
ROLLING THUNDER 3

Version 1.0
Last update - Saturday 06 24 2000

Copyright 2000 Faididi (faididi@hotmail.com)
This walkthrough is intended for private use only and may not
be distributed for personal gain.

Rolling Thunder 3 Copyright 1993 Namco

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INDEX

I.   Background Info
      - What's Going On (story)
      - Who's Who (character summaries)
      - What's In, What's Out
      - Living the Life of a Secret Agent (controls and tips)
      - Options
      - Weapons (special and unspecial)
      - Behind Door #1... (about doors and the bonuses behind 'em)

II.  Round Strategies (story mode)
      - Introduction
      - Round  1: Oil Refinery
      - Round  2: The Factory
      - Round  3: Highway
      - Round  4: Las Vegas Night
      - Round  5: Dread's Building
      - Round  6: The Pacific Ocean
      - Round  7: Easter Island
      - Round  8: Underground Base
      - Round  9: Hijack
      - Round 10: Castle of Dread
      - Epilogue

III. Secret Rounds
      - Round Ex A: Sewers
      - Round Ex B: Mines
      - Round Ex C: Warehouse

IV.  After the Ending

V.   Secret Agent Secrets (miscellaneous stuff)
      - Passwords
      - Secret Passwords
      - Various Values (quick reference)
      - Fun with Audio
      - Really Small Details
      - Personal Thoughts

VI.  Credits

======================================================================
I. BACKGROUND INFO - You can review this before going on your mission
======================================================================

---------------
WHAT'S GOING ON
---------------

In the late 20th Century, satellites around the globe were being
destroyed, disrupting communications and causing a wide-scale panic.
The secret international police agency known as "Rolling Thunder"
uncovered the criminal organization behind this insidious plot -
Geldra. Once thought to be destroyed, Geldra is now led by a new
leader by the name of Gimdo. Agents Leila and Albatross were sent
immediately to stop Gimdo.

But that's not all. Rolling Thunder sends another agent by the
name of Jay after Dread, the second-in-command of Geldra. By
destroying the top two links in the chain of command, Geldra will
be stopped for sure.

So yes, Rolling Thunder 3 takes place at the same time as Rolling
Thunder 2, but it concentrates on Jay's adventures. As he's about
to find out, sometimes the #2 bad guy can be just as worse as
the #1 boss...

---------
WHO'S WHO
---------

Rolling Thunder
 A secret branch of the World Police Organization (WPO).

Leila
 Rolling Thunder agent #1. She's the best there is, but even the
 best can get into trouble, as what happened in the first
 Rolling Thunder. Fortunately, Albatross bailed her out, and now
 she's something for Geldra to fear.

Albatross
 Rolling Thunder agent #2. In the first game he was called in to
 rescue Leila and to stop Mabu. Geldra's back now, but so're
 he and Leila.

Jay
 Rolling Thunder agent #3. Being the most inexperienced of the bunch,
 he's still highly trained nevertheless. Plus he's the only available
 agent left to take on the Dread case. Let's hope his wits and his
 revolver will get him through.

Ellen
 A communications officer for Rolling Thunder. She backs up Jay in
 this game, serving as a link between him and HQ. Beats me, but
 I sense something special going on between the two...

Geldra
 The criminal organization Rolling Thunder's after. These guys use
 robot agents to do their dirty work. Known as Maskers due to their
 facial appearances, these bots are capable of doing many things a
 human can, including firing a gun, throwing grenades, taking
 hostages, setting up terrorist threats over the phone, ordering
 a drink at a local bar, etc...

Mabu
 The first leader of Geldra. This guy is defintely not from Earth.
 Albatross managed to waste him despite his ability to fire lasers
 from his fingertips.

Gimdo
 The new leader of Geldra. The destruction of the satellites was
 only the first part of a far grander scheme. Unlike Mabu, he's
 not completely alien ...

Dread
 The next guy under Gimdo. Like the other 2 bosses, he can fire
 lasers from his hand and has green skin. He doesn't have two
 agents hounding his ass like in Gimdo's case, but Jay isn't
 a crappy agent either.

Male Maskers
 The mainstay of Geldra forces, these guys have been around for some
 time. They carry guns, although their iron fists are also deadly.
 The colors of their uniforms indicate how advanced they are (how
 many hits they take, how they attack, etc.).

Female Maskers
 New to the Rolling Thunder series, these femme fatales don't carry
 guns like their male counterparts. Why? Because they enjoy
 thrusting their long legs through Jay! When they get up close,
 their kicks become extremely lethal. Adding insult to injury, they
 can backflip through Jay's bullets, wasting his ammo. Also nasty
 are their very, very sharp heels. If they jump down from an upper
 floor onto Jay, he will get hurt bad.

Heavy Maskers
 The meanest of the Maskers. These guys take up the most hits, and
 they fire their pistols like machineguns if they're not throwing
 uppercuts at you. Not fun to toy around with. Like the female
 Maskers, these guys show up for the first time in Rolling Thunder 3.

Panthers
 A Masker's best friend is a robotic cat. These cybernetic beasts
 are tough and fast, patrolling Geldra facilites relentlessly.
 Their low profile makes them hard to hit.

Bats
 Geldra doesn't just experiment with robotics. Around since the
 first game, these gigantic flying rats will dive at any agent
 nearby.

Turret
 Not as smart as a Masker, but just as dangerous. These guns
 constantly scan their surroundings, firing at intruders.

---------------------
WHAT'S IN, WHAT'S OUT
---------------------

Rolling Thunder 3 contains the intense action from the previous
games, but there are plenty of iimprovements and diffferences too:

 - Jay can shoot upwards diagonally! Very useful for Maskers
   hiding on a balcony.

 - He can jump and shoot! Jay can avoid a bullet, kill a Masker,
   and look good all at the same time!!

 - He has a much better weapons system. Jay gets a ton of special
   weapons to play around with, plus he can start a Round with
   one! Even better is his Knife - now the Maskers aren't the
   only ones who can put up a fight at close quarters!

 - To give the game more variety, Namco added the vehicle scenes.
   Jay gets to ride a motorbike and a jet ski! These stages
   are just as fun as the normal ones, and maybe even more!

 - Jay is buffer than he looks, because he starts off with 3 Hit
   Points instead of 2! This means that he can suck up a bullet
   and write it off as a scratch. A break for gamers new to the
   series!

 - Plus, dying makes him continue from where he was instead
   of putting him back at a checkpoint!

 - There's no more time limit! (But if Jay takes too long to
   finish a Round, a Masker sniper will start shooting at him!)

 - The graphics got a major makeover. Backgrounds are animated,
   characters are more detailed. The cinematics look better too!

 - The music is more plentiful and better than ever. Unfortunately,
   the hilarious CD Player mode from Rolling Thunder 2 isn't here.
   (You know, the "Alien Masker Music Band" in the Music Option?)

 - The worst part comes from the removal of the 2 Player feature.
   Jay will have to go it alone, but at least he's backed-up by
   Ellen and a truckload of special weapons.

---------------------------------
LIVING THE LIFE OF A SECRET AGENT
---------------------------------

D-Pad  - Moves Jay around. Left and Right is to walk. Down is to
         kneel. Up is enter doors and to aim upwards at an angle.
         Also moves Jay in the vehicle scenes.

A      - Use the current special weapon. If Jay doesn't have one,
         he will slash with his trusty Knife instead.

B      - Fire the revolver. Unlike real life, he can still shoot
         if he runs out of ammo, although his shots will be
         slower and his reload time will be terribly longer.

C      - Jump! Use this with the D-Pad to change directions in midair.
         By holding Up or Down as Jay jumps, he can reach a 2nd floor
         or drop back down to the 1st floor, respectively. (These
         jumps are also refered to as "super-jumps.")
         Note: You cannot super-jump onto or off a second floor
               if there isn't any railing!

Start  - Pause! The standard in many videogames. :)

. . .

A few more tips in the form of silly questions and answers...

How many ways can I avoid getting killed?
 Answer: A lotta ways! The most basic manuever is to kneel down.
 You can avoid high projectiles this way. (Practice this
 both in the game and in the real world.) Next, you can hide behind
 doors (hold Up in front of one). Maskers who can't see you can't
 kill you. Another method is to jump. You can hop over low
 bullets, away from grenades, or up to a safer 2nd floor.

Should I blow my ammo like a madman?
 NO!! Even Rambo tried to conserve his bullets and explosives. By
 saving up your ammo, you'll be prepared to take on any unexpected
 wave of Maskers. Ammo refills are few and far between, so every
 bullet counts. You can also use the Knife if a Masker is close
 enough.

What's the best special weapon?
 I really can't tell you. Each agent will have his or her own
 tastes, so what you like is up to you. A later section details
 all the weapons, so you can take a look for yourself. Do know
 that not starting a Round with any special weapon can earn
 you more life. (Read the Knife section!)

Why can't I choose a special weapon again?
 If you selected one and finished the following Round, you can't
 use it again. Try to save up the better weapons (Bazooka,
 Flash, etc.) for the tougher Rounds. All Rounds are designed
 to be beatable even if you don't start off with a special
 weapon. Like in the previous Rolling Thunders, you can also
 pick up free weapons within the Rounds themselves.

Who is that sniper?
 Beats me. Whoever it is, the sniper just wanna kill Jay. If you
 take too long (approximately 2 minutes and 50 seconds) to
 complete a Round, Ellen will alert you over the radio with this
 message: "Jay, this is HQ! Enemy attack increasing - Hurry up!"
 As soon as she finishes, the sniper's targetting reticle will
 appear. When the reticle turns red, an explosive shot will be
 fired, killing Jay, Maskers, or any other destructable objects
 in the way. Jay will also not be able to hide behind a door
 (he steps back out as soon as he steps in), and the sniper
 will continue to attack until you finish the Round, reach a
 boss, or die.

