The Retro Hour (Retro Gaming Podcast)

Hosted by The Retro Hour (Retro Gaming Podcast)

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500

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Aug 2026

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About the show

Your weekly dose of retro gaming and technology news and interviews with industry veterans. New episodes released every Friday!

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60 recent

September 11, 2026Episode 5481 hr 46 min

548: Before Photoshop: How SEGA’s Sonic Artwork Was Made – The Retro Hour EP548

How do you turn a handful of pixels into one of gaming’s most recognisable characters? Recorded live at RetroMessa 2026, Dan and Joe meet illustrator Duncan Gutteridge, whose hand-painted artwork helped define Sonic’s European image during SEGA’s 16-bit glory years. Duncan recalls reimagining Sonic 2, creating artwork for Sonic 3 and Knuckles, working with airbrushes, phones and fax machines, and enjoying a level of creative freedom that would be almost unthinkable today. He also reveals the fate of his long-lost original Sonic paintings. Amiga Bill Links: Twitch.tv/AmigaBill https://YouTube.com/@AmigaBill https://AmigaBill.tv Twitch.tv Contents: 00:00 – The Week’s Retro News Stories 1:06:00 – Duncan Gutteridge Interview Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show: Bitmap Books – https://www.bitmapbooks.com Go to https://surfshark.com/retrohour or use code RETROHOUR at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN! Check out PCBWay at https://pcbway.com for all your PCB needs PlayEXPO Blackpool: https://www.playexpoblackpool.com/ 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 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 Doom-Style Shooter for 3DO: https://lnk.ua/znInXLNwM GTA Arrives on Amiga: https://lnk.ua/ERRtnHKLk Portrait Ridge Racer Port: https://lnk.ua/m0xu68aPx New 4:3 Retro Gaming Monitor: https://lnk.ua/PZX3RS7zK LEGO PlayStation 1 Set Revealed: https://lnk.ua/fAPHMgWXi Portal Demake Arrives on GBA: https://lnk.ua/QqQkLQGr5

September 4, 2026Episode 5471 hr 53 min

547: British Gaming Legends: Stories From an Iconic Era – The Retro Hour EP547

It's Ravi's final episode of the podcast, we give him a good send off! Plus, we bring you our Best of British panel from RetroMessa, featuring Mike Dailly (DMA Design), Glen O'Connell (Psygnosis), Duncan Gutteridge (Sega UK) and Brian Watson (DMA Design) for a panel discussion about British gaming history, iconic games and the moments that helped shape an entire era. Contents: 00:00 – The Week’s Retro News Stories 1:05:50 – Best of British Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show: Bitmap Books – https://www.bitmapbooks.com Go to https://surfshark.com/retrohour or use code RETROHOUR at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN! Check out PCBWay at https://pcbway.com for all your PCB needs PlayEXPO Blackpool: https://www.playexpoblackpool.com/ 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 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 Sonic Demo Lands on Amiga: https://lnk.ua/Ifux6frxr Terranigma Returns to Modern Hardware: https://lnk.ua/6ciLNoEyo Cyberpunk 2077 C64 Coming Soon: https://lnk.ua/snpuA7Lj0 Fall From Space Features Arita: https://lnk.ua/6l5mCdvCs Atari and Activision Reunite: https://lnk.ua/0V34uriWa New Mega Drive Arcade Controller: https://lnk.ua/DAfat7AK3 Zool Collection Coming to Jaguar: https://lnk.ua/P4xQT4jFN Pillow Fort Album Hits GBA: https://lnk.ua/zxB3hMk3R

August 28, 2026Episode 5461 hr 40 min

546: The Making of The Suffering: Horror, Morality and Games That Remember – The Retro Hour EP546

