<s>
It	O
released	O
in	O
1986	O
as	O
a	O
coin-operated	O
arcade	B-Application
video	I-Application
game	I-Application
using	O
the	O
Namco	O
System	O
86	O
hardware	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rolling	B-Application
Thunder	I-Application
was	O
a	O
commercial	O
success	O
in	O
arcades	O
,	O
and	O
it	O
was	O
released	O
for	O
various	O
home	O
computer	O
platforms	O
in	O
1987	O
and	O
the	O
Nintendo	O
Entertainment	O
System	O
in	O
1989	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
original	O
arcade	B-Application
game	O
has	O
been	O
included	O
in	O
various	O
classic	O
game	O
compilations	O
as	O
well	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
influenced	O
later	O
arcade	B-Application
action	O
franchises	O
such	O
as	O
Shinobi	B-Application
and	O
Time	B-Application
Crisis	I-Application
,	O
which	O
borrowed	O
mechanics	O
such	O
as	O
taking	O
cover	O
behind	O
crates	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
controls	O
Albatross	B-Application
,	O
a	O
member	O
of	O
the	O
WCPO	O
's	O
(	O
World	O
Crime	O
Police	O
Organization	O
)	O
"	O
Rolling	B-Application
Thunder	I-Application
"	O
espionage	O
unit	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Albatross	B-Application
's	O
mission	O
is	O
to	O
save	O
a	O
missing	O
female	O
agent	O
named	O
Leila	B-Application
Blitz	I-Application
from	O
a	O
secret	O
society	O
named	O
Geldra	O
located	O
in	O
New	O
York	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Albatross	B-Application
must	O
travel	O
through	O
two	O
different	O
segments	O
or	O
"	O
stories	O
"	O
,	O
each	O
composed	O
of	O
five	O
stages	O
,	O
for	O
a	O
total	O
of	O
ten	O
stages	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1988	O
,	O
U.S.	O
Gold	O
released	O
home	O
computer	O
versions	O
of	O
Rolling	B-Application
Thunder	I-Application
in	O
Europe	O
for	O
ZX	B-Operating_System
Spectrum	I-Operating_System
,	O
Commodore	O
64	O
,	O
Amstrad	B-Device
CPC	I-Device
,	O
Amiga	B-Device
and	O
Atari	B-Device
ST	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Only	O
the	O
Commodore	O
64	O
version	O
has	O
some	O
different	O
colors	O
for	O
the	O
outfit	O
of	O
the	O
Maskers	O
;	O
in	O
the	O
Amiga	B-Device
,	O
Atari	B-Device
ST	I-Device
,	O
and	O
Amstrad	B-Device
CPC	I-Device
versions	O
,	O
the	O
Maskers	O
have	O
the	O
same	O
colors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
ZX	B-Operating_System
Spectrum	I-Operating_System
version	O
is	O
almost	O
monochrome	O
,	O
but	O
has	O
fast	O
gameplay	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
March	O
17	O
,	O
1989	O
,	O
Namco	O
released	O
a	O
home	O
version	O
of	O
Rolling	B-Application
Thunder	I-Application
for	O
the	O
Family	O
Computer	O
in	O
Japan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Famicom/NES	O
version	O
features	O
a	O
few	O
minor	O
changes	O
and	O
additions	O
from	O
the	O
arcade	B-Application
version	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
a	O
password	O
feature	O
,	O
hidden	O
bonuses	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
harder	O
second	O
mission	O
accessible	O
by	O
inputting	O
a	O
password	O
given	O
to	O
the	O
player	O
for	O
completing	O
the	O
normal	O
mission	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Namco	O
's	O
Famicom	O
version	O
of	O
Rolling	B-Application
Thunder	I-Application
has	O
an	O
onboard	O
sound	O
chip	O
using	O
the	O
extra	O
sound	O
channels	O
of	O
the	O
cartridge	O
slot	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
Lynx	I-General_Concept
conversion	O
of	O
Rolling	B-Application
Thunder	I-Application
was	O
announced	O
in	O
a	O
Lynx	B-General_Concept
catalog	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
scheduled	O
May	O
1992	O
release	O
date	O
,	O
but	O
was	O
later	O
canceled	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
original	O
arcade	B-Application
version	O
is	O
featured	O
in	O
Namco	B-Device
Museum	I-Device
Encore	I-Device
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
,	O
Namco	B-Application
Museum	I-Application
Battle	I-Application
Collection	I-Application
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
Portable	I-Operating_System
,	O
in	O
Namco	B-Device
Museum	I-Device
Virtual	O
Arcade	B-Application
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
in	O
Namco	B-Device
Museum	I-Device
50th	I-Device
Anniversary	I-Device
for	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
,	O
Nintendo	B-Application
GameCube	I-Application
,	O
Xbox	B-Application
,	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Advance	I-Device
,	O
and	O
PC	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
arcade	B-Application
version	O
was	O
released	O
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
's	O
Virtual	B-Application
Console	I-Application
in	O
Japan	O
on	O
July	O
21	O
,	O
2009	O
,	O
and	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
Pac-Man	O
'	O
s	O
Arcade	B-Application
Party	O
30th	O
Anniversary	O
arcade	B-Application
machine	O
in	O
2010	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2012	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
added	O
to	O
the	O
Namco	B-Application
Arcade	I-Application
(	O
iOS	O
)	O
app	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
also	O