-------------------
CHOOSE YOUR OPTIONS
-------------------

Select "Configuration" from the Main Menu,
if you choose to accept...

MISSION - The difficulty of the game. Until you enter a certain
          secret Password, you can't select Hard.

LEFT    - How many Jay's do you need? Trust me and leave it on
          3. Even better, use that secret Password that lets
          you select up to 5 Lives in reserve.

MUSIC   - Rolling Thunder 2 had great tunes, but Rolling Thunder
          3's kick ass! Press B or C to play a tune and press A
          to stop the music.

SOUND
EFFECT  - Like the sounds too? Again, press B or C to play an
          effect and press A to stop it. This section includes
          the game's voice bits too.

DEMO    - Even better than the music are the excellent movies.
          Leave this on if you want to see the interesting
          cinematics between every Round.

-------------------------------------------
THE NASTY WEAPONS YOU CAN KILL MASKERS WITH
-------------------------------------------

NOTE: 1 normal bullet equals to 2 Points of damage.
      Be sure to check out the "Various Values" section too!

Revolver
 - Damage: 2 Points
 - Initial Ammo: 40 bullets
 Jay's favorite weapon. It shoots straight and will serve as your
 most valuable tool.

Knife
 - Damage: 4 Points
 - Initial Ammo: 0
 Jay carries this in case of emergencies, the emergencies being
 running outta ammo. This is twice as strong as a regular bullet,
 and it costs nothing to use, so you might as well slash Maskers
 who are close to you instead of shooting them.
 NOTE: If you enter a special ammo door but you didn't select
       any special weapon in the beginning of the Round, you
       get a Life Bonus. Sometimes it's not so bad to walk
       around with only a knife, ya' know?

Full Auto (Machinegun)
 - Damage: 2 Points
 - Initial Ammo: 60 bullets
 The familiar weapon that has been around since the first game.
 It's just like your regular gun but fires at a much faster rate.
 Great for clearing out rows of Maskers.

Shotgun
 - Damage: 2 Points per pellet
 - Initial Ammo: 30 shells
 Rolling Thunder 2's Shotgun was nothing like a shotgun, but this
 one is. Although much weaker than it was in the last game, the
 new Shotgun has more spread, letting you hit Maskers on another
 floor! Up close, you can punch multiple pellets into some tougher
 Maskers, killing them immediately. Each shell produces 4 pellets
 (1 straight forwards, 2 upwards, 1 downwards).

Laser
 - Damage: 4 Points
 - Initial Ammo: 20 charges
 Fires an energy beam straight forwards. The beam isn't fast, but
 it can cleave through several Maskers at once.

Bazooka
 - Damage: 11 Points
 - Initial Ammo: 10 rockets
 An instant favorite for fans of brute force. The rocket
 kills almost everything with one hit, but the limited ammo
 will be a problem.

Cannon
 - Damage: 4 Points (napalm), 2 Points (shell)
 - Initial Ammo: 20 shells
 Lobs a shell that explodes into a patch of napalm when it hits
 the ground. Both the shell and the fire hurts Maskers. You can
 bounce the shell off of walls. If you somehow manage to
 touch your own flame, 2 Points of damage will be done to you.

Fire (Flamethrower)
 - Damage: 2 Points
 - Initial Ammo: 60 bursts (approximately 7 seconds)
 Also from Rolling Thunder 2, but unlike the Shotgun it's
 essentially the same weapon. This releases bursts of fire that
 can incinerate any Masker nearby. Its short range reaches up
 to about 4 character lengths away.

Grenade
 - Damage: 4 Points (explosion), 2 Points (grenade)
 - Initial Ammo: 30 bombs
 Just like the ones used by Maskers. They explode on contact,
 hurting anybody nearby. Hold Up when throwing one to toss
 the Grenade up high onto a second floor. If you somehow
 manage to touch your own explosion, 2 Points of damage will
 be done to you.

Flash (Flash Grenade)
 - Damage: 0 Points (explosion), 2 Points (grenade)
 - Initial Ammo: 20 bombs
 One of my favorites. These suckers blind all Maskers on the
 screen when it blows, giving you time to escape. Even better
 is that all blinded Maskers have reduced defenses - they can
 be killed with 1 bullet! Extremely useful against female
 and heavy Maskers.

Cracker
 - Damage: 8 Points (explosion), 2 Points (grenade)
 - Initial Ammo: 20 bombs
 Nastier than the regular Grenades. These things have a bigger
 blast radius and its explosions linger on longer. Of course,
 the extra weight means that Jay can carry fewer of them. If you
 somehow manage to touch your own explosions, 2 Points of damage
 will be done to you.

-----------------
BEHIND DOOR #1...
-----------------

What's behind a door? You never know (unless if they're
marked, of course).

Normal doors
 Usually empty. Use them to hide from Maskers.
 Sometimes they hide a Life bonus. If you have less than full
 life (1 or 2 Hit Points), the Bonus will refill it to max
 (3 Points). If you're at full life, you will get an extra
 Hit Point! You can have up to 5, meaning that you can
 take 3 bullets before dying!!

Marked doors
 Contains whatever's written next to it. Here's a list:
  Bullet  - Gives you 50 bullets for your revolver.
  Auto    - Gives you the Machinegun (60 rounds).
  Arms    - Gives you the Machinegun (60 rounds).
  Shot    - Gives you the Shotgun (30 shells).
  Laser   - Gives you the Laser (20 charges).
  Bazooka - Gives you the Bazooka (10 rockets).
  Cannon  - Gives you the Cannon (20 shells).
  Fire    - Gives you the Flamethrower (60 bursts).
  Bomb    - Gives you some Grenades (30 grenades).
  Flash   - Gives you some Flash Grenades (20 grenades).
  S       - Stands for "Special." Gives you ammo for the special
            weapon you selected in the beginning of the Round.
            If you didn't choose anything, the door will act
            like a normal door with a Life Bonus.

======================================================================
II. ROUND STRATEGIES - Top secrets for your eyes only
======================================================================

Okay, here's how it works:

I start each Round off with what happens in the cinematics (with some
minor changes such as improvements in the punctuation). I'm giving
this spoiler alert in advance, so you won't screw yourself over by
reading too far ahead (if you cared, anyways).

Then I'll give you an overall description of the stage and what to
expect in the General Tips. After that, I'll go into depth and tell
you exactly what to do. Bosses, secrets, and other specific tips
will be covered in these In-Depth sections.

Secret Rounds will be covered in the section after this one.

Important Note! I played through all the Rounds without bringing along
any special weapons. What does this mean for you? You'll be at an
advantage if YOU choose to start with a special weapon because YOU
will have extra firepower relative to mine! Feel free to do so, and
if you really like starting every Round with the same special weapon,
then you're also welcome to use the Passwords in the "Secret Agent
Secrets" section. Those Passwords give you access to all weapons
at the beginning of every Round!

------------
INTRODUCTION
------------

Rolling Thunder Status Report:
 Agent Albatross/Leila engaged with Gimdo case.
(An image of Leila and Albatross facing off against several
 Maskers and Gimdo at the Geldra base in Cairo, Egypt.)

Available Assests: Jay
(A pair of hands loads a revolver.)
(Jay's profile is shown along with details of his agent status.)

    Profile
  Operative: Jay
  Clearance: JC-KAL
  Team:      Rolling Thunder
  Status:    Available

(Dread turns around as dozens of Maskers rise in the foreground.)
(More stats for Jay appears.)

  Height:  6.2 ft. (184 cm)
  Weight:  183 lbs. (83 kg)
  Age:     35
  Blood:   A

(A helicopter flies over the nighttime Las Vegas strip.)
(The rest of Jay's profile is shown.)

  Full Name:   Classified
  Birth Place: Classified
  Nationality  Classified

(The profile fades away as Jay's figure appears, facing the left.
 He turns towards the screen, aims his gun, and fires, leaving
 a bullet hole in your TV. That good-looking bastard!)

---------------------
ROUND 1: OIL REFINERY
---------------------

STORY:

  Inside a briefing room in the WPO HQ...

  The projector displays an image of Dread among some people on the
screen. Jay sits quietly as his boss explains his mission from a
desk in a dark corner of the room.

  "Jay, you've got a real winner this time. You're target is Dread,
the second-in-command of the Geldra terrorists. He was last seen
in a Southern California oil refinery. Investigate immediately.
Good hunting!"

 "Yes, sir!," says Jay as he stands up. The projector is turned off.

GENERAL TIPS:

  For a first stage, this is a great place to get used to the game.
The simple terrain is easy to navigate, and most of the Maskers are
blue, meaning that they die with one hit. Watch out for the fuel
tanks. You can jump on them, but why not blow them up instead? Their
explosions kill any Masker stupid enough to stand next to them. The
free special weapon that shows up in this Round is the
Machinegun (Auto).

IN-DEPTH:

  As soon as you step right, a helicopter will fly out from the back.
Looks like trouble already!. Go up to the first white fuel tank. As
soon as a Masker jumps out, fire. If your shots don't kill him,
you'll destroy the tank, which will kill him anyway. A total of 3
Maskers will jump out of the copter, so wait for them. When you get
to the pile of crates, a Masker will appear behind you. When you
go on to the right, there will be another 2 Maskers and 1 fuel tank.

  To the right should be building F-01. A Masker will appear from
behind. Up ahead will be a Masker on the balcony. Shoot up to kill
him. Now duck! A bit more to the right is a Masker hiding behind a
drum. Wait for him to stand up before shooting him. Jump past the
drum (don't worry about the fire - it won't kill you). Now duck
again as you pump rounds into a slew of Maskers. Remember that the
green Maskers take up 2 bullets before dying. At building ID-E2,
another Masker appears behind you. Past the fuel tank is a Masker
hiding behind a pile of drums and crates. Past that is some more
Maskers on the 2nd floor. Enter the lower "Bullet" door for more
ammo. When you get up to the next fuel tank, more Maskers will
appear, including a green one and any others who come out from the
doors. At building SE-1, watch for (among other Maskers) a grenadier
Masker on the balcony. Kick his ass!

