EPISODE 22: Paperboy

PLAY EPISODE 22 HERE

#PA2041, Published by Atari Corp.

 In this episode I cover yet another arcade port for the Lynx, Paperboy, released in 1990. Included are statistics for the game and a run-down on how to play it, along with reviews and ratings, some fun facts and trivia, and lots of listener feedback about the game. Also in today’s episode: Monty and I talk about the lost art of delivering newspapers door to door.

“Yes…it’s true…I once owned a Morris Minor to deliver The Heckington Hawker.
Please don’t pity me.” -Monty

The Paperboy upright arcade cabinet was released by Atari Games in 1984.

PAPERBOY VITAL STATISTICS
Release Date: December of 1990.
Initial Retail Price: $34.99-$39.95 in the US; £29.99 in the UK.
Cartridge Information: 128kB mono curved lip-style cartridge.
Game Genre: Isometric-view 2-dimensional scrolling arcade game for 1 player only.
Screen Playfield Orientation: Landscape (horizontal).
Based On: The arcade cabinet of the same name released by Atari Games in 1984.
Ports to Other Systems: Acorn Electron (1986), Amstrad CPC (1987), Apple ][ (1988), Apple ][gs (1988), Atari ST (1989), BBC Micro (1986), Blackberry (2009), Commodore 16 (1986), Commodore Plus/4 (1986), Commodore 64 (1986), Commodore Amiga (1989), DOS platform (1988), J2ME platform (2005), Nintendo Entertainment System (1988), Nintendo Game Boy (1990), Nintendo Game Boy Color (1999), Sega Game Gear (1991), Sega Genesis (1991), Sega Master System (1990), Xbox 360 (2007), and ZX Spectrum (1986).
Sequels: Paperboy 2 for Amstrad CPC (1991), Atari ST (1992), Commodore Amiga (1992), DOS platform (1991), Nintendo Game Boy (1992), Nintendo Entertainment System (1991), Super Nintendo Entertainment System (1991), Sega Game Gear (1993), Sega Genesis (1992), and ZX Spectrum (1992).
Game Levels: There are three skill levels: Easy Street (easiest), Middle Road (medium difficulty), and Hard Way (hardest). Within each of these skill levels, there are seven stages, one for each day of the week.
Packaging: A full-color standard flap-tab regular-size box (5 3/8″ by 4 3/8″ by 7/8″). The French variant included a lapel pin and French-language manual, And the Japanese variant included Japanese verbiage on the box back, along with a Japanese-language manual. There was also a blister pack variant sold.
Instruction Manual: A 12-page (including front and back covers) stapled regular-sized booklet manual in monochrome, measuring the usual 4 7/8” high by 3 ¾” wide. The manual was released in English in North America and in Europe, in a full-color Japanese manual in Japan, and in French in France. The manual was written by veteran Atari Lynx manual writer Scott Rhoades.

Kieren Hawken’s interview with Paperboy programmer Al Baker from the February 2014 issue (#125) of Retro Gamer magazine. You can view a full-size version of the scan by clicking HERE.

PAPERBOY CREDITS
Original Arcade: Atari Games Corporation
Publisher: Atari Corporation
Licensee: Tengen, Inc.
Developer: Al Baker & Associates
Programmer: Al Baker
Sound: David Tumminaro
Original Art: Elite Systems
Lynx Art: Nathan Baker 

 

Be sure to check out our partner AtariGamer.com to stay “Lynxed In” to all of the latest news about our favorite handheld gaming console!

 

LYNX LYNKS
Kieren Hawken’s 2019 book “The A-Z of Atari Lynx Games Volume 1”.
Coming Soon: “The A-Z of Atari Lynx Games Volume 2”!

Information About Paperboy:
Atari Age title info/rarity guide for Paperboy
Atari Gamer title info/rarity guide for Paperboy
Digital Press title info/rarity guide for Paperboy
GameFAQs article about Paperboy
Moby Games article about Paperboy
PriceCharting.com value guide about Paperboy
RarityGuide.com rarity/value guide about Paperboy
Wikipedia article about Paperboy

A comparison of the different home ports of Paperboy, published in the February 2014 issue (#125) of Retro Gamer magazine. You can view a full-size version of the scan by clicking HERE.

