Rolling Thunder 2

n/a

NTSC-U NTSC-J PAL
Rolling Thunder 2
System(s): Sega Mega Drive, Virtual Console
Publisher: Namco (JP) Namco Hometek (US) Bandai Namco Games
Developer: Namco M2
Original system(s): Namco System 2
Sound driver: Namco sound driver
Genre: Action
Number of players: 1-2
Release Date RRP Code JP 1991-11-19 ¥7,0007,000 T-14133 US 1992-01 $59.9559.95 T-14066 EU 1993-04 1140 UK 1993-04 £34.9934.99 1140 AU 1993 JP ▼ 2007-12-04 600pts600 US ▼ 2007-12-24 800pts800 EU ▼ 2007-12-07 800pts800 AU ▼ 2007-12 800pts800
Non-Sega versions Arcade

Rolling Thunder 2 (ローリングサンダー２) is a run-and-gun game by Namco, originally released in 1990 for the arcade and ported to the Sega Mega Drive in 1991 (though Europe got a release in 1992). It is the second game in the Rolling Thunder trilogy and the first to be released on a Sega platform.

Story

Geldra, the evil organization that was destroyed in the original game, returns under new leadership as Neo-Geldra. The group is destroying the Earth's satellites. The player controls Leila or Albatross, two operatives of Interpol's fictional Rolling Thunder task force.

Gameplay

Albatross and Leila

The game is an action platformer. The player can choose to play as Leila or Albatross, who both control identically. The characters walk with and and crouch with . They jump with and jump higher with +. If they high jump in front of a balcony or other ledge, they automatically pull themselves over the railing; they can jump back down from the platform with +. They can enter doors and hide by holding while standing in front of a doorway; they come back out when is released. There are also numerous objects that can be used as cover by either the player or an enemy. Doors can contain special items, including weapons and ammunition. Some rounds contain hidden doors.

The characters shoot with . Shots cannot be aimed, and the characters cannot shoot while in mid-air but can shoot while crouching with +. The characters are initially armed with pistols but can acquire more advanced weapons as the game progresses. Weapons have limited ammunition. When they run out of ammo, they can only shoot slow "chaser" shots; only one can be on screen at a time.

Characters start with two hit points. Hits from bullets and other projectiles such as lasers cost two hit points. Running into an enemy but not being attacked knocks the character back but does not cost hit points. Characters lose a life when they run out of hit points, and the player must restart the round from the beginning or from the last predetermined continue point. Rounds are timed, and the player loses a life if time runs out. Some doorways contain extra hit points or extra time. Players are given an extra life after each round is cleared. There are also hidden extra lives in the rounds that are found by shooting at certain areas. Hit points and weapons do not carry over to the next round.

The game supports two-player cooperative play with each player controlling a different agent. If one player loses a life, the player is not revived until the other player reaches a continue point. A player can take a life from the other player with if the player has no lives remaining.

The game has a password system for continuing. The password is given as a phrase of four words (not counting articles). After completing the game, the player is given a password to start the game again on a higher difficulty level.

Special weapons

	Submachine Gun
	A rapid-fire machine gun. It can be fired continuously by holding .
	Flame Gun
	Shoots a large fireball that potentially hits multiple targets in an area.
	Shot Cluster
	Fires a cluster of six pulse lasers. The lasers penetrate through multiple enemies and spread out into a wider area as they travel farther.

Items

These items are found in doors marked with signs.

	Bullet
	Gives the character more ammunition for the standard pistol.
	Arms
	Acquires the Submachine Gun special weapon.
	Fire
	Acquires the Flame Gun special weapon.
	Shot
	Acquires the Shot Cluster special weapon.

Rounds

	Round 1
	Round 2
	This level is absent from the arcade version of the game.
	Round 3
	Round 4
	Round 5
	Round 6
	Round 7
	The player can move between the background layer with the nets with and .
	Round 8
	Round 9
	Round 10
	Last Round

Passwords

Main article: Rolling Thunder 2/Passwords.

Versions

The Japanese version locks on this screen when played on non NTSC-J consoles.