  Now the next building will have more Maskers appearing on the
second floor and from behind. The top door is an "Auto" door - go
in for a Machinegun if you want one! On to the right are about 3
more Maskers, and one of them is a green one. The next building has
a lot of goodies. The top left door is a "S" door (it will give
you life if you didn't start the Round with any special
weapon), and go in the top right door too for another Life Bonus!

  As soon as you step past the F-S1 building, a bunch of green
Maskers will appear left and right. Duck and shoot both directions,
hitting them before they can squeeze of their own shots. On to the
right will be one or two more Maskers. Don't bother going into the
two doors, because you've reached the invisible finish line! Yippie!

--------------------
ROUND 2: THE FACTORY
--------------------

STORY:

  Jay kneels besides a broken Masker body he finds inside a building.
"They don't make them like they used to," he thinks to himself. He
leans forward for a closer view. "Looks like the recycle bin for
this Masker. Dread must be close!" He looks over to his left and
sees the entrance to a Masker factory.

GENERAL TIPS:

  The Factory is a step up in difficulty from the first Round.
Still, there's a lot of boxes and doors to hide behind. The robot
panthers are something to worry about, and so's the Spider-bot boss
at the end of the line. The free special weapon in this stage is the
Laser. You can try to save some Laser charges for the boss.

IN-DEPTH:

  Start off by heading right until you reach the first door. There
will be a Masker on the right, on the top, and on the left. Also
there on the top is a panther. Kill the Maskers but wait for the
panther. If it jumps down, you can shoot or slash it. You can also
back up and aim up at it. To the right are some grenadiers. Get
ready to jump up to another floor or jump away from the blast.
A few Maskers may come out of some doors. Just turn around and
kill them.

  Now, a second panther will appear on the 2nd floor. Aim up or
kneel to shoot it, depending on which floor you're on. Later a third
panther appears on the 1st floor near the "Laser" door. Kill it and
the Maskers around it before getting the Laser. Right after the
"Laser" door is another panther, but this one is on the top floor.
Good reason - It turns out the next door (on the 2nd floor)
holds a secret Life Bonus. Get it!

  On the top there should soon be a "Bullet" door. You're probably
low on revolver ammo now, so be sure to get it. In addition to
more grenadiers on the bottom, there will be 3 panthers. The first
is on the bottom, the next is also on the bottom, and the last is on
the top. After these cats should be a dead end. Or is it? Jump down
over the railing into the second half of the Round. See those
suspicious boxes over on the lower left corner? If you hit the
left side enough times (the boxes have 80 Hit Points), a secret
door will appear, leading to a Secret Round!

. . .

IF you choose to check out the secret Round now and miss out on the
   kick-ass story, go to "ROUND EX A" in the "SECRET ROUNDS" section.

IF you want to finish up the factory and continue your mission
   like what you're SUPPOSED to do, continue on below.

. . .

  To the right is a "S" Door on the 2nd floor. Watch out for
green Maskers and grenadiers. (Whoa! Check out those assembly lines
in the background. Talk about Maskers-in-the-Making!) The fourth
door after the "S" door has a secret Life Bonus (it should be on
the 1st floor). On to the right are more Maskers. Be careful not
to stay under a Masker who might drop grenades on you. After the
last door on the 2nd floor, there will be just a few Maskers left.
Watch your back while you kill the 2 green ones on the right. When
the music changes, it's time for the boss to make its entrance!

BOSS: Spider Robot - 100 Hit Points (50 bullets worth of damage)

  This guy can be tough. It mainly walks back and forth on the right
side of the screen, so you should stay on the left. But don't sit
at the far left edge; you want to give yourself some room. Stay about
a quarter screen distance from the left edge. You must duck if you
want to hit the boss due to its low frame. The spider has 3 attacks:

#1  It starts off shooting slow, yellow bullets at you from a small
turret on its left side. Look at how it's angled. The bullets
usually go over your head if you duck. If not, you can super-jump
over them.

#2  When the Spider takes enough damage, its turret will be
destroyed. At this point its top-mounted cannon will be activated
and a targetting reticle appears. Stay to the right as much as you
can, even if the reticle is tracking you (about a quarter screen
distance from the left edge, remember?). When the reticle locks
on and turns red, an explosive shot will be fired at that spot in
about 1 second. Simply move away from the reticle or super-jump
to avoid the explosion. The shot itself won't kill you.

#3  If the spider freezes, it will jump onto your last position. To
avoid it, just simply walk to the left like what you did with the
explosive shot. (You can't jump because the spider is pouncing,
not running, onto you!) The spider can do its jump attack anytime,
whether its small turret is destroyed or not.

  The real challenge comes from keeping track of the reticle and the
spider's movements. The yellow shots aren't a problem as they're easy
to avoid. The other 2 are nasty because they home in on you. Remember
to give yourself room so you can always back away from danger. The
best time to kneel and shoot is when the spider is still moving and
its reticle isn't red. Concentrate on the spider's attacks, and
you'll destroy it in no time.

----------------
ROUND 3: HIGHWAY
----------------

STORY:

  Jay takes out his radio inside the control room. "Jay reporting,
clearance JC-KAL. Discovered Dread's office." He turns to a monitor
on his left. "Masker stock has been depleted."

  "Jay, our Satellite is tracking a car leaving the refinery,"
responds Ellen back from her office at HQ.

  "Too late!," Jay says to himself as he looks out the window.
He looks over his right shoulder and sees a dusty, brown motorcycle.
It's old, but workable. "Will pursue! Must be Dread."

  "Understood."

GENERAL TIPS:

  A new mode for the Rolling Thunder series. The controls are simple:
You can speed up, slow down, switch lanes (press Up and Down),
shoot, and, strangely enough, jump (and even super-jump)! The cars on
the foreground don't kill you, so don't worry about them. You only
have to watch out for enemy Maskers and construction materials left
on the road. Stay on the left side to give yourself more time to
react to any danger up ahead. A warning symbol will appear if a
Masker is coming up from behind. Beware - getting shot or colliding
with another Masker will hurt you by 2 Hit Points.

IN-DEPTH:

  First, a Masker will come out from the back on the top lane. Stay
away from him as you blast a second Masker to the right. If you give
the rear Masker some room, he may pull up in front of you, letting
you hit him. When a third Masker comes from the back, there will be
a construction sign whizzing by. Get on the bottom lane to avoid the
wooden horse. Shortly afterwards will be another sign. This time, get
to the top lane. No more construction crap for the rest of the Round!

  Maskers 4 and 5 will appear from the back and from the front. The
front one can throw grenades. Line yourself up to hit them. Masker 6
is on the top lane up front. 7 and 8, like 4 and 5, will come from
both sides. Now, the next 4 Maskers are in the front. After them are
2 more from the back and 2 more in the front. Then there'll be one
Makser to the left and another one in front. Now one more comes up
front. After him, 3 Maskers will surround you front and back. Avoid
them if you can. When you get the chance, weave between them and
blast them. The last Masker will back up his buddies from the back.

(In-game movie)
  (Dread tosses 3 Flash Grenades out of his limousine window,
   blinding Jay. Jay hits the breaks, and Dread gets away.)

------------------------
ROUND 4: LAS VEGAS NIGHT
------------------------

STORY:

  Jay stops on the highway, his eyes still reeling from Dread's
Flash Grenades. "Lost him!" Just then Ellen's voice came on his
radio.

  "H.Q., clearance Jay. Vehicle has left satellite path. We have
lost track. Informant lead places Dread in Las Vegas."

  "Copy. Will proceed."

GENERAL TIPS:

  Take a walk down Moon Street! Don't get distracted by all the
pretty lights as you search for Dread's hideout. This is the only
Round in the game where you fight female Maskers. That's good,
because you don't want to meet them again! These babes suck up a
lot of damage, and they tend to kill you when they get up close.
Plus, they can backflip through your bullets. Avoid them if you
can, especially the gold ones (it's amazing what difference a
shinier paint job can do! ;). Other than that, there's nothing
else to worry about. The only other enemies here are the weak blue
male Maskers. The free special weapon here is the Bazooka (great
for getting rid of the gold Maskers). Just for fun, you can break
the light boxes and the street lamps!!

IN-DEPTH:

  Ignore the neon cowgirl sign in the background as you walk over to
the right. Behind you is a blue Masker, but in front is a red Masker.
Get rid of both. The first door you'll see is labeled "Bazooka."
Now when did casinos start leaving dangerous weapons open to the
public? Grab it before the next two red Maskers come down from the
2nd floor.

  Past the first Moon Street light box is another red Masker. Do her
off and then watch out for two blue Maskers in front of the next
building. One of them loves grenades. After those two will be the
first gold Masker in the game. Compliment her on her looks by giving
her a rocket. Two more blue Maskers will appear, and past them
is a "S" door.

  The next building will be an ammo drain. Two gold Maskers show up,
so hand them each a rocket. A red Masker will catch up from the rear
and a blue guy will come in from the front too. Next, a red and a
blue Masker will drop down from the 2nd floor. A red Masker is up
ahead on the ground as well. Later on two red Maskers show up, and
then 2 blue ones will. Get the ammo from the "Bullet" door.

  When you get to the next street lamps, a red masker will walk up to
you. Say hello with your gun. In front of the next couple of buildings
are even more red and blue maskers. The next spot will be tricky. A
gold and a red Masker will jump off from the 2nd floor. They're backed
up by a blue grenadier. Go into the single door here for a drink and a
Life Bonus!

  You'll need that drink. I mean, extra Life! Right on ahead are more
Maskers. After the twin gold Maskers, there will be five (5!) red
Maskers trying to gang-rape Jay. You will die if you don't get out
fast, so try switching between floors to outmanuever them. Get around
those curvaceous babes before they impale you with their heels. A
little more to the right on the ground floor is the entrance to the
Moon Street Hotel, a front for Dread's dark operations.

