So do I, similar to the game Rastan where everything comes together to create one cohesive package. The graphics, the music and the controls are all top-notch
@@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentariesgood call.. .u should make a video like MTV used to do pop up videos, maybe it was VH1 damn cerebellum is acting up again
When I was an 8 year old kid in Marseille around 2008 there was a local cafe that had this arcade game in it. By that time the game was very old but it seemed to be popular because someone was always playing it. The cafe owner taped a different title over it and called it "James Bond l'espion."
LOVE Rolling Thunder. Still play the NES and Genesis versions all the time. Would be awesome to see someone like Way Forward or DotEmu give us a modern retro remake/sequel.
It's on one of the Namco Museum Arcade Pac on Switch, and both games have been released as part of Hamstersoft's Arcade Archives series. They're the arcade version as well.
I never played this game enough to be good at it, but every now and then I would see somebody playing it at the arcade that were good enough to make the game look easy.
@@rdb223 I personally don't remember any other computer games in the '80s except the ones I had for my commodore 64. I didn't have a PC until 1994 and I would call the '90s The Golden age for PC games.
I've spent so many quarters playing Rolling Thunder at a local lottery convenient store back in the 80's and truly the most fun times of my youth. Love the game so much that I saved money cleaning neighbor's driveway during winter storm that I bought the game at Babbages. Still have my NES cartridge till this day.
Much appreciated! Thanks, like you said the original video was one of my earliest pieces of work so I felt this game needed a proper version with every piece of info I could scrape together.
I thought he covered it before. He forgot to mention it launched on tengen cartridge on the NES the same day as Paula Abdul's spellbound album. I remember buying both at the same time
One of the greatest *Rolling Thunder* style games with 2-player cooperation is *Magic Sword.* Each player could gain a computer controlled sidekick to help you. You can swap out your helper by rescuing a different henchman.
Also worth mentioning is Elevator Action returns, which features relatively similar gameplay mechanics and it is related to Rolling Thunder just like the original Elevator Action is.
EA Returns was really good too. If you like games of this style, play Huntdown. It’s a modern version of this genre done very well. One of my favorite games in recent times.
I was blown away when this came out in the arcades. The awesome graphics, the cutscenes where the AI would walk around in front of the giant screen... I'd always play it when I went
this was one of those games that kind of blew me away when I first played it in the arcade many moons ago, the animations and the gameplay seemed really good for the time
I have about 80 Famicom games - only 2 are complete in box -- THIS is one of them. Great early arcade gaming memories with this game. Interesting to hear that it has enhanced sound over the NES. Great video.
I remember trying to play this in the arcade as a kid. I eventually stopped playing it because it was just handing me my azz and taking my quarters. Good memories. THX PATMAN!
Something tells me the Japanese thought everything in America was wild and wacky in the 60s...And so they turned Godzilla wild and wacky in the 70s to cash in.
I have these lingering memories of playing a game that felt so much like rolling thunder 2 that it probably was that game. The frustration is that while it's 95% what I remember, my cousins only had a nes, except when they borrowed a different cousin's sega. So while im not 100% sure, this just comes too flose to my faint 30 year old memories, so it must be it.
For *Ghosts 'N' Goblins* I remember finding the headstone/frog secret. But eventually I did that trick and turned into the frog as the timer went to zero. That totally messed up the timer to flip to 255 minutes which in essence gave an unlimited amount of time. So you would use that to sit on the first board for as long as you wanted to racking up points and lives to help get through the rest of the game.
the charterers movements seemed really fluid for the time. mostly in the enemy's body movements. turns out it's available for the Nintendo Switch. nostalgia has made me buy it. $7.99 isn't bad. ty.
I've spent so many days and quarters playing this game at a local arcade as a teen, and was extremely happy when it came out on the NES. I didn't care how many visual glitches it had I just loved playing it at home. Even now when I play this game I have memories of hanging out at the arcade and pizza place next door chatting to the cute girls there... :)
I think they may have literally used the same engine/template/framework from Rolling Thunder to create Shinobi. ...and I'm glad they did. I discovered Rolling Thunder after Shinobi, and I really enjoy RT, and the sequels. Thanks Pat!
Shinobi came out around six months after this game so it's possible they were developed at the same time. I believe rolling thunder was the innovator though
Just finished the video, and I had no idea the Lynx version had been discovered, as for the longest time like 1 screen shot was all there was. That looks absolutely amazing(decent speed, killer graphics), and would have for sure been another great conversion for the Lynx, as for a handheld, it had some of the best arcade ports of the time. Hopefully one day the homebrew scene can pick that version up and see fit to finish it, as it's looks as nice as I always hoped it would have. Going to find it now so I can give it ago, as the wait has been way to long, just wish it was more than one level.