Veteran game designer Richard Rouse III joins us to revisit his journey from Bungie’s early Macintosh games to Centipede 3D and The Suffering. He reveals how the horror classic found its prison setting, blended action with psychological storytelling, and remembered players’ moral choices, plus the stories behind its lost sequel and unmade movie. Contents: 00:00 – The Week’s Retro News Stories 39:42 – Richard Rouse III Interview Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show: Bitmap Books – https://www.bitmapbooks.com Go to https://surfshark.com/retrohour or use code RETROHOUR at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN! Check out PCBWay at https://pcbway.com for all your PCB needs PlayEXPO Blackpool: https://www.playexpoblackpool.com/ 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 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 Alien Breed 35th Anniversary: https://lnk.ua/95kg65oJq Golden Axe TV Trailer: https://youtu.be/sStbBtfGaLA Car Park Capital Arrives: https://lnk.ua/4ctQBSKZh Mr. Nutz Gets Physical Reissue: https://lnk.ua/GnfzOfOeK Transformers-Style Fighting Game: https://lnk.ua/dDrswhf0C

August 21, 2026Episode 5451 hr 45 min

545: Region Locked: The Untold Story of Australian Video Games – The Retro Hour EP545

Australia gave the world pioneering adventures, cult classics and global hits,but much of its gaming history has been left out of the story. This week, we're joined by Region Locked creative lead Michael Refalo and veteran game designer John Passfield-co-creator of Halloween Harry, Flight of the Amazon Queen and TY the Tasmanian Tiger, to explore bedroom coding, cassette-tape publishing, The Hobbit’s groundbreaking parser, Beam Software reverse-engineering the NES, the infamous Power Glove and the games you never realised were Australian. Plus, discover how the new Region Locked documentary series plans to preserve these stories before bit rot, and time, erase them for good. Region Locked Kickstarter: https://lnk.ua/ueFZbW6cf Contents: 00:00 – The Week’s Retro News Stories 53:42 – Region Locked Interview Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show: Bitmap Books – https://www.bitmapbooks.com Go to https://surfshark.com/retrohour or use code RETROHOUR at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN! Check out PCBWay at https://pcbway.com for all your PCB needs PlayEXPO Blackpool: https://www.playexpoblackpool.com/ 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 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 CeX Revisits Retro-Only Stores: https://lnk.ua/LT8x2d9DI Zeewolf Spiritual Successor Revealed: https://lnk.ua/vGAlWUAcE Lara Croft Statue in Derby: https://lnk.ua/yBaKkiM3R Fan-Made Donkey Kong Country 4: https://lnk.ua/0nxUrpxQ9 Multi-Mega Flash Cart Mod: https://lnk.ua/HsC93CDQr

August 13, 2026Episode 5441 hr 45 min

544: Amiga Just Revealed Its Future Plans - The Retro Hour EP544

This week, we’re coming to you from Amiga Kickstart in Derby, where we recorded a fascinating panel looking at what comes next for one of computing’s most iconic names. With the long-running legal battle between Hyperion Entertainment and Cloanto finally at an end, the Amiga company took to the stage to discuss the future, its plans for the platform and what this new chapter could mean for the wider Amiga community. After years of courtroom wrangling and uncertainty, could this finally be the fresh start Amiga fans have been waiting for? Amiga: https://amiga.com/ Contents: 00:00 – The Week’s Retro News Stories 57:17 - Amiga Announcements Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show: Bitmap Books – https://www.bitmapbooks.com Check out PCBWay at https://pcbway.com for all your PCB needs London Gaming Market: https://www.londongamingmarket.com/ 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 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 Joystick: https://lnk.ua/F8QM1EnLL Cancelled Quake 4 Expansion: https://lnk.ua/nknP0xR0K Atari ST Floppy Archive: https://lnk.ua/bewmRuiAr DOOM Comes to Evercade: https://lnk.ua/hIDAqsUYx Mario Kart 64 VR: https://lnk.ua/aeAmS9XiM New Amiga Racer: https://lnk.ua/i3olxXWTM Utopia Returns to SNES: https://lnk.ua/VY9P3ILvj Patrons news