-------------------------
ROUND 5: DREAD'S BUILDING
-------------------------

STORY:

  Jay steps into the Moon Street Hotel, adjusting his right glove.
He looks left and right. "How crass! Even in Vegas his bad taste
stands out!"

  "H.Q., clearance Jay," says Ellen over the radio, "Unidentified
helicopter leaving your location."

  Jay pulls out his revolver. "That weasel won't slip away so
easily this time!"

GENERAL TIPS:

  More classic Rolling Thunder action. Jump between the two floors
and enter doors as needed to avoid the bad guys. The new danger to
look out for are the red heavy Maskers. These guys look much buffer
than the regular skinny Maskers, and they seem to give out orders
a lot (you can see 'em pointing at you or something). They can
fire very quickly, and they suck up even more hits than the
female Maskers. The free special weapon here is the Flash Grenade.
Use them to stun the green and heavy Maskers so you can take them
out with one shot.

IN-DEPTH:

  Right in front of you are 2 blue Maskers and 1 green one. A 3rd
blue Masker appears from behind. After them is another green Masker
accompanied by the first "boogieman" red heavy Masker. Take care,
knowing that it may be better to knock him around long enough just
to run away. There will be 2 more green guys. Keep going to the right
until you see a hot naked lady angel statue. (At least it doesn't
kill you like the female Maskers...) It will block the shots from
the green dude on the other side.

  Up ahead are 3 more heavy Maskers, along with more green Maskers
coming up behind. Go on the 2nd floor and deal with the heavy guys.
Knock them off the ledge if you don't want to kill them to save ammo.
You should see a "Bullet" door on the top floor. Go for it.

  The next part has several Maskers on the top floors. (Check out all
those empty but nice walls in the background!) Anyway, a "S" door
will be on the 2nd floor, guarded by another big guy. After this
part will be 2 heavies and 2 blues. Take extra care. A door on the
2nd floor will give you a Life Bonus when entered. At the next angel
statue, 4 Maskers will be on floor 2. Use the statue for cover,
jumping up and killing them when it's clear.

  Down the hall will be a door labeled "Flash." Go in and steal some
of Dread's light bombs. These suckers will be useful for the oncoming
sets of 3 green and 2 heavy Maskers. Don't be shy with 'em - you'll
have enough to last for the rest of the Round.

  If you want the 2nd Secret Round, listen carefully. Slowly
move up to the next angel statue, killing any Maskers in the way.
Get on the top floor and slowly move right above the statue. Now
drop down ONTO the head of the statue, and walk off to the right.
There will be a second angel statue. Hit this statue repeatedly
to reveal a secret door. (This statue, unlike the others, makes a
sound if you hit it with your Knife. It has 80 Hit Points.) The
reason why you want to drop onto the first statue's head is so
you won't accidentally scroll the screen upwards, locking away
the lower floor where the secret door is.

. . .

IF you choose to enter the Secret Round behind the statue,
   go to "ROUND EX B" in the "SECRET ROUNDS" section.

IF you want to catch up to Dread and see some more exciting
   movies, continue reading.

. . .

  Get up to the helipad on the roof. As you climb the floors, throw
Flash Grenades to stun any Masker in your way. Don't forget that you
can shoot upwards through the floor to take them out. If you don't
have any Flash Grenades, you'll have to slowly make your way up,
shooting upwards and hiding behind the crates and doors. This
hard way takes much longer, possibly letting the sniper appear.
Remember that you can't super-jump onto a higher floor if there's
no railing above. The roof is ontop of the twelfth floor.

(In-game movie)
  (Jay reaches the roof just as Dread jumps onto a helicopter that's
   taking off. Too late!)

--------------------------
ROUND 6: THE PACIFIC OCEAN
--------------------------

STORY:

  Dread smiles as he hangs onto the side of the helicopter.
"See you later, if you live! Ha, ha, ha..."

  "You call that living with your complexion, puss face?,"
shouts Jay as he's kneeling on floor, under the copter's
searchlight. But Dread flies away over the Vegas skyline, too
far away for Jay's words to be heard. Damn! Dread got away
again! Jay's head droops down as Ellen comes on the radio.

  "H.Q., clearance Jay. Return to H.Q. ASAP."

  Back at the WPO HQ, clouds float peacefully by the tall, silver
building. Inside the same briefing room Jay had been in a day
earlier, a map shows Dread's route from Las Vegas. The boss
speaks, "Dread has made his way across the Pacific to Easter
Island. Capture him if possible. Good luck!!"

  "Yes, sir!," says Jay as he salutes to his superior in the
shadows. Just then, Ellen steps in, holding some files.

  "There is a ship waiting for you in Chile."

GENERAL TIPS:

  Despite the name of the Round, you don't cross the entire ocean
(although it'll be interesting if you actually did...). You start
a few kilometers off from the island's shore because of the
Maskers and the floating mines guarding the coastal waters. The
jet ski controls just like the bike, and this Round is played
similar to the 3rd one. Stay near the left edge of the screen,
looking out for other Maskers, including the scuba ones who jump
out of the water to stab you. Instead of construction junk in
your way, you get mines. Move around or jump over them.
Remember - you can still super-jump!

IN-DEPTH:

  Right in front of you will be a scuba Masker. Avoid him and his
knife by staying on the lower side. Keep staying on the lower side.
When a Masker appears behind you, a floating mine will soon appear
on the top side. More scuba knifers and jet ski Maskers will appear.
Again, stay low to avoid the scuba dudes and shoot the ski Maskers.
When another Masker catches up from behind, another mine will
appear on the top side.

  Whebn 2 ski Maskers appear in the front with some scuba Maskers,
3 more skiers will appear, with 2 from the back and 1 from the
front. When another Masker appears up in the front, stay low to
avoid a mine on the top side. Now immediately move up as another
mine appears on the bottom side.

  3 ski Maskers will show up ahead, followed by the fifth mine on
the top side. 3 more Maskers appear in front, then 2 will appear
from the rear. When another Masker comes from the front, a mine
appears on the top.

  The next part will be "fun." A square patch of 4 mines will cover
the entire path up ahead. The only way to avoid the mines is to jump
over them. Get as close to them as possible and super-jump to safety
(hold Right to move forwards in the air as much as possible). Now
the rest of the stage should be relatively smooth sailing.

  Maskers will appear from left and right. One more mine appears
on the top side when a Masker from the rear does (this is the second
guy after the quad-mine patch), so stay low. After the tenth
Masker, you'll reach the shore.

----------------------
ROUND 7: EASTER ISLAND
----------------------

STORY:

  Jay jumps off his jet ski. Walking onto the rocky shore, he pulls
out his radio. "Jay reporting, clearance JC-KAL. I've reached Easter
Island. Will continue investigation."

  "Understood," answers Ellen.

  Jay takes a look around. A light breeze picks up over the pleasant
grassy landscape. "At least he picks scenic hideouts," he thought,
"Those stone heads are really quite interesting."

GENERAL TIPS:

  Well, son of a beach. The terrain is trickier to get around on,
and the many Maskers are tougher and more grenade-happy. To top this
stage off, you get another robotic boss at the end! Here's a tip:
Stay low! If you're below the enemy's reach, they can't shoot or
punch you. Also remember that some structures (like the wooden
crates) are too short to serve as cover, so be prepared to do a
lot more jumping. The free special weapon you can find is the
Flamethrower (Fire).

IN-DEPTH:

  Go to the right and take out the blue and green Maskers. Like in
Round 1, a helicopter will appear. When the helicopter disappears
and you get rid of a green masker past a mound of rocks, watch out
for a happy grenadier. Due to the landscape, it's quite possible
to let a bad guy's grenades bounce right back into him! If this
happens, you'll be saved a lot of trouble and ammo!

  When you see some crates ontop of a large rock hill, you'll be
stuck with a bunch of green Maskers and a blue grenadier. When you
get down on the other side, you can kneel on a crate and slash
the green guys jumping up and down from below. Watch out for more
grenades as you continue to the right, where you'll find a "Bullet"
door. Go ahead and feed your revolver. Afterwards is a grenadier
behind some boxes. Jump and shoot him.

  Now, on the right are a "S" door and even more grenadiers. Get
ready to jump away from the blasts. If Maskers appear above you,
shoot up at them. The door right after the "S" door holds a
secret Life Bonus! Get it, but beware the pair of green
Maskers to the right.

  Go across the field to the next door, which is marked, "Fire."
Hell yeah! Burn off the 3 or 4 green Maskers in the vicinity
if you wish, but its short-range can suck. Or, you can shoot them.
Past the next door will be another pair of green Maskers. After
those two are even more Maskers. Don't worry, since a second
"Bullet" door will fill you up.

  Now continue to the right. Remember that the crates are too small
to block low bullets, so if one of the several green Maskers kneels
and shoots, you'll have to jump. When you see a building with some
railing on top but no door, you're on to big boss #2.

BOSS: Centaur Robot - 100 Hit Points (50 bullets worth of damage)

  This guy is easier than the Spider boss, even if it's twice as
huge. It basically walks left and right across the entire screen,
firing a machinegun on its arm and shooting a homing missile
out of its butt. Unlike the Spider, the Centaur's size doesn't
require you to kneel to hit it. Here's what to do:

  You start on the left. Stay underneath the railing on the far left
and shoot it as it walks towards you. When it launches a homing
missile, DON'T move! When it raises its arms and shoots bullets at
you, super-jump upwards. If you time it correctly, both bullets and
missile should pass by underneath without hitting you! When the front
of the centaur reaches the edge of the building, jump off to the
right, run underneath the far right railing, turn, and fire. Again,
when the missile comes, stand still, super-jumping only when you're
about to be hit by the bullets. Jump and run back to the left side
and repeat this pattern until it dies.

