes. Subscribers are lost if the player fails to deliver to them or breaks one of their windows with a paper. Conversely, subscribers are gained by breaking the windows of non-subscribers. The game uses an isometric perspective, with houses only on one side of the street at a time; the street bends at certain points, with houses then appearing on the opposite side. It is also now possible to jump.

The bicycle is steered with and . The bike continuously moves down the street and cannot backtrack, but the player can pedal faster or slower with or respectively. In the Mega Drive version, papers are thrown to the left with and to the right with and the bike jumps with . In the Game Gear version, papers are thrown to the left with and to the right with and the bike jumps with +.

The player has a choice of difficulty levels: Easy Street, Middle Road, and Hard Way. The more difficult routes offer more points for their successful completion, but they are filled with more obstacles, which include cars and trucks, dogs, sunbathers, garbage men, playing kids, ghosts, scarecrows, pigs, and zombies. The player loses a life for hitting an obstacle, and the game ends if the player runs out of lives or subscribers. Papers can be thrown at enemies to stun them. In the Mega Drive version, each route lasts for three weeks, with the street for each day containing 18-20 houses, a gas station, and a market. Neighborhoods also contain a carnival and a park in the second week and a car dealership and a mall in the third week. In the Game Gear version, each route lasts for a single week, and the number of houses depends on the difficulty level (6 for Easy Street, 9 for Middle Road, and 12 for Hard Way). Buildings such as gas stations and stores appear when the street bends and changes direction.

Some actions reward the paperboy (or papergirl) with a front-page photo in the newspaper, such as stopping a runaway baby carriage with a paper, foiling a robbery by hitting the thief with a paper, or stopping someone from tagging a building with graffiti by hitting him with a paper. The player also receives more points for delivering the paper into a mailbox rather than onto a porch. A perfect delivery (all subscribers get their papers, and none of their houses are damaged) results in all the points being worth double for that day, and an extra subscriber is added (or an extra life if the player has no canceled subscribers to regain).

At the end of a street, the player rides through a short obstacle course with targets to hit (with papers) and jump over for extra points. Crashing on the course ends the round, but does not cost the player a life.

The Mega Drive version has a two-player mode where two people can take turns playing (with separate control pads).

Items

	Paper Bundle
	Restocks the player's papers to 10, up to a maximum of 30 in the Mega Drive version or 19 in the Game Gear version.

History

A Master System version was planned but ultimately scrapped.

Magazine articles

Main article: Paperboy 2/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

Mega Drive print advert in Sega Visions (US) #10: "November/December 1992" (1992-xx-xx)
also published in:

• Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) #41: "December 1992" (1992-xx-xx)
• Game Informer (US) #8: "January/February 1993" (199x-xx-xx)
• Electronic Games (1992-1995) (US) #5: "February 1993" (1993-01-12)
• Sega Visions (US) #11: "February/March 1993" (199x-xx-xx)

Mega Drive print advert in Consoles + (FR) #20: "Mai 1993" (1993-0x-xx)

Mega Drive print advert in Sega Pro (DE) #7: "Mai 1993" (1993-04-xx)

Physical scans

Mega Drive version

Sega Retro Average
Publication Score Source

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Based on 0 review

Sega Retro Average

Publication Version Score 1700 igr dlya Sega (RU) 40 Electronic Games (1992-1995) (US) NTSC-U 73 Mean Machines: The Essential Sega Guide (UK) 53 GamesMaster (UK) PAL 25 GamesMaster (UK) 32 Sega Mega Drive Advanced Gaming (UK) PAL 60 Mega (UK) PAL 32 Mega Force (FR) 24 Mega Fun (DE) PAL 62 MegaTech (UK) PAL 58 Magazina Igrushek (RU) 40 Play Time (DE) PAL 65 Sega Power (UK) PAL 40 Sega Pro (UK) PAL 63 Sega Zone (UK) PAL 45 Sega Force (UK) PAL 55 Tricks 16 bit (RU) 60

	49
Based on 17 reviews

Paperboy 2

Mega Drive, US
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, US (cardboard)

Mega Drive, EU
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, BR
Cover
Cart

Game Gear version

Sega Retro Average
Publication Score Source

{{{{{icon}}}|L}}
Based on 0 review

Sega Retro Average
Publication Version Score Electronic Games (1992-1995) (US) NTSC-U 75 Game Players (US) NTSC-U 50 Joystick (FR) 58

	61
Based on 3 reviews

Paperboy 2

Game Gear, US
Cover
Cart Manual

Technical information

Main article: Paperboy 2/Technical information.

References

Paperboy games for Sega systems
	Paperboy (1990) | Paperboy 2 (unreleased)
	Paperboy (1992) | Paperboy 2 (1993)
	Paperboy (1992) | Paperboy 2 (1993)