The Retro Hour (Retro Gaming Podcast)

We're joined by games journalist and author Aaron Potter to chat about his new book, 50 Indie Games That Changed the World. From the roots of the Indie scene with the 80's bedroom coders, the revival of lost genres like FMV games, and how modern indie titles are keeping classic computers and consoles alive.50 Indie Games That Changed The World: https://tinyurl.com/4s3y5p27Contents:00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories 37:29 - Aaron Potter InterviewPlease visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show:Liverpool Gaming Market: https://www.liverpoolgamingmarket.com/Bitmap Books - https://www.bitmapbooks.comCheck out PCBWay at https://pcbway.com for all your PCB needsTake your business to the next level today and enjoy 3 months of Shopify for £1/month: https://shopify.co.uk/retrohourWe 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/retrohourGet your Retro Hour merchandise: https://bit.ly/33OWBKdJoin our Discord channel: https://discord.gg/GQw8qp8Website: http://theretrohour.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/theretrohour/X: https://twitter.com/retrohourukInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/retrohouruk/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/theretrohour.comTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/theretrohourShow notesVectrex Mini Prototypes Showcased At Gamescom: https://tinyurl.com/mu798cswThe A1200 Revealed At Gamescom: https://tinyurl.com/2zydz45mHe-Man And The Masters Of The Universe: https://tinyurl.com/2udcvjjfCubix: 3D Platformer For The Spectrum: https://yrgb.ru/Bubsy 4D: https://tinyurl.com/2r9pa3vy

This week’s episode comes live from Retromessa 2025 in Norway, where we were joined on stage by legendary video game composer Richard Jacques. From creating music on a ZX Spectrum at age 11 to scoring iconic titles like Sonic R, Jet Set Radio, Headhunter, and Mass Effect, Richard shares his incredible journey through Sega’s golden years, live orchestras at Abbey Road, and the unexpected afterlife of a song that became a meme. Richard's website: https://www.richardjacques.com/homeContents:00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories 54:42 - Richard Jacques InterviewPlease visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show:Liverpool Gaming Market: https://www.liverpoolgamingmarket.com/Bitmap Books - https://www.bitmapbooks.comCheck out PCBWay at https://pcbway.com for all your PCB needsTake your business to the next level today and enjoy 3 months of Shopify for £1/month: https://shopify.co.uk/retrohourWe 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/retrohourGet your Retro Hour merchandise: https://bit.ly/33OWBKdJoin our Discord channel: https://discord.gg/GQw8qp8Website: http://theretrohour.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/theretrohour/X: https://twitter.com/retrohourukInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/retrohouruk/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/theretrohour.comTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/theretrohourShow notesSega Laserdisc Emulation Has Just Taken a Major Leap Forward: https://tinyurl.com/yc3t492vThe Settlers II Finally Settles on Amiga 29 Years Late: https://tinyurl.com/y5xjjyvhModder Builds Windows 98 Handheld Using Original Hardware: https://tinyurl.com/2v7j2y37Happy 30th Birthday to Internet Explorer: https://tinyurl.com/452j77mdParenting Like It’s 1999: https://tinyurl.com/2etae5m7

This week we are joined by award-winning experimental designer, educator and game maker Alex Johansson of ALYO Games. He is the mind behind wild alt-controller creations like Muppet Boxing, syringe-powered co-op games and his new Morse code-based strategy title Morse. We dive into the wonderfully strange world of odd inputs, discuss why Flash games should have been preserved, explore how gaming can reach older and underserved communities, and hear how Alex’s love for tactile play has taken him from cardboard-box cockpits to the heart of the ham radio scene. Alex's website: https://alexvscoding.itch.io/ Contents: 00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories  43:13 - Alex Johansson Interview Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show: Crawley Gaming Market: https://www.crawleygamingmarket.com/ Bitmap Books - https://www.bitmapbooks.com 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 Heretic and Hexen remasters: https://tinyurl.com/k6ueyunb PS1 clone will also play Sega CD and Sega Saturn: https://tinyurl.com/fvd37ypa Monty Mole games: https://tinyurl.com/mtskfsxh AOL is turning off its dial-up after 34 years: https://tinyurl.com/4f95wrf6 40 years of the Amiga as an album tribute by Allister Brimble: https://tinyurl.com/2d4a5c85