Reviews and Ratings for Paperboy:
Review by Gideon in GamePro (US; Issue #017; December 1990; page 148)
Review in RAZE (UK; Issue #03; January 1991; page 47)
Review by Robert A. Jung at IGN (1999)
Review by The Video Game Critic (2005)
Review by Brian Thomas Barnhart at Atario.io (2016)
Review by Jon Mc at Atari Gamer (2018)

YouTube Videos About Paperboy:
Playthrough (World-of-Longplays)
Playthrough (Atari7800com)
Playthrough and Review (BTB/Lynx Lounge)
Playthrough and Review (RetroGamerDaz)
Comparison of Handheld Ports of Paperboy (The Laird’s Lair)

Retailers Selling Paperboy:
B & C ComputerVisions: US$9.95 (box only),  US$19.95 (cart/manual combo), US$24.95 (NIB w/damaged box) and for US$29.95 (NIB) through eBay under the user name MyAtari…check his online store on eBay for availability.
Best Electronics (last updated October 7, 2021; check website for availability): US$14.95 (loose cart), US$19.95 (CIB).
The Gamesmen (Australia): AU$24.95 (CIB).
The Goat Store: None Available.
Telegames (UK): £29.99 (CIB).
Video 61 & Atari Sales: $49.95 (NIB).

THE RESOURCES Page
is where you can find a current list of after-market and
home brew Atari Lynx titles,
plus a lot of other information!

“Thank You’s” and Other Lynks:
Antic: The Atari 8-Bit Podcast (Thanks to Brad Arnold, Randy Kindig, and Kevin Zavitz for the shoutout about The HandyCast in Episode 50!)
AtariGamer.com (Thanks to Igor for incorporating The HandyCast into his excellent website!)
The Atari 2600 Game By Game Podcast (Thanks to The Podfather himself, Ferg, for encouraging his listeners to check out The HandyCast in both Episode 151 and Episode 154!)
The Atari Jaguar Game By Game Podcast (Thanks to Shinto for encouraging his listeners to check out The HandyCast in Episodes 22 and 26!)
Curtis Herod (Cujo)‘s The Bl^ck Book v2  (Check HERE to see the now-expired Indiegogo campaign, where you can find out more about the book. And please consider purchasing Curtis Herod’s The Black Book v2 by emailing him at cujo86@gmail.com.)
Gaming on Ten (Thanks to Nick and Don for encouraging his listeners to check out The HandyCast in Episode 09!)
Into the Vertical Blank Podcast (Thanks to hosts Jeff and Steve Fulton for “singing” about The HandyCast in Season 1, Episode 10!)
Please Stand By (Thanks to Zerbe and Ferg for helping to promote The  HandyCast on several episodes of this fun-to-listen-to show, starting with Episode 60!)
The RCR Podcast (Thanks to the Retro Computing Roundtable: Paul Hagstrom, Quinn Dunki, Jack Nutting, and Carrington Vance, for highlighting The HandyCast in Episode 167!)
The Retro MacCast Podcast (Thanks to Retro MacCast hosts James Savage and John Leake for highlighting The HandyCast in Episode 475!)
Retro Video Gamer Forums (Thanks to Eugenio/TrekMD for helping to promote The HandyCast on his wonderful forums!)

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thanks go to everyone who contributed feedback about Paperboy (and other games) for this episode: Brian Bolding, Jeff Cossey, Derek Dash (tripled79), Eugenio (TrekMD), Kieren Hawken (Laird’s Lair YouTube Channel), imall543, Jon Mc (AtariGamer.com), Scott Rhoades, Shinto (The Atari Jaguar Game by Game Podcast), and Bobby Tribble. I really appreciate your feedback!

Also, I would like to thank the Free Music Archive for the following musical artists and songs that were used in this episode under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License: “8-Bit Core” by Tagirijus (opening and closing theme music), along with “Depth Charge,” “Elastic,” “Flow,” “Glass Ceiling,” “Twist,” “Underpass,” and “Wriggle,” all by Metre.

Thanks also to Elvira, Mistress of the Dark (Cassandra Peterson) for the “Oooh, let’s party!” and “Leaving so soon?” digitized speech clips captured from the Atari Lynx game Pinball Jam that are used at the beginning and end of each episode of The HandyCast.

I would especially like to thank Shinto for submitting his memories of various Atari Lynx games he’s owned in the past to The Atari Lynx HandyCast…they are greatly appreciated. And you should all check out Shinto’s wonderful Atari Jaguar Game by Game Podcast; it’s definitely worth listening to, even if you’ve never owned a Jaguar. You can find it here.

Many, many thanks also go to Zerbinator for his continued support. His encouragement and expertise are very much appreciated by me. You can find all of his fun-to-listen-to podcasts here, including my favorite, Please Stand By.

Finally, my thanks to the Podfather himself, Ferg of The Atari 2600 Game by Game Podcast. His inspiration and dedication to covering every game cartridge ever made for the Atari 2600 (I think over 1000 of them!) is what gave me the courage to begin this podcast. Please, check out his don’t-miss podcast, even if you’re not an Atari 2600 collector; you should also visit his website here.

I hope you enjoy this episode of The Atari Lynx HandyCast. And please don’t forget to visit the official Atari Lynx HandyCast website by clicking here!

-Mark

Next Episode: “EPISODE 23: A.P.B.”