released	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
Namco	B-Device
Museum	I-Device
compilation	O
for	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
,	O
and	O
also	O
was	O
included	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
Arcade	B-Application
Archives	I-Application
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Japan	O
,	O
Game	O
Machine	O
listed	O
Rolling	B-Application
Thunder	I-Application
among	O
the	O
most	O
popular	O
arcade	B-Application
games	O
in	O
February	O
1987	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
also	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
top	O
four	O
highest-grossing	O
arcade	B-Application
games	I-Application
of	I-Application
1987	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
arcade	B-Application
game	O
was	O
a	O
commercial	O
success	O
in	O
Europe	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Upon	O
release	O
,	O
Clare	O
Edgeley	O
wrote	O
a	O
very	O
short	O
review	O
of	O
the	O
arcade	B-Application
game	O
in	O
Computer	O
and	O
Video	O
Games	O
,	O
saying	O
that	O
the	O
gameplay	O
in	O
Rolling	B-Application
Thunder	I-Application
is	O
"	O
rather	O
slow	O
"	O
and	O
that	O
she	O
would	O
n't	O
recommend	O
it	O
to	O
anyone	O
"	O
keen	O
on	O
a	O
bit	O
of	O
fast	O
action	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Your	O
Sinclair	O
magazine	O
reviewed	O
the	O
ZX	B-Operating_System
Spectrum	I-Operating_System
version	O
in	O
February	O
1988	O
,	O
giving	O
it	O
a	O
highly	O
positive	O
review	O
and	O
rating	O
it	O
9	O
of	O
10	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1996	O
,	O
Next	O
Generation	O
ranked	O
the	O
arcade	B-Application
version	O
as	O
the	O
43rd	O
game	O
of	O
all	O
time	O
,	O
noting	O
:	O
"	O
A	O
controversial	O
choice	O
,	O
we	O
know	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
But	O
what	O
separates	O
Rolling	B-Application
Thunder	I-Application
from	O
lesser	O
side-scrollers	O
is	O
the	O
fact	O
that	O
everything	O
gels	O
together	O
perfectly	O
:	O
the	O
long-legged	O
characters	O
,	O
the	O
wonderfully	O
designed	O
levels	O
,	O
the	O
weapons	O
,	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
panthers	O
as	O
enemies	O
,	O
your	O
character	O
's	O
ability	O
to	O
duck	O
behind	O
boxes	O
,	O
the	O
constant	O
need	O
to	O
jump	O
from	O
the	O
floor	O
to	O
raised	O
platforms	O
,	O
and	O
some	O
great	O
music.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Rolling	B-Application
Thunder	I-Application
was	O
followed	O
by	O
a	O
sequel	O
for	O
the	O
arcades	O
titled	O
Rolling	B-Application
Thunder	I-Application
2	I-Application
in	O
1990	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
port	O
for	O
the	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Genesis	I-Operating_System
and	I-Operating_System
Mega	I-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
was	O
released	O
in	O
1991	O
,	O
followed	O
by	O
Rolling	B-Application
Thunder	I-Application
3	I-Application
for	O
the	O
Genesis	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
in	O
1993	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
theme	O
based	O
on	O
Rolling	B-Application
Thunder	I-Application
,	O
featuring	O
several	O
characters	O
from	O
the	O
game	O
is	O
featured	O
in	O
Pac-Man	B-Application
99	I-Application
,	O
as	O
special	O
DLC	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rolling	B-Application
Thunder	I-Application
spawned	O
several	O
clones	O
in	O
the	O
late	O
1980s	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sega	O
's	O
Shinobi	B-Application
(	O
1987	O
)	O
upon	O
release	O
drew	O
comparisons	O
to	O
Rolling	B-Application
Thunder	I-Application
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
a	O
copy	O
from	O
the	O
South	O
Korean	O
company	O
SunA	O
in	O
which	O
they	O
titled	O
Super	O
Ranger	O
(	O
1988	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ryan	O
Lambie	O
,	O
writing	O
for	O
Den	O
of	O
Geek	O
,	O
considers	O
Rolling	B-Application
Thunder	I-Application
to	O
be	O
"	O
the	O
precursor	O
to	O
the	O
modern	O
cover	O
shooter	O
"	O
due	O
to	O
how	O
the	O
player	O
can	O
hide	O
behind	O
crates	O
,	O
doors	O
and	O
other	O
obstacles	O
to	O
avoid	O
enemy	O
fire	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rolling	B-Application
Thunder	I-Application
established	O
the	O
"	O
walk-and-shoot	O
"	O
template	O
later	O
used	O
by	O
the	O
Shinobi	B-Application
series	O
,	O
which	O
borrows	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
similar	O
mechanics	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
jumping	O
on	O
crates	O
,	O
taking	O
cover	O
behind	O
crates	O
,	O
and	O
jumping	O
up	O
to	O
higher	O
levels	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Lambie	O
also	O
considers	O
Namco	O
's	O
Time	B-Application
Crisis	I-Application
series	I-Application
to	O
be	O
a	O
spiritual	O
successor	O
to	O
Rolling	B-Application
Thunder	I-Application
,	O
citing	O
similarities	O
like	O
how	O
the	O
player	O
can	O
"	O
take	O
cover	O
behind	O
crates	O
,	O
shoot	O
multi-colored	O
goons	O
with	O
a	O
pistol	O
,	O
and	O
gradually	O
make	O
your	O
way	O
through	O
a	O
villain	O
's	O
lair	O
in	O
search	O
of	O
a	O
damsel	O
in	O
distress	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