It would be cool if the homebrew scene could finish it. Apparently the prototype that was discovered was of an earlier version that was dropped because it wasn't turning out very well. Looks pretty good to me.
When the game had just been released I and my buddy found a copy at the Colosseum Arcade at Cedar Point (Sandusky OH) and we spent hours that day playing the game. About 2 weeks later it started to show up in my local arcades in Erie PA. I don't remember how many months we played it before finding the box cheat that lets you walk behind a screen full of enemies without them attacking you.
YES! I love the OG Rolling Thunder. I'll replay the first level all the time, love the music and the gameplay. This and probably Castlevania on the NES are two games I'll play the first level over again just about any time.
I was a little too young to play Rolling Thunder at the time of its arcade release but Rolling Thunder 3 on the Sega MegaDrive was pure magic for me back then.
Another game that borrowed heavily from Rolling Thunder but nobody never mention this connection ( in regards mechanics and gameplay style), is Sunsetriders. Instead of entering office doors, you enter bars, barns, and ejem… h*okers’. In arcade never made far past the caverns. But got to finally finish the game when I rented the Tengen for the nes.
I imagine Golgo13 might have been inspiration for this game character. I remember this in arcades and it was amazing to look at, but someone was always playing it with lines of quarters already booked on the cabinet. Very much reminds me of Shinobi's style, including the amazing Genesis Shadow Dancer. Great history of this unique game, thanks Patman!
@@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries , the Golgo 13 games were pretty good on the NES/FDS. Surprisingly, they got away with little to no censorship in the West as well. I am still sad that its mangaka (manga/franchise creator) died recently, as Golgo 13 is on par with legendary characters like James Bond, Jason Bourne, Jack Reacher, Jack Ryan, and Alex Cross in Western fiction. Also, speaking of Jason Bourne, there is actually a pretty good video game prequel to The Bourne Identity that is called The Bourne Conspiracy that is for the PS2, Xbox, and PC. However, what makes that confusing is that the sixth novel in the Jason Bourne series is also called The Bourne Conspiracy and the events that are in that book are also completely different than the ones that are in the video game.
I first played this game as part of Namco Museum Battle Collection for the PSP and enjoyed it. I even manage to beat it to the end. Definitely one of Namco's fun game of it's time.
this was one of my faves. my local bowling alley had small string of about 6 to 10 arcade machines at a time. SFII being the big one, but Rolling Thunder was a great game.
U just reignited a part of my flatulent brain! Holy hell I played the hell out of the Commodore 64 version. I’m sure it’s on my raspberry pi... gotta play it tonight!
As hard and frustrating as this game was it was still awesome. The theme music is some of the best in gaming. Sounds like something out of a James Bond movie.
I hope you do a documentary on Atari cloak and dagger. The whole limited production of arcade cabinets and the non released game for the home console is a great mystery! Plus they released the movie
Always a great day when a new Patman video hits the CZcamss. Great memories of games brought back, always well researched and presented with that dry sense of wit. Would be great to one day learn more about the Patman behind the videos.
The NAMCO Arcade kit using a projector instead of a screen is available now at Big Lots! for $299 in a full color box. It has a 50Watt 2250 lumen LED bulb. The same unit is also available in a plain brown box for $199. They also have an arcade kit with NFL Blitz that has 3 different versions of the game. I say kit because you have to assemble the cabinet using the particle boards and mount the game controllers provided.
Today I learned that this game has so many versions, I played this on SNES back in the days maybe I was 4 that time I can't read yet.. but people around me called this game "James Bond" , I searched "James Bond" game last year but it was different result. I tried downloading Namco Museum on my Nintendo Switch and saw this game and learned its called "Rolling Thunder". awesome game needless to say. Thank you for the documentary!
There's a very Lupin the Third-esque look about the player sprite. Ironically, while the character artwork looks nothing like Lupin, he is holding a Walther P-38. The female player sprite in RT 2 even looks like Fujiko Mine. Right down to the size of her...gun.
I definitely loved this game, especially for the pacing. As far as Code Name Viper (NES), it definitely took a lot of liberties and inspiration from this game. Despite being a Capcom title, it was actually developed by Arc System Works, the same company synonymous for Guilty Gear & BlazBlue, and currently owns the back catalogue from Technōs Japan.
NES Rolling Thunder fact! The port was made by Arc System Works of Guilty Gear and Blazblue fame. In conjunction, the clone, Code Name: Viper was also developed by ArcSys and using a good chunk of the RT port's programming as a basis, with Capcom doing the graphics and music (For example, Yoko Shimomura did some of her first work with Code Name: Viper)
Ooh, Rolling Thunder. Nice! I love this series and its knockoffs such as Code Name Viper! We also have it to thank for inspiring Sega to do Shinobi. Man, old school Namco was just amazing!