Compared to the arcade version, the Sega Mega Drive version of Rolling Thunder 2 has downgraded graphics and audio but contains several new stages, standard enemies, and bosses not present in the original game. A password system and short cutscenes between stages have also been added. This is in line with Namco's other ports to the Sega Mega Drive, such as Dangerous Seed.

There are no gameplay related differences and only the Japanese version of the game is region protected. Only the audio from the PAL version was optimized, but forcing it into 60Hz mode via console modding or emulation makes it play and sound just like the NTSC releases.

Production credits

• Planning: Toy‑Jun
• Programming: Fujiyama Saita
• Visual Design: Rita Nekomoto
• Sound Design: Shiba
• Visual Support: Hang Chang
• The JIRO: Sanonji
• Hometek Team: Ken Lobb, Jim Curry, Loan Vu, Carol Munoz, Eileen Noguchi

Source:

In-game credits

---

• Produce: Toyoda
• Graphic: Okamoto
• Sound: Shibano
• Program: Saita

Source:

Internal ROM text

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• Cover artist (US/EU): Lee MacLeod

Source:

Uncredited

Digital manuals

• 

  Mega Drive Mini 2 US manual

• 

  Mega Drive Mini 2 EU manual

Magazine articles

Main article: Rolling Thunder 2/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

Print advert in Game Informer (US) #3: "January/February 1992" (199x-xx-xx)
also published in:

• GamePro (US) #31: "February 1992" (199x-xx-xx)
• Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) #32: "March 1992" (1992-xx-xx)
• Sega Visions (US) #8: "May/June 1992" (1992-xx-xx)

Print advert in Mega Sega (ES) #1: "xxxx 1993" (1993-xx-xx)

Artwork

US/EU cover artwork by Lee MacLeod

Physical scans

Sega Retro Average
Publication Score Source

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Based on 0 review

Sega Retro Average

Publication Version Score 1700 igr dlya Sega (RU) 50 Ação Games (BR) 94 Aktueller Software Markt (DE) 75 Beep! MegaDrive (JP) NTSC-J 63 Consoles + (FR) NTSC-J 90 Console XS (UK) NTSC-J 93 Computer & Video Games (UK) 92 Computer & Video Games (UK) 81 Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) NTSC-U 83 Entsiklopediya luchshikh igr Sega. Vypusk 1 (RU) 50 Famitsu (JP) NTSC-J 65 GamePro (US) NTSC-U 92 Games-X (UK) 60 Génération 4 (FR) 88 Game Informer (US) NTSC-U 75 Hippon Super (JP) NTSC-J 60 Hobby Consolas (ES) 93 Joypad (FR) NTSC-J 91 Joypad (FR) PAL 91 Joystick (FR) NTSC-J 91 Sega Mega Drive Advanced Gaming (UK) 82 Sega Mega Drive Advanced Gaming (UK) NTSC 82 Mega Drive Fan (JP) NTSC-J 66 Mega (UK) PAL 71 Mega (UK) PAL 60 Mega Action (UK) 90 Mega Play (US) NTSC-U 83 MegaTech (UK) NTSC 90 Mean Machines (UK) 85 Mean Machines Sega (UK) 85 Player One (FR) 65 Play Time (DE) 82 Power Play (DE) 71 Sega Power (UK) NTSC-U 76 Sega Pro (UK) NTSC-J 91 Sega Pro (UK) 89 Sega Force Mega (UK) 79 Sega Force (SE) 90 Sega Force (UK) PAL 80 Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) NTSC-J 71 Supersonic (FR) 89 Tricks 16 bit (RU) 80 Video Games (DE) 72

	79
Based on 43 reviews

Rolling Thunder 2

Mega Drive, JP
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, US
Cover
Cart Manual PCB

Mega Drive, EU
Cover
Cart Manual PCB

Mega Drive, AU

Technical information

Main article: Rolling Thunder 2/Technical information.

External links

• Sega of Japan Virtual Console pages: Mega Drive
• Nintendo catalogue pages: US, UK, AU

References

Rolling Thunder games for Sega systems
Rolling Thunder 2 (1991) | Rolling Thunder 3 (1993)