  How does this work? By standing still on the ground, the missile
will angle down towards you. By jumping at the last moment before the
bullets hit you, you pull yourself up above the missile. The missile,
being slow, won't be able to change its direction quick enough to
come back up and hit you. The centaur boss doesn't learn from its
mistakes, and even its solid 100 Hit Points can't save it from
being a moron. Just keep up the pattern where you alternate between
the left and right sides of the screen, shooting the boss as it
walks towards you. You'll reduce it to scrap metal soon enough.

-------------------------
ROUND 8: UNDERGROUND BASE
-------------------------

STORY:

  Jay stands in front of the smoking remains of the centaur.
"Located and terminated security robot. I believe I've discovered
Dread's main base. Will proceed."

  "Understood," responds Ellen. "Take care, Jay."

GENERAL TIPS:

  Just as tough as the last Round, but by now I know you're good
enough to handle anything, including an increase in grenade Maskers,
right? Well, just use the basic tactics and your common sense to
avoid the bad guys. Anything you should worry about? Yep. First,
the heavy Maskers are back, but unlike the ones in Round 5, not all
of them are the super-tough red ones. The tan dudes take fewer
bullets to kill. Next, there're the turrets. These suckers swing
around in an arc, firing if you're next to them. Stay on the top
floors so the lower turrets can't hit you. The best way to take
them out is to jump up and shoot them. Lastly, watch out for the
bats in the second half of the stage. These guys fly around on the
top of the screen and then dive down at you. Just aim up to hit
them. The free special weapon is the Cannon.

IN-DEPTH:

  Off to the right are already some nasties. First, you get a tan
heavy Masker accompanied by one or two other Maskers on the lower
floor. Up on the top is a turret. Waste the Maskers from a distance
and then jump up to destroy the turret. Afterwards there will be
another turret and more Maskers as you walk by the big glass panel
that lets you look out into the sea. Nice view! (This Round should
be called "Undersea Base," not "Underground Base!")

  When you get to the "Bullet" door, look out for a grenadier on
the top floor and a turret about one screen after him. Go along
slowly, taking out more heavy Maskers and a few additional
turrets. There will be yet another turret adjacent to a second
"Bullet" door. The next door after this one contains a Life Bonus
(it should be on the top floor). Watch out for turrets and
grenade-equipped Maskers lurking around.

  See the "S" door on the bottom? Wanna see the last secret Round?
Well, if you want to, don't walk too far past the "S" door. Stay
on the top floor just to be safe. Go to the wall on the top right
corner and whack it multiple times (it has 80 Hit Points). When
it's destroyed, step into the edge of the screen. (If you went
down, you might scroll the screen, locking off the top floor.)

. . .

IF you went past the secret wall, go to "ROUND EX C" in 
   the "SECRET ROUNDS" section.

IF you choose to stick with the mission to the end, read on.

. . .

  Continuing down leads to the 2nd part of the undersea base. To the
right will be a bat and a grenade Masker. Bats are easy to take out.
If you're on the top floor, just jump and shoot them. If you're on
the lower floor, wait for them to fly to the top right corner of the
screen, where they'll dive down at you. When they do, you aim up
and "BLAM!" Your diagonal shots will always hit 'em.

  A heavy Masker, a grenadier Masker, and a bat will surround you
when you reach the next "Bullet" door. From there, about 3 or 4 more
bats will approach along with 3 heavy Maskers (2 red, 1 tan) and
a few grenadiers on your path to the "Cannon" door. After grabbing
the Cannon (or ditching it if you want to keep your current special
weapon), continue to the right, killing more bats and Maskers. All
that ammo from the 3 "Bullet" doors and "S" door should help you
finish off the red heavies in your way. When you reach the control
room, prepare yourself for the boss.

BOSS: "Dread" - 80 Hit Points (40 bullets worth of damage)

  "Welcome Jay - Here's the place. I'll make your future over!"

  Dread won't shoot you, because 4 turrets on the ceiling will
do it for him! When he raises his arm, two turrets will fire a
shot at your last position. The trick here is to shoot Dread
when the turrets aren't firing and to get on the move when the
turrets do.

  Here's an effective technique. Stay under and slightly to the
right of the 2nd turret from the left. Now kneel down and start
shooting at Dread. When the turrets fire (the reload time is the
same, so time yourself), super-jump over the shots. Because
you're not exactly under the turret (you're a little to the
right, remember?), the turrets' shots will be angled in a way
that lets you jump over them. (If you position yourself
really well, the shots might miss you entirely!) After you avoid
the shots, continue to blast Dread. You'll know it when he dies.

---------------
ROUND 9: HIJACK
---------------

STORY:

  After deactivating the laser turrets and checking Dread's body,
Jay pulls out his radio. "H.Q., Jay reporting. The Dread situation
has been resolved. I'm returning to base."

  Ellen's happy voice comes thorugh the static. "Congratulations."

  Later that night, Jay relaxes in his seat on an airplane.
"Homeward bound!," he thought to himself. He needed a break.
Taking out a terrorist leader was enough for one day. As he sat
there in his blue suit wondering about the other two agents and
Ellen, he hears something up in the front.

  "What are you doing?!," cries out a young female voice.

  "Shut up and sit down!," comes a cold, metallic reply.

  Uh oh.

  A Masker steps out into the aisle holding a stewardess hostage,
his gun aimed at her head. "We're hijacking this flight!," he says
as more Maskers appear.

  "Great!," mutters Jay as the other passengers scream and duck
for cover, "Too bad I don't get overtime!" It's a good thing he
always carries his gun with him.

GENERAL TIPS:

  This Round is a little weird. Like the vehicle stages, you can't
start with a special weapon. And unlike the regular stages, you
can't super-jump (because you're in a cramped airplane, ya' know?).
But what you CAN do is hide! As you gun down the Maskers in the
aisle, hold Up between two chairs to hide. Don't worry about the
passengers - they won't be harmed. You won't be hurt either if you
stay hidden. Note that the same goes for the brown Maskers.

  Let's get one thing straight: You WILL run out of bullets!
And there's no way you can take out everyone with your Knife
without getting hurt really bad. It's better to use your
slow bullets and to advance slowly to the front of the plane.

IN-DEPTH:

  Time to make like Time Crisis. Take a breath and walk right
into the main passenger section. Immediately run up to the first
seats so you can hide behind them (hold Up). After you kill the
first guy and step past him, a Masker will show up from the back,
trapping you between him and the other Masker up front. Carefully
lean out and whack 'em both.

  When you take them out and continue on, two Maskers will 
appear from the back, trapping you again. Do the same thing,
leaning out and squeezing out a few shots before ducking for
cover. After these guys, fewer Maskers will come up from the
rear, so you just have to concentrate on the several groups of
Maskers ahead on the right. You should be able to do fine for
the rest of the stage.

  But you want more help, right? Okay then. Eventually you'll run
outta ammo, facing off against 3 Maskers up front. Fire as much as
you can, because if one of them steps up in front of you, there's
a good chance you'll die when you lean out. This holds especially
true when 3 Maskers come up from behind and you're busy with
a fourth one to the right. You gotta turn around and kill them or
else they'll gang up on you. Don't forget that you can use the
Knife if they're up close.

  When another set of 3 Maskers shows up from the back, one after
the other, you're close to the end. Just watch out for about
two or three more Maskers up in front. Long airplane, eh?

-------------------------
ROUND 10: CASTLE OF DREAD
-------------------------

STORY:

  Jay dusts off the last Masker and makes sure the passengers are all
safe. In front him, on the movie monitor, is Dread's ugly mug. So it
turns out the guy in the undersea base was only a double! "You're
getting to be quite a bore," says Jay. Dread only smiles.

  "I found your report of my demise rather amusing," says the
Geldra terrorist, "Such a refined sense of humor is so rare these
days. I'm quite a fan of yours, so much so that I've decided
to invite you over to entertain me!"

  "No thanks!," answers Jay, frowning, "I never date people
from work."

  Then Jay hears Ellen's voice. "H.Q., clearance Jay. We intercepted
Dread's message. Transmissions emanate from 66.254N by 27.835W."

  Jay looks out the window as he listens to Ellen. "I believe that
I'm going there whether I like it or not." The plane lands on a
runway near the coordinates she just told him. Looks like it'll
be a long night...

GENERAL TIPS:

  This is it - the last Round! (I kinda like the word play in the
Round's name. It's a dreadful castle, but it's also Dread's castle!
Pretty neat, eh?) It's not the type of enemies you should worry
about; it's the massive amount of them. A seemingly endless wave
of Maskers (and a few dogs) will take a big drain on your ammo.
Plus, many of them throw those damn grenades that are really hard
to avoid. And at the end, you'll have to fight Dread, which sucks
even more. The free Shotgun you find might help a bit.

IN-DEPTH:

  Make yourself welcome!  Start off blasting the panther on the right
and a blue Masker from the back. Afterwards will be a trio of orange
Maskers. Next will be a second panther, followed by more orange
Maskers and another rear blue Masker. Barge right thorugh the main
entrance, killing everything in your path.

  There will be a "Bullet" door. You need it for the 4 robot panthers
and a slew of maskers lining the floors and balconies, including one
who comes up from behind as you enter the door. Be sure to hit the
grenadiers on the 2nd floors. Bombs get heavier near the "Shotgun"
door. Go inside if you don't have something more powerful already.
Past the several grenadiers immediately to the right is another
"Bullet" door on the 2nd floor. Go in and get yourself some!!

  Onto the right is nothing but Maskers and a panther. Watch both
sides as orange Maskers (some are grenade-equipped) will pour in.
For the panther, you can save yourself some ammo by letting the
grenadier on the top drop bombs on it up by accident. When you hit
the dead end, jump up. Stay on the left half of the screen to avoid
the orange grenade guy waiting at the top on the right side.