I first played Rolling Thunder 3 as a rental from Blockbuster on my Sega Genesis. I never played the first or second game. Well, i did play the second game on an emulator courtesy of a shipmate when I was at VLS C School. I've honestly inly ever beaten the third game. The thing that drew me to 3 was the music, as well as the heavy anime style it had.
Those were the staples of the series to be honest. The game is similar to Rastan were everything works together perfectly. The graphics, the sound and the music are all excellent
The first thing I noticed when playing it on NES was how long his legs were. Thought it looked silly. Later I would learn that in Japan, long skinny legs are the mark of a hero. Just as big muscles are in a Canon film. Love this game.
It's worth noting that Codename: Viper was published by Capcom but the game was made by the folks at Arc System Works, the same crew that Namco had hired to port Rolling Thunder to the famicom a year earlier. Maybe they were using it as a chance to make the sequel that wasn't out yet.
It was common knowledge that in the 1980s, many software companies that were contracted to make home computer versions, didn't do separate ST and Amiga versions, either through lack of time, or money. What they'd do, is write the ST version, and then make the barest minimum changes to make it work on the Amiga. Yes, the Amiga version would use basically the same software sprites and scrolling as the ST version, with hardly any blitter usage. The CPU in the ST ran about a MHZ quicker than the Amiga, this is why it appears slightly smoother.
I remember a fast food joint had this back in '88. I remember watching this older black guy play because he was the only one I ever saw get past level 4. I got it for NES a few years later and never could beat the final stage.
Speaking of the 60s, I just watched a video of a playthrough where someone hacked Super Mario Bros. 2 to be The Beatles' Yellow Submarine. They redid the music in the game to resemble Beatles songs and everything!
I played the hell outta the nes version when I was in my early 20’s back in the early 90’s. Never beat the game tho, but, I was stunned when I eventually played the arcade version, and saw just how close the nes version was in comparison. Sure, some of the enemy colors aren’t the same, and there are far less enemies on screen at once, but, it’s still a challenging game on the nes, just the same.
Oh Snap! This is one of my GOAT titles, and I'm hoping one of the small scale coin-op makers will offer it one day, either New Wave Toys or Numskull Quarter Arcades. I used to play this at a liquor store near my house as a teen(yeah I know, different times back then), and this is probably one of my most played arcade ever. I just love the design, the side art, the music, theming, etc., Rolling Thunder was just the perfect package. Sadly, all the home versions sucked, at least all the ones I remember, the NES was OK, but didn't feel like the arcade(and was super hard). The one version I think could have been great was an announced Atari Lynx version, but to my knowledge, it never got past the announcement stage.
I hope you stayed for the entire video because I showed the Atari Lynx prototype which was discovered last year. There is a tabletop version but it only plays the NES version. This is one of my all-time favorite run and guns
I did but if you read the description the old video was from four years ago and only 10 minutes with extremely poor audio. This one was 31 minutes and lots of new information
@@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries oh yeah, i wasnt being critical just wondering if i was going a bit forgetful in my old age. 4 years ago, didnt realise i had been watching for that long. I always love your videos man.
Not being familiar with your channel, when I saw the title of this video I was shocked and excited at the idea that someone might be releasing a ported and remastered version of Rolling Thunder. Fortunately my disappointment was only brief at realizing my misunderstanding, since this is a great video about one of my all-time favorite games.
Sorry, I said in the description how the original video was only 10 minutes and recorded with cheap microphone. I wanted to remaster the video and give it the proper respect it deserves. So with an extra 20 minutes and tons of new information I thought it would be a good time to do an all new video
@@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries No reason for you to be sorry at all! I apologize that my comment was worded in a way that made it sound like a criticism. That honestly wasn't my intent, and looking back at things now, the mistake was entirely on my end. It was 3 AM or so and I was apparently a bit punchy, and my reading comprehension wasn't at its best. I think I misinterpreted the title because I was reading what I wanted to read at the time, not because anything you wrote was misleading. In any case, it is a great video, and I really appreciate the depth you went into on such an old game that is dear to my heart. Thanks for the response, and once again, my apologies for not waiting until I'd had some sleep to leave a comment.
@@njp4321 No I didn't take it that way at all and sorry if it sounded like that. Sorry if it was a bit confusing. I'm glad you enjoyed the channel, thanks
I used to play this a lot in the arcades, but couldn't get to the second loop. I think i saw someone finish it once and i suspect he might have used up a sizeable amount of coins in the process. The music & f/x are spot on and keep you going along. The sequel i did play, and whilst the sonics & graphics were an improvement, the feel pf the original had been diluted in the playability.
