Albatross, Leila, and the fight against Geldra. Grab your jumping shoes and get ready to fight against international robot terrorism, because today we're asking the question: Should Namco reboot Rolling Thunder?


First released in 1986, Rolling Thunder proved to not only be popular, but also influential. It starred Albatross, a red-shirted member of the World Crime Police Organization's Rolling Thunder outfit. His mission is to save Leila Blitz, a missing agent captured by a secret society known as Geldra.

What could have been a dumb run-and-gun action game is elevated by a simple yet effective gameplay gimmick. As it turns out, Wesley Snipes was wrong -- white men CAN jump. In fact, this white guy can jump dozens of feet into the air. He's literally able to jump from one floor to the next, all without charging or crouching down. He's a medical marvel.

If this mechanic looks familiar, it's because both Sega and Capcom poached the idea when developing Shinobi and Code Name: Viper. Realistic physics be damned, the impossible jumps turned Albatross into a character capable of getting out of tricky situations. He wasn't limited to simply hiding behind boxes, he would be able to jump to the next floor to escape incoming enemies. And if that wasn't enough, he's also capable of hiding in the game's many rooms.

This tweak to the gameplay was enough to warrant a sequel, the well-received Rolling Thunder 2. While the original only hit consoles by way of an unlicensed Tengen cartridge, the two-player sequel received a proper Sega Genesis port not long after the arcade release. Critics fell in love with Rolling Thunder 2, giving it high marks across the board. Some magazines even took the opportunity to retroactively heap praise on the original. For example, Next Generation named Rolling Thunder the 43rd best game of all time in 1996.

But critics were not as kind to Rolling Thunder 3, a game that introduced a new protagonist. Only released on the Sega Genesis, many complained that this third installment was a big step backwards in both length and quality. The sequel also missed with consumers, making Rolling Thunder 3 the final chapter in the trilogy.

It's been 22 years since Namco released a Rolling Thunder game. In that time we've seen countless 2D action games try to fight for attention, but few have the charm and excitement of Rolling Thunder. More importantly, none use the series' central conceit. Even Shinobi quickly shied away from this style of gameplay.

The answer is yes, Namco should reboot Rolling Thunder. But not just because of the jumping. I say bring back the word salad passwords like "A Private Leopard Punched the Neuron" and "A Natural Fighter Created the Genius." Bring back the two-player action, which is one of the few times gamers get to play romantically-linked spies. Bring back the exciting story. Rolling Thunder is a forgotten gem that deserves to be made relevant again. And if Namco won't do it, I'll settle for Code Name: Viper 2.