  As soon as you start moving right again, the Masker wave will
begin anew, so continue to watch both sides. When you get to the
part with a 2nd floor, there will be a couple of grenadiers on
the bottom.

  Several orange and blue Maskers later, you'll reach a "S" door.
Beware the orange grenadier on the right edge of the screen. His
grenades can reach the door! The "S" door isn't the only good
stuff around here. To the right are two more doors. The lower
"Bullet" door will replenish your ammo supply, and the top door
has a secret Life Bonus! Get everything, but take out a panther
nearby first.

  Continue on! On the right will be a single-floor stretch
containing 2 more panthers and the last bits of the Masker armies.
When you reach a building with a single door on the top, two
orange Maskers will appear on both sides of the screen. Both have
and WILL throw their grenades, so kill them or jump up to the 2nd
floor! Waste everyone, including the guys who come out of the
single door. Behind the single door is your last Life Bonus and
break before the boss. If the extra life can't get you by, nothing
else but your skills will.

BOSS: Dread (For real this time!)

  "You're a dead man!"

  There are 2 parts to this fight. For the first part, Dread
will appear in a big-ass powered suit of armor.

Robot Suit - 100 HP (50 bullets worth of damage)

  Dread doesn't play fair, does he? Fortunately, the suit is an easy
fight. Like the Spider boss, Dread will walk back and forth on the
right side of the screen. Stay on the left and shoot to the right.

  Dread only fires high shots and low shots. You can tell what shot
he'll fire by observing the height of his arm cannon. If he ever
shoots a low one, it will always be preceeded by a high one. You
can duck or super-jump over the high ones, but you can only
super-jump the low ones. The shots always take the same amount of
time to charge up, so time your jumps accordingly. And yes, you
can super-jump, despite the gooey alien substance on the "ceiling."

  When the suit is destroyed, Dread will jump out and run off.
Follow him...

Dread - 100 HP (25 Knife slashes worth of damage)

  ... and run up really, really close to him! That's right, all the
way up to him!! So close that all of Jay's knife goes through him,
but not so close that you touch him by accident. How do I explain my
"insane" strategy? Well, the suit took almost all of your ammo. You
won't have enough bullets left to shoot Dread down effectively since
he's not vulnerable all the time! The best way is to hit him
hard constantly. Read on.

  Dread fires a bunch of reflecting lasers in the same order. First,
he'll aim forwards, shooting a straight beam that can be ducked.
Next, he'll aim up and fire a beam that bounces through the hall at
an angle. Then, he'll kneel and shoot a low straight beam that can
only be avoided by super-jumping. Last, he'll aim down and fire a
beam very much like the second one, reflecting throughout the hall.
Dread will continue to repeat this pattern.

  Know that you can hurt him ONLY when he charges up and fires
his lasers. By continuously stabbing him, you'll hit him more than
you would if you stayed away and fired slow bullets.

  This part is all in the timing and reflexes. When Dread aims high
(a high straight laser or an upwards laser), you just kneel and
slash him. When Dread aims low (a kneeling straight laser or a
downwards laser), you have to super-jump. When Dread extends his
arm and you see his hand charging up, you have almost one second
to jump before the beam comes out. If you're not close enough, the
angled beams will reflect right onto you. But don't get too close
because touching him also kills you!

  Keep slashing and jumping and a hard-earned victory will be yours!!

--------
EPILOGUE
--------

  Jay lowers his weapon. "It's finally over," he sighs with relief.

  "H.Q., clearance Jay," buzzes Ellen over his radio, "Albatross
and Leila have reported defeating Gimdo."

  "I've taken care of Dread."

  But suddenly Dread staggers up behind Jay! "Ha, ha...," he
weakly laughs, "Don't you ever learn?"

  Jay turns around. "What? More Maskers to junk?"

  "If it were only that simple!," says Dread as he clutches his
chest, "The base has a self destruction mechanism wired to my heart.
When my heart stops, the base will be destroyed along with you,
my friend."

  It couldn't come any sooner. Dread's base explodes, its walls
erupting into balls of flames, disintegrating all the trees around
the castle.

  "Jay......," Ellen screams, "Jay, do you read me?!..."

  Silence.

  Ellen stands up from her station quietly. The other 5 WPO officers
in the communications room looked down. No one spoke.

. . .

Report:    Rolling Thunder
Clearance: JC-KAL
Status:
  Operatives Albatross and Leila defeated Gimdo and his terrorist
infrastructure. Operative Jay purged Dread and his organization.
Geldra has been eliminated.
  Investigation of Dread's base has uncovered one body, but due to
the extensive damage, identification is impossible. The whereabouts
of agent Jay are unknown. Recommend change of operational status to
M.I.A. 

" End of File"

. . .

(Credits roll by as the background images _very_ slowly changes.)
  (You see the back of a man standing on a huge pile of rubble.)
  (A revolver is dropped onto the rocky mess.)
  (The camera shows the remains of Dread's base from the outside.
   The figure stands in front of where the castle was. His shadow
   streches across the paved entrance in the morning light.)

======================================================================
III. SECRET ROUNDS - The Rounds that don't make sense!!
======================================================================

Yep. They really don't make sense because they have no part in the
story, and they make you miss out on some of the movies. But they're
still interesting, so here goes...

------------------
ROUND EX A: SEWERS
------------------

HOW TO GET IN:

  In Round 2: The Factory, go to the bottom of the vertical area.
On the lower left corner is a stack of boxes. Hit the boxes on
the left side until they blow up, uncovering a secret door.

STORY:

  No story here. This is a Secret Round, and it doesn't tie in
with the rest of the mission. This was probably a stage that
Namco designed early on but didn't use it in the final version.
The idea of running through Geldra-occupied sewers would have
been cool though.

GENERAL TIPS:

  You can't really die here. These extra Rounds are easy as
hell (even easier than Round 1!), and they give you a
chance to load up on plenty of free special weapons. You get
revolver ammo, Cannon shells, Machinegun ammo, and Flash
Grenades. The only enemies are blue Maskers and bats. To kill
bats, jump or aim up to shoot them.

IN-DEPTH:

  You start off at section E1. To the right at section E2 are
two Maskers and a "Bullet" door. Get yourself out of the sludge
and hop up for some ammo. On your way to section E3 are a bat,
a third blue Masker, and a "Cannon" door. On your way to E6 are
a second bat, two blue Maskers, an "Auto" door, and another door
with a Life Bonus. Keep going on past E7 to EE to find one more
bat, some more Maskers, and a "Flash" door. When you reach the
ladder at the end, you'll climb up and magically appear on the
streets of Las Vegas.

-----------------
ROUND EX B: MINES
-----------------

HOW TO GET IN:

  In Round 5: Dread's Building, go to the bottom of the vertical
area. (It's after the "Flash" door.) Jump onto the second floor
and go above the female angel statue. Drop down on the statue's
head and then walk off to the right, up to another statue. Hit
this statue until it's destroyed, revealing a secret door.

STORY:

  Again, no story here. Like the Sewers, the Mines could have
been a prototype stage that never made it into the final
product. Still, it looks awesome with the old railways, falling
water, and the abandoned shovels. Definitely more eye-catching
than the Sewers!

GENERAL TIPS:

  This is another chance to load up on special weapons for the
next Round. You get revolver ammo, Grenades, Shotgun shells,
and Bazooka rockets. The blue Maskers are few, but stay alert
because some might come out of the doors. Take out the bats by
jumping or aiming up to shoot them.

IN-DEPTH:

  Go right until you reach the "Bullet" door. There will be two
bats around it, and a Masker might come out. The next door to
the right on the same floor holds a Life Bonus. Watch out for two
bats and a Masker. On to the right are more bats. There should be a
pair of doors: "Bomb" and "Shot." (This is the only "Bomb" door
in the game. Pretty weird, huh?) A bat is past this point. Going on
up ahead is a "Bazooka" door guarded by two blue Maskers and a bat.
Don't walk past the door or else you'll hit the invisible finish
line and exit. Get the Bazooka if you want before climbing out
of the mines and strangely emerging onto a Pacific Island.

---------------------
ROUND EX C: WAREHOUSE
---------------------

HOW TO GET IN:

  In Round 8: Underground Base, go to the top of the vertical area.
Stay on the top floor and hit the wall on the far right edge. When
it blows up, walk into the right edge.

STORY:

  Gamers who played the first Rolling Thunder will recognize this
stage immediately - It's the first Round in the first game! Only that
things are a little different. Walk past the old, cobwebbed doors,
reliving your memories. The open windows reveal a clear night
complete with a full moon. A nice touch is in the old door labels.
The "Auto" sign is changed back into the original "Arms" sign!

GENERAL TIPS:

  The last Secret Round is just like the others. Gorge yourself
on extra Machinegun ammo as you blast a handful of blue Maskers
and bats. Again, to kill the bats, jump or aim up to hit them.

IN-DEPTH:

  Ignore the broken door behind you when you start. Go right to a
"Bullet" door with two Maskers around it. Go past underneath the
open high windows, killing 3 Maskers and 2 bats. You'll see a pair
of doors. The right one hides a Life Bonus. On the top are two more
Maskers and an "Arms" door. Continue right and take out another
two Maskers (3 if one more comes out of the door) and 2 bats. There
is another "Arms" door on the bottom floor. (This is the old
Machinegun door!) Past this is the last Masker and the last bat.
The crumbled wall opening up to the night sky marks the end of
the Round. Now teleport to the main entrance of Dread's castle!

======================================================================
IV. AFTER THE ENDING - So what else can you do?
======================================================================

Very Good !!

Normal mission is completed.
Let's try Hard Mission!!
Password is "RISKY"
                ......Good luck!!!

. . .

Okay, you got the message from Namco, right? By entering the secret
Password, you can now access Hard Mode and play the game again on
a more challenging level! What's different? Let's see:

- In Rolling Thunder 2, the bad guys got tougher. In here, you get
  weaker! Yep. Jay now has only 2 Hit Points instead of the normal 3.
  Now the game plays more similar to the prequels! Note that you
  still continue from where you were when you die.