The original game was the first of its kind which is why it made such an impression on me. I do like the follow-ups but the first one is the best in my opinion
I spent about $75 in quarters on this game, and I don't think I ever got past the first level. I love this game!
So do I, similar to the game Rastan where everything comes together to create one cohesive package. The graphics, the music and the controls are all top-notch
LOL! I was gonna post something similar. It is such a cool game, but boy did I stink at it
No your parents did lol
@@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentariesgood call.. .u should make a video like MTV used to do pop up videos, maybe it was VH1 damn cerebellum is acting up again
@@retropalooza He mowed the lawn and washed the dishes fair and square! lol
When I was an 8 year old kid in Marseille around 2008 there was a local cafe that had this arcade game in it. By that time the game was very old but it seemed to be popular because someone was always playing it. The cafe owner taped a different title over it and called it "James Bond l'espion."
LOL that's pretty cool
Thanks especially for this one. I love the Rolling Thunder series!
Glad you enjoy it! All three of the games are fantastic
LOVE Rolling Thunder. Still play the NES and Genesis versions all the time. Would be awesome to see someone like Way Forward or DotEmu give us a modern retro remake/sequel.
Yes, that would be fantastic
It's on one of the Namco Museum Arcade Pac on Switch, and both games have been released as part of Hamstersoft's Arcade Archives series. They're the arcade version as well.
We need more subs for the Pat, he deserves that play button!
How nice of you to say my friend. Thanks
I never played this game enough to be good at it, but every now and then I would see somebody playing it at the arcade that were good enough to make the game look easy.
It's a tough one that's for sure
Use to love playing rolling thunder in the arcades in the 80'S ! I still have to finish it though. Going to start mame right now !
Excellent have fun
I'm excited about this one! I put a lot of quarters in this game back in the day. Being a teenager in the '80s was awesome for video games
It sure was, the entire 1980s was fantastic when it came to video games
@@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries absolutely love your channel. Brings back a lot of really good memories thank you very much for your hard work
I really appreciate that, thanks@@elmartillo7931
@@rdb223 I personally don't remember any other computer games in the '80s except the ones I had for my commodore 64. I didn't have a PC until 1994 and I would call the '90s The Golden age for PC games.
@@rdb223 for me the '80s was the golden age of arcade, and the '90s was the Golden age of PC RPGs and strategy games
I've spent so many quarters playing Rolling Thunder at a local lottery convenient store back in the 80's and truly the most fun times of my youth. Love the game so much that I saved money cleaning neighbor's driveway during winter storm that I bought the game at Babbages. Still have my NES cartridge till this day.
That is awesome. That was back when arcade games were literally everywhere. Thanks
It's great that you revisited Rolling Thunder! This is some of your best work, and the definitive documentary on this game.
Much appreciated! Thanks, like you said the original video was one of my earliest pieces of work so I felt this game needed a proper version with every piece of info I could scrape together.
I thought he covered it before. He forgot to mention it launched on tengen cartridge on the NES the same day as Paula Abdul's spellbound album. I remember buying both at the same time
One of the greatest *Rolling Thunder* style games with 2-player cooperation is *Magic Sword.* Each player could gain a computer controlled sidekick to help you. You can swap out your helper by rescuing a different henchman.
Yes that's another forgotten game in the past
Also worth mentioning is Elevator Action returns, which features relatively similar gameplay mechanics and it is related to Rolling Thunder just like the original Elevator Action is.
Yes Good call
Thanks @@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries, great video!
EA Returns was really good too. If you like games of this style, play Huntdown. It’s a modern version of this genre done very well. One of my favorite games in recent times.
I will check it out, thanks@@la8208
I was blown away when this came out in the arcades. The awesome graphics, the cutscenes where the AI would walk around in front of the giant screen... I'd always play it when I went
I think for me the game is like Rastan or everything is perfect from the graphics To the music to the controls
I love this game. Still okay it regularly. Still trying to complete it in one go
Same here!
I have never done that but it's always fun to Try
this was one of those games that kind of blew me away when I first played it in the arcade many moons ago, the animations and the gameplay seemed really good for the time
They were extremely well done
I have about 80 Famicom games - only 2 are complete in box -- THIS is one of them. Great early arcade gaming memories with this game. Interesting to hear that it has enhanced sound over the NES. Great video.
I remember trying to play this in the arcade as a kid. I eventually stopped playing it because it was just handing me my azz and taking my quarters. Good memories. THX PATMAN!
It's a tough one, thanks for watching
Finding the back screen cheat on that box stack was a game changer and made the ending possible.
Something tells me the Japanese thought everything in America was wild and wacky in the 60s...And so they turned Godzilla wild and wacky in the 70s to cash in.
