Paperboy

Paper Boy 64 is more than the old arcade route on a new console. Delivering newspapers while avoiding dogs, cars and other hazards remains the premise, but the N64 version lets the rider choose paths through a 3D neighborhood, serve both sides of the road and turn back for a missed house. Separate left and right throws, a steerable held shot, speed buttons and a jump are straightforward enough to manage that larger space. Seaside streets, trailer parks and campgrounds vary the scenery. Timed stages, health, helpful items and boss gates also provide more first-run structure. Those additions have a cost: free backtracking and progression gates dilute the original's pressure to deliver accurately while moving onward. The low-detail polygonal people and houses rarely make the enlarged neighborhoods inviting, and the older-sounding effects and speech do little for atmosphere despite a revised familiar tune. There is still a usable lightweight delivery game here, particularly for players who prefer choosing a route. It is less convincing as a recreation of the arcade game's urgent loop. This assessment is for the N64 three-dimensional redesign, not the original arcade release or a later collection.

Who it is for: N64 action players who want a relaxed route-planning variation on newspaper delivery.

Play notes: This score applies to the N64 3D redesign, not the arcade game or another port.