503: “The Demo Scene Taught Us to Do the Impossible” – Erik Simon of Thalion - The Retro Hour EP503
This week's show features Erik Simon, co-founder of the legendary Thalion Software, the minds behind Lionheart, Ambermoon, and No Second Prize. Erik shares hilarious and jaw-dropping tales from the golden age of Amiga development, how the demo scene shaped Thalion’s “make the impossible happen” ethos, why Lionheart used every Amiga graphics mode. Recorded live at Amiga 40 in Germany.
Contents:
00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories
46:59 - Erik Simon Interview
Amiga Report Archive: https://bigbookofamigahardware.com/amigareport/
This Week In Retro: https://www.rmcretro.com/this-week-in-retro
Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show:
Cardiff Gaming Market: https://www.cardiffgamingmarket.com/
Bitmap Books - https://www.bitmapbooks.com
Check out PCBWay at https://pcbway.com for all your PCB needs
Take your business to the next level today and enjoy 3 months of Shopify for £1/month: https://shopify.co.uk/retrohour
We need your help to ensure the future of the podcast, if you'd like to help us with running costs, equipment and hosting, please consider supporting us on Patreon:
https://theretrohour.com/support/
https://www.patreon.com/retrohour
Get your Retro Hour merchandise: https://bit.ly/33OWBKd
Join our Discord channel: https://discord.gg/GQw8qp8
Website: http://theretrohour.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theretrohour/
X: https://twitter.com/retrohouruk
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/retrohouruk/
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/theretrohour.com
Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/theretrohour
Show notes
This ‘In The Hunt’ Tech Demo Shows What the 16-Bit Generation Lost: https://tinyurl.com/mw94hsup
Cambridge University Rescues Data from Old Floppy Disks: https://tinyurl.com/yc6tse6u
Vampire’s Veil – A New Castlevania-Inspired Indie: https://tinyurl.com/ycx3n3zh
Ymir Emulator Hits 90% Sega Saturn Compatibility: https://tinyurl.com/3a9c6z23
Fear Effect Returns with New Features: https://tinyurl.com/mttcdftj
Bubble Bobble Remastered for C64: https://tinyurl.com/5ftruknf
--------
1:12:45
--------
1:12:45
502: “From Modems to Headlines” – Jason Compton on the Amiga Report Revolution - The Retro Hour EP502
This week, we’re joined by former Amiga Report editor, writer, and This Week in Retro host Jason Compton, who takes us into the golden age of 90s computing news. From chasing stories during Commodore’s dramatic collapse (“we may not make more chips, but we can sell the floor scrubber!”) to the birth of one of the first online tech magazines, Jason recalls the chaos, creativity and sheer enthusiasm that kept the Amiga community alive long after the headlines faded.
Contents:
00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories
50:34 - Jason Compton Interview
Amiga Report Archive: https://bigbookofamigahardware.com/amigareport/
This Week In Retro: https://www.rmcretro.com/this-week-in-retro
Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show:
Cardiff Gaming Market: https://www.cardiffgamingmarket.com/
Bitmap Books - https://www.bitmapbooks.com
Check out PCBWay at https://pcbway.com for all your PCB needs
Take your business to the next level today and enjoy 3 months of Shopify for £1/month: https://shopify.co.uk/retrohour
We need your help to ensure the future of the podcast, if you'd like to help us with running costs, equipment and hosting, please consider supporting us on Patreon:
https://theretrohour.com/support/
https://www.patreon.com/retrohour
Get your Retro Hour merchandise: https://bit.ly/33OWBKd
Join our Discord channel: https://discord.gg/GQw8qp8
Website: http://theretrohour.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theretrohour/
X: https://twitter.com/retrohouruk
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/retrohouruk/
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/theretrohour.com
Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/theretrohour
Show notes
New Atari Jaguar 3D shooter announced: https://tinyurl.com/yc2adedu
Street Racer retro collection coming to Steam: https://tinyurl.com/ta65wv33
deadmau5 teams with Atari for new 7800 game: https://tinyurl.com/9tjfdftb
NightVein gothic run-and-gun for Mega Drive: https://tinyurl.com/3jd9j4tk
Flashback unofficially ported to Sega Saturn: https://tinyurl.com/4psmpxtf
The Old Blue Workbench: https://triumph.no/oldblue/
--------
1:54:00
--------
1:54:00
501: “Michael Jackson Just Said ‘Okay, I’ll Do It All’” – SEGA's Roger Hector Tells the Inside Story of Sonic 3
For years, it’s been one of gaming’s biggest urban legends, how much did Michael Jackson really work on the music for Sonic the Hedgehog 3? In part two of our exclusive chat with Roger Hector, former Director of the Sega Technical Institute, we get the full story. Roger reveals how Jackson’s unexpected visit to STI turned into hands-on involvement with Sonic 3’s soundtrack. Plus, we explore Roger’s time leading the legendary Sonic team, the cross-cultural chaos of 1990s Sega, and the pressure of delivering a new Sonic game every Christmas.