There's also a movie of the same name.
Coincidence?
I think not.
There were a ton of American influences in Japanese games and vice versa
I have these lingering memories of playing a game that felt so much like rolling thunder 2 that it probably was that game. The frustration is that while it's 95% what I remember, my cousins only had a nes, except when they borrowed a different cousin's sega. So while im not 100% sure, this just comes too flose to my faint 30 year old memories, so it must be it.
This was one of my favorite growing up! It was also the first Tengen cartridge I owned so it was special to me because it was different!
Yes it was, it was actually unlicensed
The most satisfying part of this game was getting a whole bunch of bad guys all lined up and holding down the fire button when you had a machine gun
I Loved the smooth animation of this game!!
Thanks for the Elevator Action mention. I played a TON of that and nobody seems to remember it.
Absolutely, elevator action is one of my favorite games. Check out my history of elevator action video, I'm sure you'll love it
For *Ghosts 'N' Goblins* I remember finding the headstone/frog secret. But eventually I did that trick and turned into the frog as the timer went to zero. That totally messed up the timer to flip to 255 minutes which in essence gave an unlimited amount of time. So you would use that to sit on the first board for as long as you wanted to racking up points and lives to help get through the rest of the game.
Rolling Thunder 3 was the bees knees back in the day, loved renting that game. The original was fun too, but 3 was a monster.
Yes, all three were really good
Loved
Rolling Thunder. Get well sir!!
Glad Layla got upgraded from damsel to hero in the sequel.
I never played it back in the day, but hope the series makes a comeback.
They really should
Wonderful coverage! Thank you!
Thanks a bunch, glad you liked it
the charterers movements seemed really fluid for the time. mostly in the enemy's body movements. turns out it's available for the Nintendo Switch. nostalgia has made me buy
it. $7.99 isn't bad. ty.
No that's a pretty good price. The animation was very fluid
Another great vid about a classic game. Thanks Pat!
Glad you enjoyed it, Thanks my friend
Loved this game! I remember going to the home of a arcade mechanic and he had games in every corner and Rollin’ Thunder was peeking out of a closet!
That must've been awesome
I've spent so many days and quarters playing this game at a local arcade as a teen, and was extremely happy when it came out on the NES. I didn't care how many visual glitches it had I just loved playing it at home. Even now when I play this game I have memories of hanging out at the arcade and pizza place next door chatting to the cute girls there... :)
Your comments triggered a few memories for me :-)
Another great video, Patman. I've only played this on the NES when I was a kid. It was frustrating and I never beat it.
Thanks a lot, the home version for me was easier just because of the password feature
I always wondered what Maboo was. An alien, demon wizard, or mutant mad scientist?
I always thought he was an alien growing up
I think they may have literally used the same engine/template/framework from Rolling Thunder to create Shinobi. ...and I'm glad they did. I discovered Rolling Thunder after Shinobi, and I really enjoy RT, and the sequels. Thanks Pat!
Shinobi came out around six months after this game so it's possible they were developed at the same time. I believe rolling thunder was the innovator though
Just finished the video, and I had no idea the Lynx version had been discovered, as for the longest time like 1 screen shot was all there was. That looks absolutely amazing(decent speed, killer graphics), and would have for sure been another great conversion for the Lynx, as for a handheld, it had some of the best arcade ports of the time. Hopefully one day the homebrew scene can pick that version up and see fit to finish it, as it's looks as nice as I always hoped it would have. Going to find it now so I can give it ago, as the wait has been way to long, just wish it was more than one level.
It would be cool if the homebrew scene could finish it. Apparently the prototype that was discovered was of an earlier version that was dropped because it wasn't turning out very well. Looks pretty good to me.
When the game had just been released I and my buddy found a copy at the Colosseum Arcade at Cedar Point (Sandusky OH) and we spent hours that day playing the game. About 2 weeks later it started to show up in my local arcades in Erie PA. I don't remember how many months we played it before finding the box cheat that lets you walk behind a screen full of enemies without them attacking you.
That is awesome, I never knew about it back in the day
YES! I love the OG Rolling Thunder. I'll replay the first level all the time, love the music and the gameplay. This and probably Castlevania on the NES are two games I'll play the first level over again just about any time.
It's a classic. Similar to Rastan where everything about the game is perfect from the graphics to the sounds to the controls
I was a little too young to play Rolling Thunder at the time of its arcade release but Rolling Thunder 3 on the Sega MegaDrive was pure magic for me back then.
All three of the games are excellent
I have 'Rolling Thunder' on an Arcade1Up cabinet; lots of fun.
Yes, it's great
Another episode that was absolutely fantastic! 👌
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks
Another game that borrowed heavily from Rolling Thunder but nobody never mention this connection ( in regards mechanics and gameplay style), is Sunsetriders. Instead of entering office doors, you enter bars, barns, and ejem… h*okers’.