August 7, 2026Episode 5431 hr 34 min

543: Beats of Rage: From Fan Game to OpenBOR - The Retro Hour EP543

This week, we’re joined by Roel van Mastbergen of Senile Team to discover how a homemade MS-DOS tribute to Streets of Rage exploded to around a million players, crashed two servers and evolved into OpenBOR. Roel also reveals how the project led him into Dreamcast development, the fate of Age of the Beast and what’s next with Hypno Tiles. Senile Team: https://www.senileteam.com/ Zoom Platform: https://www.zoom-platform.com/ Contents: 00:00 – The Week’s Retro News Stories 45:17 - Beats of Rage Interview Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show: Bitmap Books – https://www.bitmapbooks.com Check out PCBWay at https://pcbway.com for all your PCB needs London Gaming Market: https://www.londongamingmarket.com/ 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 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 Hyperion and Amiga Corp Settle: https://lnk.ua/Vw6jkv8IW Xbox 360 Games Hit PC: https://lnk.ua/XCLKsRbJK Varta Goes Bust: https://lnk.ua/5ry9AQidd New Amiga Bullet-Hell Shooter: https://lnk.ua/YLQhUYBU SpeccyDate: https://lnk.ua/mFt16xLaI Atari World Championship Announced: https://lnk.ua/MVLR87zko Jaguar Doom Gets Improved: https://lnk.ua/X0cCtGX46

July 31, 2026Episode 5421 hr 54 min

542: Veronica Explains: Why Old Computers Were Better at Teaching Us – The Retro Hour EP542

This week, we’re joined by Veronica from the brilliant YouTube channel Veronica Explains for a journey through a lifetime of tinkering with technology. Veronica shares stories of growing up in a family of programmers, exploring the early Internet through Prodigy and GeoCities, inheriting a 50-year-old COBOL codebase, her love of the Commodore 64 and Amiga, the lost art of the computer manual, and why older computers often encouraged us to understand, repair and truly own the technology we used. Veronica Explains: https://veronicaexplains.net/ https://www.youtube.com/@VeronicaExplains Contents: 00:00 – The Week’s Retro News Stories 50:17 – Veronica Explains Interview Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show: Bitmap Books – https://www.bitmapbooks.com Go to https://surfshark.com/retrohour or use code RETROHOUR at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN! Check out PCBWay at https://pcbway.com for all your PCB needs PlayEXPO Blackpool: https://www.playexpoblackpool.com/ 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 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 Xbox Backwards Compatibility Expands: https://lnk.ua/TLKK3aUEz Ruff ’n’ Tumble 2026: https://lnk.ua/mRTXvpXvM 3DO Classic Comes To Jaguar: https://lnk.ua/1usp847sO Conker 64 Footage Surfaces: https://lnk.ua/9Lb4R3KoH Sega Rally On Mega Drive: https://lnk.ua/NlQIztuNF Rare Nintendo FamicomBox Discovered: https://lnk.ua/dD0ixsVqO Homemade PS4 OLED Handheld: https://lnk.ua/qdxKaI6ME

July 24, 2026Episode 5411 hr 49 min

541: Colin McRae, Batman & AstroBurn: From Games to Hollywood… and Back - The Retro Hour EP541

This week's guest is Haz Dulull whose career has taken him from creating FMV and cinematics for games like Colin McRae Rally and Battalion Wars, to working on blockbuster films including The Dark Knight, Prince of Persia and The Chronicles of Narnia. He's returned to his gaming roots with his colourful new SNES style shoot ‘em up, AstroBurn. Astroburn: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3810660/Astro_Burn/ Built to Fail: The Inside Story of Blockbuster's Inevitable Bust: https://lnk.ua/zrymFBq2V Contents: 00:00 – The Week’s Retro News Stories 50:36 – Haz Dulull Interview Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show: Bitmap Books – https://www.bitmapbooks.com Go to https://surfshark.com/retrohour or use code RETROHOUR at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN! Check out PCBWay at https://pcbway.com for all your PCB needs PlayEXPO Blackpool: https://www.playexpoblackpool.com/ 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 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 Monkey Ball Comes to Dreamcast: https://lnk.ua/ux2w9vqz0 Gloom Reforged Returns: https://lnk.ua/sVe6F0iTq Super Mario 64 on 3DO: https://lnk.ua/D3uCVFFQo The End of GAME: https://lnk.ua/EFsnZaDj6 Stains of Decay: https://lnk.ua/8Z1zOF5iX Lemmings on Pico-8: https://lnk.ua/wqGRgWysw Dungeon Lurker Interview: https://lnk.ua/U53TAZvj8 Patrons news Blink-182 Team Up With Pac-Man For Arcade Collaboration: https://lnk.ua/B0qOtMAeh Lemmings Reloaded Updates: https://lnk.ua/bfmMiD1BH