This week, we chat with Andy Davidson, the creator of the legendary game Worms. Andy shares how a quirky artillery game made on a school Amiga evolved into one of the most recognisable franchises in gaming history. From ripping sprites out of Lemmings for a laugh, to a five-minute pitch that landed him a publishing deal with Team17, plus some updates on the upcoming Worms Director's Cut 1.5 for the Amiga! Andy Davidson on X: https://x.com/totalwormageContents:00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories 35:31 - Andy Davidson InterviewPlease visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show:Crawley Gaming Market: https://www.crawleygamingmarket.com/Bitmap Books - https://www.bitmapbooks.comTake your business to the next level today and enjoy 3 months of Shopify for £1/month: https://shopify.co.uk/retrohourWe 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/retrohourGet your Retro Hour merchandise: https://bit.ly/33OWBKdJoin our Discord channel: https://discord.gg/GQw8qp8Website: http://theretrohour.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/theretrohour/X: https://twitter.com/retrohourukInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/retrohouruk/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/theretrohour.comTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/theretrohourShow notesRare's 40th Anniversary Blue Plaque: https://tinyurl.com/yfvut7scRare Evercade Collection: https://tinyurl.com/bdd3emcbRare Vinyl Set: https://tinyurl.com/4puzktvwRick Dangerous Mega Drive Port: https://tinyurl.com/ydr25k9fZelda Homage NES-Style Spin-Off: https://tinyurl.com/4ahudfruGroundbreaking Game Descent’s Anniversary: https://tinyurl.com/tddfybfa

This week we’re joined by Matt Porter, former programmer at Argonaut Software and one of the key developers behind Croc: Legend of the Gobbos. Matt shares inside stories from the development of titles like Creature Shock, Scooby-Doo Mysteries, and SWAT: Global Strike Team, delves into the challenges of porting games across wildly different platforms, and teases some fascinating lost betas and unreleased gems he’s been finding on 30-year-old hard drives.Dovetail Games: https://dovetailgames.com/Contents:00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories 37:40 - Matt Porter InterviewPlease visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show:Sheffield Gaming Market: https://www.sheffieldgamingmarket.com/Bitmap Books - https://www.bitmapbooks.comTake your business to the next level today and enjoy 3 months of Shopify for £1/month: https://shopify.co.uk/retrohourWe 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/retrohourGet your Retro Hour merchandise: https://bit.ly/33OWBKdJoin our Discord channel: https://discord.gg/GQw8qp8Website: http://theretrohour.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/theretrohour/X: https://twitter.com/retrohourukInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/retrohouruk/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/theretrohour.comTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/theretrohourShow notesJames Pond Revival and AI Campaign: https://tinyurl.com/9wafa3zxBitmap Bureau Terminator Game Delay: https://tinyurl.com/yry357hpGame Gear Camera Mod Using GBC Hardware: https://tinyurl.com/msrus64rRare 3DO M2 Console Withdrawn from Sale: https://tinyurl.com/4z6hv5h7Super Mario Bros. Remastered Coming to PC: https://tinyurl.com/4dmy62vk

This week’s guest is Rob Smith: the mad‑scientist of the retro scene. Rob takes us on a tour of his wild inventions—from a disco‑themed floppy‑disk cleaning workstation that actually plays tunes, to a full‑scale whack‑a‑mole game controlled by an Amiga via Arduino and AMOS, and his glowing levitating Boing Ball built with magnets and LEDs. He also talks about the Retro Directory, disc backup stations, and his journey from VIC 20 BASIC to making modern retro PD titles.Rob Smith's website: https://robsmithdev.co.uk/Contents:00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories 47:48 - Dave Isherwood InterviewPlease visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show:Sheffield Gaming Market: https://www.sheffieldgamingmarket.com/Bitmap Books - https://www.bitmapbooks.comTake your business to the next level today and enjoy 3 months of Shopify for £1/month: https://shopify.co.uk/retrohourWe 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/retrohourGet your Retro Hour merchandise: https://bit.ly/33OWBKdJoin our Discord channel: https://discord.gg/GQw8qp8Website: http://theretrohour.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/theretrohour/X: https://twitter.com/retrohourukInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/retrohouruk/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/theretrohour.comTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/theretrohourShow notesAtari Classics in Volkswagen Vehicles: https://tinyurl.com/wfner8j2Paprium Flash Cart Release: https://tinyurl.com/2ucerftmMetro’s Top 20 Amiga Games: https://tinyurl.com/ftz5y86hGrant Sinclair Gamercard: https://tinyurl.com/nzc9uuemAtari x Pac-Man Collection – Limited Edition 2600+: https://tinyurl.com/47ar835wAtari 50 Namco DLC: https://tinyurl.com/bd8xczzsModern SNES Handheld in Development: https://tinyurl.com/45c8u3jn

his week, we go behind the scenes of ’90s game testing with QA veteran Dave Isherwood! From the chaos of Virgin Interactive’s wild office parties to uncovering show-stopping bugs just hours before launch. Hear about the day Virgin fell apart, the mystery of the deadly red screen, and why he had to fake losing video game tournaments.  Contents: 00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories  37:37 - Dave Isherwood Interview Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show: Bitmap Books - https://www.bitmapbooks.com 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 Commodore 64 Ultimate Edition: https://www.commodore.net/ Rare Sega Genesis Re-Release: https://tinyurl.com/5n6ftw5a Worms Forever Game Boy Mod: https://tinyurl.com/8j86zb7b Beat ’Em Up Collection – QUByte Classics: https://tinyurl.com/mr4nuuxk YouTuber Copyright Lawsuit: https://tinyurl.com/jbdjdmr5

