I’ve been meaning to write about Angry Video Game Nerd episodes for years now. The videos, while extremely crass and possibly intolerable for some types, are also well loved by so many others, especially gamers of my age range who grew up playing games on the Atari 2600, the NES, and later consoles. We grew up with gaming as a mainstay in our lives, and these videos, produced by James Rolfe of Cinemassacre, capture his own personal experiences with some of these classics, as well as fresh thoughts on newer titles, from a perspective personal to him.
We all have different experiences with various games, and in this case, I do have fond memories of Paperboy. It’s a game I never had, but would play with friends, and do enjoy giving it a go from time to time these days, when I’m feeling like a throw back to “the good old days.”
If you are wondering why I would write about such, the reason is simple: to share some personal thoughts, here or there, however few they may be, and also to share the video for the sake of entertainment.
Anyway, back to the video itself, James goes through this one in a pretty straightforward style, talking briefly on the history of the game, explaining how it plays, comparing it to the real life newspaper delivery boy job, and throwing the usual comedic comparisons out there.
He later goes into discussing the assortment of odd things attacking you, which to me seem to be what makes Paperboy a memorable game – after all, how many video games have old ladies, spare tires, skateboarders, lawn decorations, and Death all attacking you at once! They are absurd, sure, but they do get your attention and pose a challenge.
That’s really the key element that makes Paperboy the game it is; the difficulty. It’s quite the hard game, and has some very strange elements to it – I never knew you broke windows to gain subscribers, for example – but in the end the core game play is simple enough that anyone can pick it up and play it. To get good though, you really have to figure out all the quirks and nuances of the game and its engine, and that’s where, as an adult, the game really shines. It has a very solid feel, but things are quite fluid as well. It’s hard to describe, but if you get a chance to play the game, you will see what I mean, I’m sure.
I could talk about Paperboy, and this AVGN video more, but really, it’s better for you to go on and just watch it yourself. Enjoy, and remember, this is “The Fucking Nerd” we are talking about here – he can, will, and does, get quite crude, so it that isn’t your thing, you might want to move along.