- Some scenery will change. This doesn't affect gameplay in any way,
  unless if the different colors screw you up. Easter Island in Round
  7 was daytime on Normal. On Hard, it's night-time.

- You see what really happens to Jay and Ellen! The ending on Hard is
  practically the same, except the message from Namco is different
  and there's an extra image of our heroes.

**SPOILER ALERT!!**
 Don't read on if you don't want to see the extra image and message!

. . .

Congratualtions!
All missions are completed.
You're a fantastic player!
We thank you for playing.
From Naoki, Rairu, Yossy, and Dick!!
                    So long...

(You see Jay and Ellen standing together. Jay is bandaged a bit,
 and Ellen has closed her eyes and is smiling, leaning on him.
 See! I told you there was something special between them!! ;)

======================================================================
V. SECRET AGENT SECRETS - Other bits and pieces that might help!
======================================================================

---------
PASSWORDS
---------

Can't get past some Rounds? Well, here's your chance to skip
ahead and see what you've been missing! And yes, the Passwords
listed here give you access to ALL special weapons!! Yeeee-hah!!

Round    Normal   Hard  
  1      -----    -----    ->  Oil Refinery
  2      FFEOU    OSEPF    ->  The Factory
  3      SSEPC    IAEOH    ->  Highway
  4      FSEOA    XSEOH    ->  Las Vegas Night
  5      KFEPZ    OFEOP    ->  Dread's Building
  6      AAEOZ    XSEPJ    ->  The Pacific Ocean
  7      SSELI    CCEOP    ->  Easter Island
  8      LSEKL    ZSESB    ->  Underground Base
  9      USEXA    ZSESK    ->  Hijack
 10      USEZP    PSELF    ->  Castle of Dread

----------------
SECRET PASSWORDS
----------------

Want even more fun? The next few passwords can make your life
easier... or harder! After entering one of these, you should
hear Jay say "You got it!" (like in the special weapon screen).

RISKY - Access Hard Mode Option
 You can now select Hard in the Configuration Mode under
 the "Mission" Option. Only by beating the game on Hard do
 you see what really happens to Jay and Ellen. You receive
 this Password if you stick to the end of the Credits after
 beating the game on Normal.

ANNOY - Access 5 Lives Option
 3 Jays can't get you by? Then how about 5? This Password almost
 doubles the men you have in reserve, making this a real
 break for most gamers. Also cool is that this isn't considered
 a cheat, so you can use it to finish Hard Mode and still
 see the complete ending! The strange part is the game doesn't
 tell you about this Password like what it does with the
 RISKY Password...

GREED - Toggle Ellen On/Off
 This replaces Jay with Ellen. Both characters have the same
 abilities, so the gameplay remains the same. The only
 difference is Ellen doesn't have a storyline - she just
 goes through the Rounds Jay goes through for no good reason.
 (The Demo Option will always be OFF, no matter what.) Like the
 ANNOY Password, the game doesn't tell you about this one!
 Note: Enter this Password again to switch back to Jay.

--------------
VARIOUS VALUES
--------------

It's fun to play around with numbers sometimes. The following
contains quick bits information on enemies, weapons, and more.

NOTE: The values shown aren't necessarily those used in the
      game - they're just rough estimates that make
      comparisons easier!

Maskers
 Male Blue
  - Life: 2 Hit Points
  - Weapons: pistol, grenades, punch, can drive vehicles
  - Appears In: all Rounds
 Male Green
  - Life: 4 Hit Points
  - Weapons: pistol, grenades, punch
  - Appears In: almost every Round
 Male Brown
  - Life: 4 Hit Points
  - Weapons: rapid-fire pistol, punch, can hide behind chairs
  - Appears In: Round 9 only
 Male Orange
  - Life: 4 Hit Points
  - Weapons: pistol, grenades, punch
  - Appears In: Round 10 only
 Female Red
  - Life: 4 Hit Points
  - Weapons: high kick, low kick, jump kick
  - Appears In: Round 4 only
 Female Gold
  - Life: 6 Hit Points
  - Weapons: high kick, low kick, jump kick
  - Appears In: Round 4 only
 Heavy Tan
  - Life: 8 Hit Points
  - Weapons: pistol, uppercut
  - Appears In: Round 8 only
 Heavy Red
  - Life: 11 Hit Points!
  - Weapons: rapid-fire pistol, uppercut, pointing at you
  - Appears In: Rounds 5 & 8
 Male Scuba
  - Life: 2 Hit Points
  - Weapons: knife, surprises you by jumping out of the water
  - Appears In: Round 6 only

Other Enemies
 Panther
  - Life: 4 Hit Points
  - Weapons: pounce
  - Appears In: Rounds 2 & 10
 Bat
  - Life: 2 Hit Points
  - Weapons: dive
  - Appears In: Round 8 & all 3 Secret Rounds
 Turret
  - Life: 2 Hit Points
  - Weapons: cannon
  - Appears In: Round 8 only

Bosses
 Spider Robot
  - Life: 100 Hit Points
  - Weapons: small turret, top-mounted cannon, pounce
  - Appears In: Round 2 only
 Centaur Robot
  - Life: 100 Hit Points
  - Weapons: machinegun, homing missiles
  - Appears In: Round 7 only
 Dread (Fake)
  - Life: 80 Hit Points
  - Weapons: none (turrets do the shooting)
  - Appears In: Round 8 only
 Dread (Robot Suit)
  - Life: 100 Hit Points
  - Weapons: high and low shots from an arm cannon
  - Appears In: Round 10 only
 Dread
  - Life: 100 Hit Points
  - Weapons: reflective lasers
  - Appears In: Round 10 only

Other Structures
 Secret Door
  - Life: 80 Hit Points
  - Appears In: Rounds 2, 5, & 8
 Moon St. Light Box
  - Life: 10 Hit Points
  - Appears In: Round 4 only
 Moon St. Lamp Post
  - Life: 2 Hit Points
  - Appears In: Round 4 only

Weapons
 Revolver
  - Damage: 2 Points
  - Initial Ammo: 40 bullets
 Knife
  - Damage: 4 Points
  - Initial Ammo: 0
 Full Auto (Machinegun)
  - Damage: 2 Points
  - Initial Ammo: 60 bullets
 Shotgun
  - Damage: 2 Points per pellet (4 pellets per shell)
  - Initial Ammo: 30 shells
 Laser
  - Damage: 4 Points
  - Initial Ammo: 20 charges
 Bazooka
  - Damage: 11 Points
  - Initial Ammo: 10 rockets
 Cannon
  - Damage: 2 Points (shell), 4 Hit Points (flame patch)
  - Initial Ammo: 20 shells
 Fire (Flamethrower)
  - Damage: 2 Points per burst
  - Initial Ammo: 60 time units (10 seconds)
 Grenade
  - Damage: 4 Points (Can be thrown upwards)
  - Initial Ammo: 30 bombs
 Flash (Flash Grenade)
  - Damage: 0 Points
  - Initial Ammo: 20 bombs
 Cracker
  - Damage: 8 Points
  - Initial Ammo: 20 bombs

Jay's Stats
 Height: 184 cm (6.2 ft)
 Weight:  83 kg (183 lb)
 Age:     35
 Blood Type: A

--------------
FUN WITH AUDIO
--------------

The "muzak" in Rolling Thunder 3 is bad to the bone, so it makes
sense for "Bad" to be a part of so many tunes' names! Although the
funny and cute "Alien Masker Music Band" from Rolling Thunder 2
is away on vacation, you can still groove to the tunes in the
Configuration Mode. The running time is only a very rough estimate,
and it measures how long the tune plays before looping over.
Enjoy!

Theme (24 Total)  Running Time   Where it's played
 Bad Drums             10s        Config. Mode & Password Screen
 Bad Road           2m 40s        Ending Credits
 DammBad            2m            Round 1: Oil Refinery
 Bad Fairy          1m 40s        Title Screen
 5 Black Vol 5      1m 31s        Round 4: Las Vegas Night
 Bad Rouge          1m            Round 6: The Pacific Ocean
 Bad Joke           1m 15s        Round 9: Hijack
 No Way Out         1m 35s        Round 10: Castle of Dread
 Bad Bob               39s        Between-Round Cinemas
 Bad Night          1m            Round 8: Underground Base
 Bad Moon               8s        Select Weapon Screen
 Bad Babe           2m?           Round Intro, Spider & Centaur Bosses
 Bad Elf 2          1m 20s        Round 3: Highway
 Bad Shade             22s        Leila & Albatross Intro
 DayFly                50s        Game Over Screen
 Bad Situation      1m  6s        Round 7: Easter Island
 8 St. in N.Y       1m 17s        Round 2: The Factory
 Bad Movie             14s        "Time-Out" Sniper
 Bad Ramega            40s        Secret Round
 Siesta             1m 43s        Epilogue
 Main St.           1m 50s        Round 5: Dread's Building
 Bad Dave               4s        Round Clear
 Bad Blue           1m 25s?       Dread Boss
 Bad Opinion           57s        Jay Intro

Who knew Namco can make one hell of an action game with only a few
sound effects? Some of the voice bits sure are weird though...