July 17, 2026Episode 5401 hr 41 min

540: Netflix DIDN’T Kill Blockbuster — Here’s What Really Happened - The Retro Hour EP540

This week, we’re joined by former Blockbuster franchisee Alan Payne, author of Built to Fail, for the inside story of the video & game rental giant’s spectacular collapse. Alan reveals why Netflix and streaming weren’t really to blame, how Blockbuster disastrously mishandled the switch from VHS to DVD, and why decisions such as scrapping late fees helped destroy the business from within. We also revisit the glory days of Friday-night rentals, Blockbuster’s video game business, Game Rush, the PlayStation 2 DVD boom and the story of the final store. Built to Fail: The Inside Story of Blockbuster's Inevitable Bust: https://lnk.ua/zrymFBq2V Contents: 00:00 – The Week’s Retro News Stories 40:08 – Blockbuster Alan Payne Interview Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show: Bitmap Books – https://www.bitmapbooks.com Go to https://surfshark.com/retrohour or use code RETROHOUR at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN! Check out PCBWay at https://pcbway.com for all your PCB needs PlayEXPO Blackpool: https://www.playexpoblackpool.com/ 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 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 Ghostbusters C64 Remastered: https://lnk.ua/GFpHqvMaY Original Version Comparison: https://youtu.be/VITLJsgXCUQ Game Boy Camera Captures Jupiter: https://lnk.ua/3ar7dSylK Doom Ported to Obscure Console: https://youtu.be/nDe06uY5C40 Johnny Castaway Comes to PS1: https://lnk.ua/AfZPCsfdN Super Mario Maker GB: https://lnk.ua/QGBAQr7Fi Agent 64 Launches Next Month: https://lnk.ua/mpbP6dcXG

July 10, 2026Episode 5391 hr 49 min

539: OctaMED, Amigas and Dark 80s Music - The Retro Hour EP539

Synth musician, performer and self-described “bleakwave” artist Paulee Alex Bow joins us. We explore dark ’80s music and an love for the Commodore Amiga. Paulee reveals how OctaMED became the heart of a modern hardware-synth setup, why original machines can't be replaced, and what it takes to perform live with two Amigas in tow. We also hear about the Arcade Dreams soundtrack, haunted synths, Amiga MIDI, car-boot retro discoveries and why the Amiga community can sometimes feel almost spiritual. Magical Synth Adventure: https://www.youtube.com/@magicalsynthadventure3216 Sonic State: https://www.youtube.com/@sonicstate/videos Contents: 00:00 – The Week’s Retro News Stories 48:21 - Paulee Alex Bow Interview Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show: Bitmap Books – https://www.bitmapbooks.com Check out PCBWay at https://pcbway.com for all your PCB needs London Gaming Market: https://www.londongamingmarket.com/ 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 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 Worms Director’s Cut Expansion: https://lnk.ua/5kH00iGiR Romero Praises id Developers: https://lnk.ua/k0IOBSZGO PlayStation Ends Physical Releases: https://lnk.ua/lvs87s7yd Germany’s Preservation Project Collapses: https://lnk.ua/VFJe5qL8S Command & Conquer on Atari ST: https://lnk.ua/aQhG7CrtN Empire Interactive Quits 3DO: https://lnk.ua/aBXtA0qb6 Android Becomes a Wii U: https://lnk.ua/7jYPe7vxJ YouTube on Game Boy Color: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GlYnN9JK1k