Welcome to a new edition of Horror Gaming and I have a rather random one from Paperboy 2. You heard that correctly as there is a CP based around the second Paperboy game. If you are unfamiliar with the series, gamers basically play as either a boy or girl delivering newspapers in several neighborhoods. However, the game parody’s the classic 80s suburban America based on the tropes around the era. I'm not kidding as everything is almost out to get the paper boy/girl on every street. It is from people and dogs going after them in anger after getting hit by the newspaper to even ghosts and scare crows giving chase. It uses an arcade style gameplay that focuses on reaching a high score as much as possible. Now that you are up to speed, who could take such a parody and turn that into horror? Well, the story focuses on one of the characters in the background known as the Gray Man. The reason the story squarely talks about the sprite is how he stands out as the sole gray figure in the entire game with simply that color. There is more to his appearance than simply being a shade of color as the narrator divulges into a theory of what he is supposed to represent. What strange theory awaits us around a background character in a niche game? The story starts with a narrator explaining the Paperboy series and how it was a unique parody to the American suburban in the 80s. I don’t need to explain why the 80s for us Golden Age gamers was a unique period for any media. While it is true every decade always has their quirky weird films and TV shows, the 80s did this in a peculiar manner compared to the rest. Now, the narrator brings up one background character with a grey color standing out among the other colorful cast. It is a guy known for taking his trash bin to the curb as the player passes him. That is when he/she brings up what he possibly represents and might be a sick parody of sorts. As mentioned, it was absolutely unique to focus on a non-important figure that no one would think twice about. While the theme reminds me of the Yellow Devil CP, what separates this is the plot uses a minuscule character. That is the brilliant thing about this theory considering the arc doesn’t take a familiar figure and then makes a demonic version. It was simply a strange guy you would never think twice about without any of the haunting tropes. The narrator now brings up what the Gray Man might be a parody of and explains a short history of a murder case. He/she gives a story about a man named Dennis R who killed his family for some conspicuous reason. They hint at the Gray Man being a representation of Dennis R but as a sick parody. It was based on the fact Dennis placed his family’s remains in a trash bin and took the large container to the curb. That is probably why the Gray Man uses the idea thinking this would cover up his crimes by pretending to do something simple. Many can call the idea a poor assumption or claim it was simply a coincidence that happens years before the game releases. However, it is quite creative of Lex Joy to use this as a possible theory for a character who really serves no purpose. It is creative because too many times there are crappastas that take a game’s main mascot and turn them into a demonic version. That is what makes this theory unique because the theme plays on the fact that a neighbor who is doing something simple could be covering up a murder. Sometimes a neighborhood depicting itself as the good Ol’ American life with perfectly cut lawns and white picket fences could be a lie. A good comparison to this thought is a superhero called the Comedian from Alan Moore’s Watchmen. He is often depicted through the story’s flashback of representing American society as a sick parody. Meaning they do awful things while putting a bright smile on their faces as if it is normal hence what he stands for. Mind you, this story doesn’t go to the same lengths that Alan Moore presented because we all know that comic series was a thesis. While this CP was nothing more than a simpler version shortened to a paragraph in comparison. Now, there is some thing that needs addressing and it is how a tiny vocal minority claim the story was pretentious. There was really nothing pretentious in the story unless being observant of a game parodying “Reagan’s era America” is now the same meaning. Well kiddies I guess Stranger Things is too pretentious because it points to that exact vanity mentality most people had in the 80s regarding the author’s examples. Calling this fictional theory pretentious is like saying the Duffer Brother’s Stranger Things was the same thing. Do you see how stupid that sounds? Its sounds like the instigators found a new buzz word to use while being inadvertently triggered because Lex Joy was being slightly cynical about their “side.” Let’s now add that to the bad takes lists of Zelda: Breath of the Wild being “middling”, a game’s framerate being fast is “jarring” and Super Mario All Stars’ visuals weren’t “iconic” enough. However, having brain dead campfire stories with logic gaps and demonic possessed mascot characters is more important. It is probably best for some to stick to their Sonic.EXEs and MaRIos since a CP focusing on a minor thing with meaning is too much. Unlike most short creepypastas, this is probably the better ones to read since it proves a point often about things not being so perfect. The fact the author was able to take an unpopular series from the Golden Age and use a character to make this creepy was creative. I mean how do you turn Paper Boy into horror when it’s a fun parody of society? The thing that really sticks out was using a figure that no one would ever put two and two together. Lex Joy did a great job presenting a fictional theory based on a murder case where he/she explains a possible sick parody. Another thing the CP should champion is that this wasn’t a gaming experience gone wrong by a haunting. There were no haunting tropes, possessed mascots and store clerks or a person wanting to relive their childhoods. It is always a breath of fresh air to not have to review terrible crappypastas we have done so often on this site. The observation of the narrator was spot on when most people at the time and even today act in this manner of what he or she explains. That plays up to there are dark secrets and terrible actions of others hidden among the so-called “smiling” communities. It is a shame most creepypasta writers don’t put these short gaming ones out enough. Rating: 7.3/10 Solid
0 Comments
|
Retro Gamer has over 25 years of gaming experience and played many classics since the Golden Age. She has been an avid fan since the day the NES graced her life and changed it forever.
ArchivesCategoriesThe social media icon images and Vector Designs by Vecteezy, Medium and Onextrapixel
For More Please Click Below
|