SE #    Description
 1       Revolver shot
 2       Flamethrower burst
 3       explosion
 4       machinegun shot
 5       helicopter engine
 6       laser
 7       ricocheting bullet
 8       Namco logo flash (when you turn on the system)
 9       Moon Street light box breaking
10       Moon Street lamp breaking
11       flash (lock-on for targetting reticle)
12       female "Ow!" (Ellen and female Maskers)
13       female "Ha!" (Female Masker kick)
14       robot panther growl
15       female "Ahhgh!" (Ellen's death sound)
16       Jay's "You got it!" (Select Weapon Screen, Secret Passwords)
17       Jay's "Owch!"
18       male "Oh!" (Male Masker voice)
19       Dread's "Welcome Jay." (Round 8 boss, part 1)
20       Ellen's "Enemy attack increasing." (sniper alert, part 2)
21       Jay's "Uullwwrraahh!" (Jay's death sound)
22       Dread's "You're a dead man!" (Round 10 boss)
23       Ellen's "Hurry up!" (sniper alert, part 3)
24       Dread's "Uullwwrraahhughh!!" (Dread's death sound)
25       click (revolver reload in intro movie)
26       Jay's "Ow!"
27       Dread's "I'll make your future over!" (Round 8 boss, part 3)
28       Ellen's "Jay, this is HQ!" (sniper alert, part 1)
29       Dread's "Here's the place." (Round 8 boss, part 2)

---------------------------------------
REALLY SMALL DETAILS NO ONE CARES ABOUT
---------------------------------------

Alternate Settings
 I've already mentioned this one above. Easter Island will
 be at night instead of day if you play on Hard.

Something Wrong in the Scenery
 Do people see the Geldra Organization as a modern day
 Robin Hood? I notice in the briefing during the first
 Round's movie that a picture of Dread mixing in with other
 humans were shown. Maybe people are ready to meet aliens
 without freaking out?

Las Vegas Casinos
 Did you check out those casinos in the background? I don't
 recall seeing any of them when I was actually in Vegas.
 Let's take a look at some of 'em:
   "Moon Street" (The path the stage takes place on)
   "Cats Hall"
   "Golden Night"
   "Star Casino"
   "King Coin"
   "Gold Lake"
   "Red Rose"
 There are some other stuff too, but the words are too small
 to read! I also noticed a cowgirl sign, something that
 looks like "Mimi," and a super-happy-looking fat blimp.
  (In Super Double Dragon 4, the casino in the first stage was
   called "Star on the Star." Maybe it's related to "Star Casino?")

Vandalism in Las Vegas
 Did I tell you about this already? You can break certain stuff
 along Moon Street. The light boxes can be blown up with
 5 bullets. The lights on the street lamps can be shattered more
 easily with 1 bullet. Just for fun, you can also try tossing
 Grenades up at them!

Something Wrong in the Scenery 2
 What kind of airline does Jay go to? I'm really interested
 because the plane he was in during the hijacking scene
 had plenty of room. In fact, there was so much room, the
 movie screen is about a mile away from the rear seats. I also
 hope the food is decent, because there's no washroom!

Jay on the Road/Sea
 Have you noticed how Jay fires really on the vehicles?
 On the bike, it seems that he fires with both hands. How does
 he keep the bike upright? And on the jet ski, he fires with
 his left hand. I thought he was right-handed!

More Water Stuff
 Anybody knows the number on the boat Jay gets off from?
 You can only make out the last two digits: 21.

More Road Stuff
 After Dread throws out the Flash Grenades and Jay stops on
 the highway, what happened to all the cars? Maybe the
 bright flash of light caused everybody behind Jay to crash
 and clutter up the highway with bodies, oil, broken glass, and
 a lot of blood, blocking off any car that would otherwise
 smash into Jay.

Something Wrong in the Scenery 3
 In the first Round, plenty of pipes in the oil refinery are
 leaking, and small fires burn all over the drums. An important
 lesson here: Fire is not good for oil. If the stuff's been
 burning BEFORE Jay arrived, how come the Maskers hanging
 around the place didn't fix up everything? Dread will be
 so pissed when he arrives to work only to find a smoking
 crater in the desert...

Ellen's Outfit
 The Ellen you play as a secret character is different from the
 one who shows up in the movies. Her clothing is more casual, plus
 it's a bit more revealing (check out her Game Over Screen)...

Jay's Outfit
 In the ending during the rolling Credits, you see Jay standing
 over the rubble of Dread's castle. It's nice to know that he
 somehow survived the blast, but why is his clothing different?
 Didn't he come in without a jacket?!

Something Wrong in the Scenery 4
 Man, Las Vegas must be one hell of a place. Not only do you
 get legalized gambling and flashy lights, you also get
 creepy robots walking around without anybody noticing! Maybe
 people think the fancy female Maskers are a part of a show
 or something. And there's still that door with a "Bazooka"
 sign next to it. I gotta go back to Vegas someday! :p

Time Crisis is Really the Sequel to Rolling Thunder
 Have you noticed the similarities? Both star secret agents, and
 there's some heavy gun and hide action going on. Both RT2 and
 TC2 involve space shuttles too...
 Just for fun, let's compare Jay (RT3) to Richard Miller (TC1)

 Name                                Jay    Richard
 Is a secret agent                    x        x
 Uses an old revolver                 x
 Uses a big pistol                             x
 Doesn't have to reload               x
 Carries infinite ammo                x        x
 Can hide behind cover                x        x
 Always has cover to duck behind               x
 Has super-human abilites
  (super-jump, climb castle walls
   without any special gear)          x        x
 Stars in a plot involving a
   pretty girl                        x        x
 Gets to save the girl                         x
 Actually gets involved
   with the girl                      x
 Fights a lunatic for a boss                   x
 Fights an alien for a boss           x
 Drops dead with 1 bullet
   on Hard Mode                       x        x
 Wears a cool leather jacket                   x
 Actually says something              x
 Winner                                  Tie!

 Both characters are really cool, although their similarities
 can be quite disturbing. And am I the only one who thinks
 Ellen and Rachel MacPherson's voices are done by the same
 voice actress who did Artemis in Phelios (also made by
 Namco for the Genesis)?

-----------------
PERSONAL THOUGHTS
-----------------

Why did I write this walkthrough? Just because I like
Rolling Thunder 3!! I also like the other Rolling Thunders, but
I wanted to write a walkthrough on RT3 first because it took
the series to a new level and it was a part of the 16-bit
universe's Golden Age. It was a chance to help others on a
game I enjoyed a lot.

Here's my "Review" (or more like a praise):
(This isn't the same as the one I have in GameFAQs;
 this is more personal :)

SCORING:
 Poor -> Below Average -> Average -> Above Average -> Excellent

Story: Above Average
 Okay, its not Metal Gear. You still have a simple definition
 of good guy and bad guy. But the lines are great, the Rounds
 tie in extremely well with the plot, and you get your share of
 surprises (the hijack, Dread's self-destruct mechanism).

Gameplay: Excellent
 You just can't beat the action! It's intense fun as you jump
 out of danger and blast Maskers and other robot monstrosities.
 There's everything from the prequels, but vast improvements (in
 the special weapons and the difficulty curve) and kick-ass
 additions (such as the vehicles and the secret Rounds) make this
 a top-notch game!

Replay: Average
 The game is short, though, and there's only two difficulty
 settings. Still, a lotta people will play this again and
 again to relive the great story and to check out the
 fantastic music (more on that later on).

Control: Excellent
 Jay isn't the fastest man in the universe, but his controls
 are still responsive and easy to learn. All 3 Buttons are used
 on the Genesis controller, giving you more control than
 in the previous games (especially in the special weapons).

Graphics: Excellent
 Some of the Genesis' best visuals are stuffed into this
 tiny little cartridge. The characters are alive with high
 details and fluid animations, and the backgrounds are
 flush with movement, such as the clouds floating by the skies,
 the flames in the oil refinery, the twisting water in Dread's
 island base, and the alien surfaces in Dread's domain. Las Vegas
 doesn't look as good as it does with all the glittering lights
 in Rolling Thunder 3. The best part are the between-Round
 cinematics, which push the story (and the cartridge's memory
 limit) along with bits of animation. It's as miniature movie!

Sound Effects: Excellent
 Guns and bombs sound like what they're supposed to be. A lot
 can go on in the speakers without making the game suffer too much.
 Unfortunately not every sound effect in the game shows up in the
 Sound Effect Option in the Configuration Mode.

Voice: Excellent
 Incredibly clear given the Genesis' relatively crappy 8-bit
 sound processor. You can hear what everyone says. Even if
 dying isn't a good thing, you can still hear the agony in
 Jay's "Uullwwrraahh!"

Music: Excellent
 A large variety of lengthy tunes keeps the game interesting.
 Many tunes are memorable, and they all have a good beat.
 What are your favorite pieces? I enjoy "5 Black Vol 5," "Bad
 Rouge," and "Bad Situation" in particular, although I like
 listening to the others too.

Overall: Excellent
 With great gameplay, graphics, sounds, music, voicing, and
 storyline, you have a wonderful package. Definitely a keeper,
 you should be glad to play such an excellent game! And if you
 haven't already, check out Rolling Thunder 2 to see the other
 side of the story! (You see how Geldra was planning to
 replenish the Masker stock through marine invertebrates!)

======================================================================
VI. CREDITS - Because it wouldn't be right without the proper thanks!
======================================================================

Namco
 Without game developers like these guys, I would have commited
 suicide by now from a lack of good games. Namco has talent, but
 you already know that by now, right? I wonder what its next
 spy action game will be...

Sega Genesis
 I need a platform to play on, of course! While Sega usually lags
 behind in the market, it still makes platforms that support
 some damn cool games.

GameFAQs
 Thanks to CJayC for posting this up. I need an outlet to let
 loose my blabbering personality since real life always tells
 me to shut up. More thanks to whoever puts this up too (with
 my permission).

My fellow Faididis and Spherelanders
 For helping me through the game and figuring out the
 best strategies. Plus they're really funny.

======================================================================
======================================================================

Hope you enjoyed playing Rolling Thunder 3 & reading this walkthrough.
Got questions or comments? Wanna tell me that I missed something?
Or do you just wanna tell me that my writing sucks?
Feel free to e-mail me at

> faididi@hotmail.com <

Let us carry on the golden torch of videogaming until the sun explodes
making all life on Earth die a horrible death and no one cares. :)
