Games that remind me of my childhood Number 22 : Paperboy (Arcade, Commodore Plus 4, Commodore 64)

I think I may have mentioned before in this blog that when I was young, my family would all go for walks from Leigh-on-Sea to Southend, stopping off at various watering holes (pubs) for a drink.  Being young, we would have to sit in the family rooms of such pubs like The Peterboat, Ye Old Smack, The Cliffs Pavilion, The Shambles, and The Foresters Arms to name a few.

Anyway, the one thing these pubs all had in common (besides selling booze!) were a great assortment of arcade games, namely Carnival, Pac-Land and Commando.  I would spend a fortune on these, but the highlight of these walks was finally reaching Southend and spending loads of my pocket money in the arcades on one classic game that I still love playing today……   Paperboy.

I never considered myself an expert at the game, but I used to fly through the levels, picking up the newspapers, and throwing them at the doors of subscribers, whilst avoiding road-workers, drunks, radio controlled cars, break-dancers, and other obstacles.  On many occasions I had a large crowd standing behind me, watching and cheering me on.  It actually made me feel good!

The original and best...  The arcade version.

 

Back in 1986, I was excited when I found out that Paperboy was coming out on the Commodore Plus 4 (our family computer at the time).  I remember getting the game from Software Plus in Basildon, getting home, loading the game for the first time, only to find the conversion a complete and utter pile of pooh!  Actually, looking back at the game, the conversion wasn’t all that bad considering the limitations of the Commodore Plus 4 – As with many games on the system, it was also made to work on the lower spec Commodore 16.  I’m sure a version made specifically for the Plus 4 would have been much better……  ANYWAY…..

The Commodore 16 and Plus 4 Version.  A good attempt at a conversion, considering the limitations of the computer.

 

When I got my Commodore 64 for Christmas in 1987, one of the games that came with the computer was the C64 conversion – and WOW….  It was amazing.

Paperboy, the first game to feature a non-white character?  Nah, just the limited C64 colour palette!

 

Well, it was at the time.  Besides the blocky graphics, it was just as good as the arcade (just without the handlebar joystick), and included the training course which was missing in the Plus 4 version.

The game was simple – You played the paperboy and your task was to deliver newspapers along a suburban street shown in an isometric 3D view.  If you ran out of newspapers, you would have to collect more and you could also damage/vandalise non-subscribers houses by throwing newspapers at their windows and other items located in their front gardens to boost your score.  If you deliver a newspaper to every subscriber’s house, a non-subscriber becomes a subscriber the following day.  If you miss a subscriber’s house, they become a non-subscriber on the next day.  The game starts on Monday and you need to get all houses to subscribe to the newspaper by the following Sunday.

 

Try not to hit the guy going for a morning run!

 

Sounds easy?  It would be if it wasn’t for break-dancers, cars, skateboarders, drunks, cats (and even the Grim Reaper) getting in your way.  You also had to cross an intersection in the road which required the player to dodge traffic.  Some obstacles could earn the player additional points such as throwing a newspaper at a burglar trying to break in to a house, or hitting one of two men having a fight in the middle of the street.

A non-subscriber.  Smash some windows!

 

At the end of the street, the player would then need to complete a training course for additional points (and to improve your throwing aim).  If you crashed on the course, you would simply just start the following day without the bonus points of completing the course.

The training course

 

The game was also featured on one of my favourite shows in the 1980s – a gameshow by the BBC called First Class which had young contestants play against each other on a variety of popular computer games at the time (720, Hypersports, and of course Paperboy).

Title for the BBC kids show "First Class" which featured Paperboy as one of its games.

 

The cover for the Commodore 16 and Plus 4 - The graphics were so bad, they didn't even put screenshots on the back of the cover!

The tape (Commodore 16 and Plus 4 Version)

 

The box!

I'm a Ladbroke Holiday Superstar (apparently!)

Another blast from the past, discovered while my Mum was sorting out her wardrobe.  As well as loads of old school work, she also found this - a certificate which I won whilst we were on Holiday at Seashore holiday camp in Great Yarmouth during the mid 1980's (probably 85 or 86).