Contents:
00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories
42:20 - Roger Hector Interview
Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show:
Cardiff Gaming Market: https://www.cardiffgamingmarket.com/
Bitmap Books - https://www.bitmapbooks.com
Check out PCBWay at https://pcbway.com for all your PCB needs
Take your business to the next level today and enjoy 3 months of Shopify for £1/month: https://shopify.co.uk/retrohour
We need your help to ensure the future of the podcast, if you'd like to help us with running costs, equipment and hosting, please consider supporting us on Patreon:
https://theretrohour.com/support/
https://www.patreon.com/retrohour
Get your Retro Hour merchandise: https://bit.ly/33OWBKd
Join our Discord channel: https://discord.gg/GQw8qp8
Website: http://theretrohour.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theretrohour/
X: https://twitter.com/retrohouruk
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/retrohouruk/
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/theretrohour.com
Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/theretrohour
Show notes
Blood – Nightdive Studios: https://tinyurl.com/3kmam6e8
Lego Game Boy Modded: https://tinyurl.com/5fnjxb4p
Kraken ZX Multiclone: https://tinyurl.com/pbukjp
Unofficial GBA Port of an SNES Horror Classic: https://tinyurl.com/mspschwa
Sega Saturn Tomb Raider 2: https://tinyurl.com/y5m77rsc
--------
1:33:24
--------
1:33:24
500: "No One Had Storyboarded Games Before - So I Did!" - Atari Legend Roger Hector - The Retro Hour EP500
This week marks our milestone 500th episode, and we’re celebrating in style with part one of an epic two-part chat with industry legend Roger Hector. From working under Nolan Bushnell and Al Alcorn in the very earliest days of Atari, to helping bring classics like Super Breakout and Battlezone to life, Roger shares incredible behind-the-scenes stories of arcades, coin-ops, and pioneering design that shaped the future of video games. From overflowing Pong machines to storyboarding games before anyone else thought to do it.
Thanks for all your messages of support, here's to 500 more episodes!
Contents:
00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories
44:12 - Roger Hector Interview
1:29:01 - Listener Messages
Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show:
Play Expo Blackpool: https://www.playexpoblackpool.com/
Bitmap Books - https://www.bitmapbooks.com
Check out PCBWay at https://pcbway.com for all your PCB needs
Take your business to the next level today and enjoy 3 months of Shopify for £1/month: https://shopify.co.uk/retrohour
We need your help to ensure the future of the podcast, if you'd like to help us with running costs, equipment and hosting, please consider supporting us on Patreon:
https://theretrohour.com/support/
https://www.patreon.com/retrohour
Get your Retro Hour merchandise: https://bit.ly/33OWBKd
Join our Discord channel: https://discord.gg/GQw8qp8
Website: http://theretrohour.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theretrohour/
X: https://twitter.com/retrohouruk
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/retrohouruk/
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/theretrohour.com
Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/theretrohour
Show notes
Raspberry Pi 500+: https://tinyurl.com/3xzyzbku
Lost Sega 1970s Game Blueprints Found: https://tinyurl.com/43wm6drf
Imagine’s Infamous ‘Megagame’ Revived: https://tinyurl.com/3xzyzbku
Wizordum Retro FPS Hits Consoles: https://tinyurl.com/2t7urusc
Silent Hill Game Boy Remake: https://tinyurl.com/4bxk5jhp
Sunsoft’s City Hunter Returns After 35 Years: https://tinyurl.com/mvcr4sr8
--------
1:49:11
--------
1:49:11
499: "Nintendo Made Us Cut the Bikini Girls from Duke Nukem 64" - Eurocom's Kev Harrison - The Retro Hour EP499
This week we chat with designer Kev Harrison, whose career began at Eurocom working on Duke Nukem 64 and Duke Nukem: Zero Hour. Kev shares what it was like adapting Duke’s outrageous world for Nintendo, from cutting bikini girls to sneaking in Simpsons gags, as well as why his team saw Duke as a tongue-in-cheek Bruce Campbell figure while publishers insisted he was a deadly serious hero. We also cover his years bringing Bond, Star Wars, Predator and Hellboy to consoles, packed with stories from one of the UK’s busiest studios of the late 90s and 2000s.
Leave us a message for Episode 500: https://theretrohour.com/message/
Contents:
00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories
43:47 - Kev Harrison Interview
Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show:
Play Expo Blackpool: https://www.playexpoblackpool.com/
Bitmap Books - https://www.bitmapbooks.com
Check out PCBWay at https://pcbway.com for all your PCB needs
Take your business to the next level today and enjoy 3 months of Shopify for £1/month: https://shopify.co.uk/retrohour
We need your help to ensure the future of the podcast, if you'd like to help us with running costs, equipment and hosting, please consider supporting us on Patreon:
https://theretrohour.com/support/
https://www.patreon.com/retrohour
Get your Retro Hour merchandise: https://bit.ly/33OWBKd
Join our Discord channel: https://discord.gg/GQw8qp8
Website: http://theretrohour.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theretrohour/
X: https://twitter.com/retrohouruk
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/retrohouruk/
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/theretrohour.com
Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/theretrohour
Show notes
Sega Recreates Blast Processing Ad to Take on Mario Kart: https://youtu.be/CYOfP1a7xjc
Lost Scooby Doo Computer Cartoon May Be Resurrected: https://tinyurl.com/yeu64w28
Mute Crimson: https://tinyurl.com/5d9b7xf8
Vampire Apollo A6000: https://a6000.net/
Golden Axe Ported to the Atari 2600: https://tinyurl.com/4dfy5dsw
South Africa