In arcade never made far past the caverns. But got to finally finish the game when I rented the Tengen for the nes.
Yes there were a lot of games the borrowed from this template
I imagine Golgo13 might have been inspiration for this game character. I remember this in arcades and it was amazing to look at, but someone was always playing it with lines of quarters already booked on the cabinet. Very much reminds me of Shinobi's style, including the amazing Genesis Shadow Dancer. Great history of this unique game, thanks Patman!
Thanks, although shinobi came out six months after this game did
@@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries That is cool to know, thanks Patman! So Rolling Thunder preceded Shinobi. :)
Yes 🙂@@BlackArroToons
@@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries , the Golgo 13 games were pretty good on the NES/FDS. Surprisingly, they got away with little to no censorship in the West as well. I am still sad that its mangaka (manga/franchise creator) died recently, as Golgo 13 is on par with legendary characters like James Bond, Jason Bourne, Jack Reacher, Jack Ryan, and Alex Cross in Western fiction. Also, speaking of Jason Bourne, there is actually a pretty good video game prequel to The Bourne Identity that is called The Bourne Conspiracy that is for the PS2, Xbox, and PC. However, what makes that confusing is that the sixth novel in the Jason Bourne series is also called The Bourne Conspiracy and the events that are in that book are also completely different than the ones that are in the video game.
I first played this game as part of Namco Museum Battle Collection for the PSP and enjoyed it. I even manage to beat it to the end. Definitely one of Namco's fun game of it's time.
You’re a good man Patman.
And thorough.
Thanks a ton
Lieberman and Tipper Gore are on the case regarding those statues!
LOL
this was one of my faves. my local bowling alley had small string of about 6 to 10 arcade machines at a time. SFII being the big one, but Rolling Thunder was a great game.
Yes it was, I always enjoyed it
I had this on the Spectrum. Loved it though I never got far as a as a little 'un!
I thought the specter version wasn't as bad as some of the other ones
The sound design is unbelievable that's what made it so fun
That song is still rattling around in my brain
U just reignited a part of my flatulent brain! Holy hell I played the hell out of the Commodore 64 version. I’m sure it’s on my raspberry pi... gotta play it tonight!
LOL, have fun my friend
As hard and frustrating as this game was it was still awesome. The theme music is some of the best in gaming. Sounds like something out of a James Bond movie.
To me this game is like Rastan. Everything about it is perfect from the controls to the graphics to the music
@@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries Yes. Games of this era all had that simple yet tight feel on what they were. Rygar, Shinobi, etc.
Exactly@@la8208
I hope you do a documentary on Atari cloak and dagger. The whole limited production of arcade cabinets and the non released game for the home console is a great mystery! Plus they released the movie
Second
Yes that would be cool
Another great video! I was curious about the history of this game and learned a lot!
Glad to hear it! Thanks a lot
Always a great day when a new Patman video hits the CZcamss. Great memories of games brought back, always well researched and presented with that dry sense of wit. Would be great to one day learn more about the Patman behind the videos.
How nice of you to say, thanks. Perhaps one day I'll do a behind-the-scenes video
The NAMCO Arcade kit using a projector instead of a screen is available now at Big Lots! for $299 in a full color box. It has a 50Watt 2250 lumen LED bulb. The same unit is also available in a plain brown box for $199. They also have an arcade kit with NFL Blitz that has 3 different versions of the game. I say kit because you have to assemble the cabinet using the particle boards and mount the game controllers provided.
That sounds pretty awesomeIn a great deal as well
@@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries They also have an NFL Blitz cabinet kit with all 4 versions that uses an LCD screen.
14:10 A flamethrower, underwater. All right.
LOL
I gotta catch up with your videos I dig ya break down on these classic games I grew up playing
Thanks a bunch
Today I learned that this game has so many versions, I played this on SNES back in the days maybe I was 4 that time I can't read yet.. but people around me called this game "James Bond" , I searched "James Bond" game last year but it was different result. I tried downloading Namco Museum on my Nintendo Switch and saw this game and learned its called "Rolling Thunder". awesome game needless to say. Thank you for the documentary!
Thanks, it never came up for the super Nintendo only the original Nintendo. There were Also two games for the Sega Genesis
There's a very Lupin the Third-esque look about the player sprite. Ironically, while the character artwork looks nothing like Lupin, he is holding a Walther P-38.
The female player sprite in RT 2 even looks like Fujiko Mine. Right down to the size of her...gun.
LOL, I'll have to take a closer look :-)
@@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries I swear I've seen Fujiko Mine wear that exact outfit in one of the OVAs too.