Do you remember Starcruiser?

 

I can't remember what the Q Quest was - I think it involved us having to search the holiday camp for answers to certain questions, and I'm sure the only reason I won was because nobody else bothered to take part.  That sounds about right considering my usual lack of luck at winning anything remotely good!

 

I'm sure I won some other prizes too which are all now no doubt hidden in the depths of some landfill somewhere.

 

I wonder if her name really was Vicky Micky?

Boldly going... YET again!

Another picture I've been working on to ease the boredom.  This time, it's a 'Photoshopped' photograph of my Art Asylum USS Enterprise NX-01 model, using my new Canon EOS camera.

Boldly going.... again

Oooooo...  Two posts in one day!  Go me.

I just wanted to post a picture that I've been working on to kill my boredom, and take my mind of having to return back to work tomorrow after having the past 2 weeks off.

Several years ago I purchased a USS Enterprise model made by Bandai.  The model is great, and even lights up.  Since I have just recently purchased a brand new DSLR camera (Canon EOS 600D), I thought I'd try doing some shots with it and super-imposing them on to some 'spacey' backgrounds.  I'm working on a few at the moment, but this is the first one, and I must say I'm quite pleased with the finished result.

What you can't see is how I managed the blue tint to the hull of the ship.  Since I don't have access to a studio or fancy lights, I managed to achieve this with me holding my mobile phone at the model, and using a torch lamp app to illuminate the ship!  Simple but effective.

Five Links Memories

Just a quick post today with a short video I put together while I was visiting Essex over the New Year.  Friends of mine on Facebook have probably already seen it, but here it is again - this time on YouTube.

I grew up on the Five Links Estate in Laindon from 1977 to 2002 (Handley Green), although it has a bit of a reputation these days, it was, and always will be my home.  With each visit something else changes, so I have created this little montage as a reminder of what the estate looks like now.  I might do another one in a few years time so I can compare how much has changed.

 

 

It's sad that Brendon, Handley Green and Laindon Link no longer exist by name, and I am sure it'll only be a matter of time before the remaining 'links' ; Newberry Side, Mellow Purgess and Somercotes cease to exist.  Laindon as a whole is changing so much (and not for the better may I just add).

Oh well... Only another 365 days to go.

Well, I have just tucked Kieran, Sophie and Kayleigh in to bed for the FIRST time this year, (and it was the first year both girls stayed up to see in the new year) and although I am sat here with no energy, and a thumping headache (the festivities have begun but I do not drink, so it's not self inflicted), I can't help but think about what I have accomplished this past year.....

... which has been, absolutely nothing!

I can honestly say that 2013 has been one of the most un-eventful years of my life.  I've watched the children grow another year... I've been at EHS for yet another year (9 now, soon to be 10)...  I've worked my arse off, paid of bills and watched as the people who run this country ruin it even more, and I have done nothing. 

…Hang on a minute….  I'm sensing a bit of déjà vu here as this sounds VERY similar to my New Year post from last year!

New Year is such a depressing time of year.  For me, it’s just a reminder that we’re all one year older…  one year closer to being six feet under… one year closer to losing loved ones… another year where we wonder what bad things will happen over the course of the next 52 weeks...  and finally one year further away from the best decade ever…. The 1980’s!  And so begins another year of stress and worry (work, money, the usual) which no doubt will not do my heart or health any good.  Goodbye 2013…  You were as awful as 2012, 2011 and so on.  Here’s hoping 2014 will be better (but I won’t hold my breath).

And in the future, should anyone ask me the question “How did you see in 2014?”, I will reply with “Well, I was performing an update on our Microsoft Exchange server at work via remote access while seeing it in with cheesy party music playing in the background, and with the people I love and care about – my family”.

Oh, and if you don’t like my negativity because you have a wonderful, happy, perfect life, then please just p**s off.  I really don’t care.

Have a good 2014 if you can.  Goodnight.