Tuesday, May 27, 1992
Rikki Kiwashi collapsed onto his bed, utterly exhausted after yet another grueling day at work. It felt like a minor miracle that his boss had let everyone leave early today. As he stared blankly at the ceiling, Rikki sighed deeply. "Man, I really envy Sawada. Working at ZAGE must be incredible—such a cool and relaxed environment," he muttered to himself wistfully. Shaking off the envy, he got up, took a refreshing shower, and prepared a quick dinner to recharge his energy.
Feeling better after the meal, Rikki eagerly turned his attention to his ZEPS console. Over the weekend, he had already purchased all the latest ZAGE releases, having spent enjoyable hours playing Ninja Gaiden 2 and Duck Hunt. Both had left a strong impression on him, but tonight, he was intrigued to explore Paperboy.
"This game box looks pretty bizarre," Rikki mused aloud, studying the unusual cover featuring a boy enthusiastically throwing newspapers. Curious, he opened the box to reveal the familiar set of contents—a game cartridge, the ZEPS WOW booklet, the game manual, and a special Zabo-man card. He picked up the Zabo-man card, reading aloud, "I'll be your neighbor, and if the time is right, you will meet me." Rikki chuckled softly. "Ah, probably just another cameo appearance from Zabo-man," he speculated with amusement.
Excitedly, he powered on the console, and the vibrant Paperboy title screen flashed onto his television. Without hesitation, Rikki pressed start, watching as the scene dramatically shifted. A cheerful headline appeared: "Great Paperboy Delivers!" alongside a playful photograph of children eagerly grabbing newspapers. Moments later, another screen popped up, offering three routes—Easy Road, Medium Road, and Hard Road.
"Guess I'll go easy first," Rikki decided quickly, selecting the Easy Road option. A straightforward map materialized on the screen, clearly marking gray houses labeled "Your Customer" and brown houses marked "Not Your Customer."
The gameplay began, and Rikki immediately grasped the intuitive controls: the D-pad moved the paperboy, X threw newspapers, and O made the character jump. Approaching his first customer's house, Rikki aimed carefully and pressed X, successfully tossing the newspaper into a mailbox.
"Haha! This game is definitely strange, but oddly satisfying," Rikki laughed. But his amusement quickly turned into surprise when suddenly a non-customer neighbor emerged, dribbling a basketball aggressively before performing an intense slam dunk right onto the sidewalk. "What the heck!?" Rikki exclaimed, frantically maneuvering his paperboy out of harm's way.
Just when he thought he'd escaped danger, another neighbor kid burst onto the scene, enthusiastically piloting a cardboard airplane straight into Rikki's character, causing him to crash spectacularly. "You've got to be kidding me—these neighbors are crazy!" he shouted in disbelief, laughing despite the unexpected difficulty.
Undeterred, Rikki continued to play, dodging countless quirky obstacles. From neighbors recklessly speeding cars into his path, to mischievous pets and unpredictable pedestrians, the game's chaotic humor and escalating absurdity kept Rikki thoroughly entertained. Each failed attempt only encouraged him more, his determination growing as he improved at dodging the bizarre threats.
"These neighbors are truly insane," Rikki declared, grinning broadly as he tackled the increasingly bizarre challenges. Despite repeated crashes and comical disasters, he found himself thoroughly enjoying every minute of the strange yet delightful experience, reaffirming his appreciation for ZAGE's endlessly inventive and entertaining games.
Rikki continued to play the Easy road , he was able to deliver successfully , Determined to master Paperboy, Rikki eagerly selected the Medium Road next, ready for whatever new surprises awaited him. As soon as the level loaded, he immediately felt the heightened challenge; the neighborhood was bustling with a chaotic energy unlike anything he'd experienced on Easy Road. Almost immediately, a grumpy-looking man burst out from behind a bush, revving a loud lawn mower with manic intent. Eyes wide, Rikki swiftly maneuvered his paperboy through a narrow gap between two parked cars, narrowly dodging the lawnmower's relentless pursuit.
"Seriously, what's wrong with these people?" he laughed incredulously, his heart pounding with adrenaline as he skillfully navigated around trash cans and lampposts, barely maintaining control.
A little further down the street, another eccentric neighbor was practicing karate moves on his front porch, his swift, aggressive kicks launching wooden planks and shards of broken furniture directly into Rikki's path. Concentrating intensely, Rikki precisely timed each move, deftly swerving to avoid flying debris and stray karate chops that threatened to topple his bike.
"Karate on the sidewalk—why not?" he joked, managing a nervous chuckle as he successfully passed the martial arts enthusiast. However, the respite was brief. Suddenly, another neighbor's gate swung open, unleashing a frenzied pack of barking dogs directly at him. Frantically smashing the jump button, Rikki's paperboy leaped over the charging dogs with mere inches to spare, landing shakily yet safely on the opposite sidewalk.
Despite the escalating chaos and unpredictable obstacles, Rikki's reflexes grew sharper, his responses quicker and more precise with each near miss and successful maneuver. Buoyed by a newfound sense of skill and determination, he pressed onward, feeling both confident and excited by the challenge.
After several exhilarating rounds through the Medium Road, Rikki felt ready to test his limits. With a deep breath, he boldly selected Hard Road, fully anticipating an even crazier experience. Instantly, the difficulty spiked dramatically; neighbors now seemed determined to actively sabotage his paper delivery. One resident gleefully operated a homemade catapult, launching pies onto the road with mischievous delight. Another neighbor, bizarrely dressed as a clown, suddenly leaped out from behind bushes, startling Rikki and nearly causing his paperboy to crash into a mailbox.
His nerves frayed, yet the thrilling rush of adrenaline kept Rikki's hands steady and his mind alert. He deftly navigated around aggressive skateboarders performing daring tricks, narrowly escaped a herd of cattle stampeding across someone's bizarrely rural front yard, and even evaded a rogue robot careening after him with outstretched metallic arms. Each bizarre and absurd obstacle tested his skills in new and increasingly imaginative ways.
Then there is a plumber wearing a red hat Jumping from his house and looking for the paperboy! To crash! "What! Mario!? , and he is chasing me!" Rikki avoids "Mario" but Mario then throws balls at him! Make his paperboy stagger "Damn it! Mario!" He chuckled and continued playing the game.
Just when Rikki thought he'd encountered every possible weird neighbor scenario, the screen flashed unexpectedly, and Zabo-man himself emerged from one of the houses. With a cheerful wave, Zabo-man began tossing helpful power-ups onto the street, including speed boosts and jump enhancements, along with his iconic supportive line displayed in vibrant text: "You're Very Cool!"
"Whoa, Zabo-man really did show up! That's amazing! Very Cool!" Rikki exclaimed enthusiastically, feeling energized by the surprise cameo. With renewed determination and a boost from Zabo-man's timely assistance, Rikki navigated the final stretch flawlessly, delivering newspapers with impeccable accuracy despite the relentless chaos around him. When he finally crossed the finish line, the triumphant victory jingle played, marking his impressive achievement.
Exhausted yet deeply satisfied, Rikki leaned back with a wide, contented smile. "What an insane yet fantastic game. ZAGE never disappoints!"
He then looked at the time , he had already Played for 4 hours! "Damn!I need to sleep , tomorrow I need to work!" With that Rikki went to Slumber satisfied after playing Paperboy.
To be continue
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