I definitely loved this game, especially for the pacing.
As far as Code Name Viper (NES), it definitely took a lot of liberties and inspiration from this game. Despite being a Capcom title, it was actually developed by Arc System Works, the same company synonymous for Guilty Gear & BlazBlue, and currently owns the back catalogue from Technōs Japan.
Yeah, people forget Capcom did a lot of bootleggy things early in their career.
From what I read arc developed both rolling thunder and codename Viper on the NES and shared some of the code and design between the two.
totally watching this during a wicked thunderstorm
LOL, fantastic
NES Rolling Thunder fact! The port was made by Arc System Works of Guilty Gear and Blazblue fame. In conjunction, the clone, Code Name: Viper was also developed by ArcSys and using a good chunk of the RT port's programming as a basis, with Capcom doing the graphics and music (For example, Yoko Shimomura did some of her first work with Code Name: Viper)
That's very interesting, and makes a lot of sense. Thanks for the info
W00t. One of my alltime favo's.
One of mine as well, enjoy!
With all the variety of gaming content on CZcams, it's still hard to find a great game historian. like and then watch the material!
That is awesome, I appreciate the nice words. Thank you so much
Ooh, Rolling Thunder. Nice! I love this series and its knockoffs such as Code Name Viper! We also have it to thank for inspiring Sega to do Shinobi. Man, old school Namco was just amazing!
Yes they were
I first played Rolling Thunder 3 as a rental from Blockbuster on my Sega Genesis. I never played the first or second game. Well, i did play the second game on an emulator courtesy of a shipmate when I was at VLS C School. I've honestly inly ever beaten the third game.
The thing that drew me to 3 was the music, as well as the heavy anime style it had.
Those were the staples of the series to be honest. The game is similar to Rastan were everything works together perfectly. The graphics, the sound and the music are all excellent
I might draw a fan poster of this game someday.
If you do tag me and I'll check it out
@@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries Right.
So cool from Hopwood 😊
Thanks Billy
Crime City needs to be acknowledged as an unofficial sequel. Brilliant game
That's a good one although the player didn't go in and out of doors. It is a Spinoff of Chase HQ however
I used to rent the tengen NES version quite a bit when I was a kid, I always loved the death animations of the enemies
I used to rent a lot of games as well and this was one of my favorites
I used to rent NES RT from my local video store so many times my friend asked me why I just didn't BUY the stupid game😂
The first thing I noticed when playing it on NES was how long his legs were. Thought it looked silly. Later I would learn that in Japan, long skinny legs are the mark of a hero. Just as big muscles are in a Canon film. Love this game.
Absolutely,, it's a classic
It's worth noting that Codename: Viper was published by Capcom but the game was made by the folks at Arc System Works, the same crew that Namco had hired to port Rolling Thunder to the famicom a year earlier. Maybe they were using it as a chance to make the sequel that wasn't out yet.
I had read that arc developed both versions but I couldn't verify it so I didn't mention it. Thanks for the info
It was common knowledge that in the 1980s, many software companies that were contracted to make home computer versions, didn't do separate ST and Amiga versions, either through lack of time, or money. What they'd do, is write the ST version, and then make the barest minimum changes to make it work on the Amiga. Yes, the Amiga version would use basically the same software sprites and scrolling as the ST version, with hardly any blitter usage. The CPU in the ST ran about a MHZ quicker than the Amiga, this is why it appears slightly smoother.
Yes, I have seen it far too often for the Amiga version gets the shaft over the Atari ST.
I remember a fast food joint had this back in '88. I remember watching this older black guy play because he was the only one I ever saw get past level 4. I got it for NES a few years later and never could beat the final stage.
I couldn't make it very far in the arcade version either. Did much better with the NES title
Superb game and loved completing it on a Pandora.
Nice one!
My top arcade game back on the day
One of mine as well, I love the music especially
One of the most underrated games that there is.
I agree
It's on my arcade 1 up ms. pac man multi and I love it. Played it a ton as a teen in the day
Excellent
Speaking of the 60s, I just watched a video of a playthrough where someone hacked Super Mario Bros. 2 to be The Beatles' Yellow Submarine. They redid the music in the game to resemble Beatles songs and everything!
Wow that sounds incredible. Thanks for the tip
I would’ve thought Lupin the 3rd would’ve been the biggest manga/anime influence 🤷🏽♂️
It's entirely possible but those three were the main ones
This one’s a classic. Great video as always.
Thanks!
I played the hell outta the nes version when I was in my early 20’s back in the early 90’s. Never beat the game tho, but, I was stunned when I eventually played the arcade version, and saw just how close the nes version was in comparison. Sure, some of the enemy colors aren’t the same, and there are far less enemies on screen at once, but, it’s still a challenging game on the nes, just the same.
