FODA, for what it's worth, yours is one of my more frequently viewed TASes. Rolling Thunder was one of my favorite arcade games in the mid-to-late 80s and is one that kept me coming back despite its ridiculous difficulty and punishing style.
Rolling Thunder (NES) manages to be a lackluster port by virtue of Namco/Tengen somehow making the controls even stiffer and more unforgiving. However, the programmers did reasonably well with aesthetics. I can't expect too much more graphically from a 1988/1989 NES game, and even much of the music survives the transition relatively intact. Because it's such a "straight" port, absent the rampant "consolizing" from late 80s arcade translations, I'm kinda "seeing" the arcade version instead of the NES as you play, which holds value for me. Since I'm not playing, I'm not a victim of the terrible controls and am free to wax nostalgic in my mind. Of course this isn't a perfect process. Scenes where you fire two or three bullets in advance I'd fire about eight to hit off-screen enemies exactly as many times as necessary, but displaying half a dozen targets isn't exactly the NES' forte.
Still, you manage to create tense moments. While watching most TAS videos there's not a doubt in my mind that the player is going to make it out alive, but I had concerns in areas such as nearly the entirety of Story 3 Area 5 where it seems that one of those bullets or bombs *has* to make contact.
Technically, the game plays very well. I found the damage boosts especially thoughtful. Early in Story 3 Area 5, the hero survives all the projectiles but gets nabbed by a thug for a boost--and he makes it out by the skin of his teeth. Another tense moment is at 6:25 where you use a damage boost's temporary invincibility to avoid being shot.
As an aside, it's great to know the damsel in "distress" had time to dye her hair blonde for her final bondage scene then back to black upon rescue. Maybe you could go through the game twice next time; this damsel looks like she could drop a few pounds while waiting.
I conclude with a disclaimer that I may not have a pedigree taste in TAS videos since Altered Beast videos, the other gatherers of lowest ratings, are another favorite of mine.