This week, we’re joined by John from the awesome YouTube channel RetroBytes - a creator who dives into the obscure corners of computing history. From his childhood memories of a flaming Spectrum, to restoring Unix workstations, the beauty of operating systems that time forgot, and why Gopher might’ve beaten the web, if not for one fatal mistake. RetroBytes on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@RetroBytesUKContents:00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories 40:03 - RetroBytes InterviewPlease visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show:Bitmap Books - https://www.bitmapbooks.comTake your business to the next level today and enjoy 3 months of Shopify for £1/month: https://shopify.co.uk/retrohourWe 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/retrohourJoin our Discord channel: https://discord.gg/GQw8qp8Website: http://theretrohour.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/theretrohour/X: https://twitter.com/retrohourukInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/retrohouruk/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/theretrohour.comTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/theretrohourEvents:The Amiga at 40: https://tinyurl.com/4wu2866hNottsVGE: https://www.nottsvge.com/RetroMessa: https://www.retromessa.no/Show notesXbox Mass Lay Offs: https://tinyurl.com/47t45sumNew Jazz Mag: https://www.supercellphonegamer.com/GameCube to Switch 2 Dock: https://tinyurl.com/5k32x59tFlipping Good Game: https://tinyurl.com/bddecmvz3D Print with Accuracy: https://tinyurl.com/37t6zwsz

This week, we’re joined by Darren Melbourne and Mark Greenshields to unravel the untold story of British software house Enigma Variations. From bargain licensing deals for Postman Pat and Bugs Bunny to cold-calling Nintendo after a few ciders. Plus, their recent efforts to preserved lost classics, the truth behind NES Lion King, and why some of their best work never saw the light of day... until now.Contents:00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories 32:53 - Darren Melbourne and Mark Greenshields InterviewGames That Weren't: https://www.gamesthatwerent.com/Antstream: https://www.antstream.com/Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show:Bitmap Books - https://www.bitmapbooks.comTake your business to the next level today and enjoy 3 months of Shopify for £1/month: https://shopify.co.uk/retrohourWe 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/retrohourGet your Retro Hour merchandise: https://bit.ly/33OWBKdJoin our Discord channel: https://discord.gg/GQw8qp8Website: http://theretrohour.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/theretrohour/X: https://twitter.com/retrohourukInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/retrohouruk/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/theretrohour.comTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/theretrohourShow notesAnimaniacs for GBA: https://tinyurl.com/y3u3ahskPostal 2 Redux: https://tinyurl.com/32f4f54xGame Boy Camera on Switch 2: https://tinyurl.com/y5t7phw3Playdate FMV Game: https://tinyurl.com/vtacmh6eWindows 95 on PS2: https://tinyurl.com/2nttad7w

We’re joined by Allen Anderson, a veteran SNES coder, and one of the key programmers behind Rock n’ Roll Racing. Starting as a teenage game cracker in Arkansas, he shares how hacking games led him into the industry, the chaos of SNES development with homemade dev kits, and how he programmed the Game Genie under insane deadlines, and the story behind the legendary cancelled Sega Saturn title, Propaganda. Contents:00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories 38:20 - Allen Anderson InterviewPlease visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show:Bitmap Books - https://www.bitmapbooks.comTake your business to the next level today and enjoy 3 months of Shopify for £1/month: https://shopify.co.uk/retrohourWe 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/retrohourGet your Retro Hour merchandise: https://bit.ly/33OWBKdJoin our Discord channel: https://discord.gg/GQw8qp8Website: http://theretrohour.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/theretrohour/X: https://twitter.com/retrohourukInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/retrohouruk/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/theretrohour.comTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/theretrohourShow notes:Switch 2 Emulation Issues: https://youtu.be/A3ylCAr0dbsMaplin Returns: https://tinyurl.com/23w9xy5pDuke Nukem Netflix Project: https://tinyurl.com/yc8euk4hTurrican CPC Remaster: https://tinyurl.com/mr3se7jpLinux Format Closes: https://tinyurl.com/5e9dhzcx