Absolutely, the NES version turned out extremely well
Ugh man between this and Rampage these were my 2 favorite arcade games at my local bowling alley as a wee little shit.
LOL you sound like me :-)
I remember Rolling Thunder 3 for Genesis having some of the best in game music id ever heard
Yes it was good but I will always love the original thheme the best
Thank you
Thanks for watching
Look at the karate kid 2....dancing to elvis in the city, working air base...craziness
LOL
I recently picked up the Famicom/NES and Genesis Parts 2 & 3 in the same month 😁
Excellent, all good versions
Rolling Thunder is great I will play the arcade game first and I like to see a movie version of this game. 😀👍🎮
Actually there is a movie called rolling
Thunder from the 70's.
The hero even fights badguys
Too.
Have fun
@@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries ok.😀👍🎮
I loved the look of this game. It would've made a sweet anime cartoon in the style of something like G Force / Battle of the Planets.
Super ranger looks like generic versions of Mario and Luigi shooting generic versions of speed racer
LOL good call
As a child, I always thought the bad guys were aliens. They melted away like the aliens from the War of the Worlds TV show.
LOL that's true
Oh Snap! This is one of my GOAT titles, and I'm hoping one of the small scale coin-op makers will offer it one day, either New Wave Toys or Numskull Quarter Arcades. I used to play this at a liquor store near my house as a teen(yeah I know, different times back then), and this is probably one of my most played arcade ever. I just love the design, the side art, the music, theming, etc., Rolling Thunder was just the perfect package.
Sadly, all the home versions sucked, at least all the ones I remember, the NES was OK, but didn't feel like the arcade(and was super hard). The one version I think could have been great was an announced Atari Lynx version, but to my knowledge, it never got past the announcement stage.
I hope you stayed for the entire video because I showed the Atari Lynx prototype which was discovered last year. There is a tabletop version but it only plays the NES version. This is one of my all-time favorite run and guns
I have the arcade 1up ms. pacman multi and its on it
I was sure you did this previously but still a good watch.
I did but if you read the description the old video was from four years ago and only 10 minutes with extremely poor audio. This one was 31 minutes and lots of new information
@@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries oh yeah, i wasnt being critical just wondering if i was going a bit forgetful in my old age. 4 years ago, didnt realise i had been watching for that long. I always love your videos man.
@@Barcrest No I didn't take it that way at all. Thanks
Not being familiar with your channel, when I saw the title of this video I was shocked and excited at the idea that someone might be releasing a ported and remastered version of Rolling Thunder. Fortunately my disappointment was only brief at realizing my misunderstanding, since this is a great video about one of my all-time favorite games.
Sorry, I said in the description how the original video was only 10 minutes and recorded with cheap microphone. I wanted to remaster the video and give it the proper respect it deserves. So with an extra 20 minutes and tons of new information I thought it would be a good time to do an all new video
@@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries No reason for you to be sorry at all! I apologize that my comment was worded in a way that made it sound like a criticism. That honestly wasn't my intent, and looking back at things now, the mistake was entirely on my end. It was 3 AM or so and I was apparently a bit punchy, and my reading comprehension wasn't at its best. I think I misinterpreted the title because I was reading what I wanted to read at the time, not because anything you wrote was misleading. In any case, it is a great video, and I really appreciate the depth you went into on such an old game that is dear to my heart. Thanks for the response, and once again, my apologies for not waiting until I'd had some sleep to leave a comment.
@@njp4321 No I didn't take it that way at all and sorry if it sounded like that. Sorry if it was a bit confusing. I'm glad you enjoyed the channel, thanks
I love your videos.
Thanks a ton
I spent so many quarters playing this game back in the day. This game had a sequel too.
I cover all three games in the franchise as well as the various knockoffs and conversions
I used to play this a lot in the arcades, but couldn't get to the second loop. I think i saw someone finish it once and i suspect he might have used up a sizeable amount of coins in the process.
The music & f/x are spot on and keep you going along. The sequel i did play, and whilst the sonics & graphics were an improvement, the feel pf the original had been diluted in the playability.
The original game was the first of its kind which is why it made such an impression on me. I do like the follow-ups but the first one is the best in my opinion
@@PatmanQC-Arcade-Documentaries couldn't agree more .
Laughing hard on the couch while looking at the gameplay with the music of the commodore 64 version
LOL glad I could help
This game was definitely one of the best
Yes it was
I remember playing RT on NES as a kid it's was fun and challenge but RT3 on the sega all time favorite
All three games turned out fantastic
I actually have this game in an arcade game collection I bought for my Xbox One.
I'm scared of the difficulty but I want to give it a try.
It's fun but it is challenging