The Retro Hour (Retro Gaming Podcast)

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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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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 Stories57:17 - Amiga Announcements Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show:Bitmap Books – https://www.bitmapbooks.comCheck out PCBWay at https://pcbway.com for all your PCB needsLondon 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/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/theretrohourShow notes Commodore Joystick: https://lnk.ua/F8QM1EnLLCancelled Quake 4 Expansion: https://lnk.ua/nknP0xR0KAtari ST Floppy Archive: https://lnk.ua/bewmRuiArDOOM Comes to Evercade: https://lnk.ua/hIDAqsUYxMario Kart 64 VR: https://lnk.ua/aeAmS9XiMNew Amiga Racer: https://lnk.ua/i3olxXWTMUtopia Returns to SNES: https://lnk.ua/VY9P3ILvjPatrons 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 Stories45:17 - Beats of Rage InterviewPlease visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show:Bitmap Books – https://www.bitmapbooks.comCheck out PCBWay at https://pcbway.com for all your PCB needsLondon 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/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/theretrohourShow notes Hyperion and Amiga Corp Settle: https://lnk.ua/Vw6jkv8IWXbox 360 Games Hit PC: https://lnk.ua/XCLKsRbJKVarta Goes Bust: https://lnk.ua/5ry9AQiddNew Amiga Bullet-Hell Shooter: https://lnk.ua/YLQhUYBUSpeccyDate: https://lnk.ua/mFt16xLaIAtari World Championship Announced: https://lnk.ua/MVLR87zkoJaguar 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/@VeronicaExplainsContents:00:00 – The Week’s Retro News Stories50:17 – Veronica Explains InterviewPlease visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show:Bitmap Books – https://www.bitmapbooks.comGo 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 needsPlayEXPO 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/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/theretrohourShow notesXbox Backwards Compatibility Expands: https://lnk.ua/TLKK3aUEzRuff ’n’ Tumble 2026: https://lnk.ua/mRTXvpXvM3DO Classic Comes To Jaguar: https://lnk.ua/1usp847sOConker 64 Footage Surfaces: https://lnk.ua/9Lb4R3KoHSega Rally On Mega Drive: https://lnk.ua/NlQIztuNFRare Nintendo FamicomBox Discovered: https://lnk.ua/dD0ixsVqOHomemade 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/zrymFBq2VContents:00:00 – The Week’s Retro News Stories50:36 – Haz Dulull InterviewPlease visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show:Bitmap Books – https://www.bitmapbooks.comGo 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 needsPlayEXPO 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/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/theretrohourShow notesMonkey Ball Comes to Dreamcast: https://lnk.ua/ux2w9vqz0Gloom Reforged Returns: https://lnk.ua/sVe6F0iTqSuper Mario 64 on 3DO: https://lnk.ua/D3uCVFFQoThe End of GAME: https://lnk.ua/EFsnZaDj6Stains of Decay: https://lnk.ua/8Z1zOF5iXLemmings on Pico-8: https://lnk.ua/wqGRgWyswDungeon Lurker Interview: https://lnk.ua/U53TAZvj8 Patrons newsBlink-182 Team Up With Pac-Man For Arcade Collaboration: https://lnk.ua/B0qOtMAehLemmings 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/zrymFBq2VContents:00:00 – The Week’s Retro News Stories40:08 – Blockbuster Alan Payne InterviewPlease visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show:Bitmap Books – https://www.bitmapbooks.comGo 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 needsPlayEXPO 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/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/theretrohourShow notesGhostbusters C64 Remastered: https://lnk.ua/GFpHqvMaYOriginal Version Comparison: https://youtu.be/VITLJsgXCUQGame Boy Camera Captures Jupiter: https://lnk.ua/3ar7dSylKDoom Ported to Obscure Console: https://youtu.be/nDe06uY5C40Johnny Castaway Comes to PS1: https://lnk.ua/AfZPCsfdNSuper Mario Maker GB: https://lnk.ua/QGBAQr7FiAgent 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/@magicalsynthadventure3216Sonic State: https://www.youtube.com/@sonicstate/videosContents:00:00 – The Week’s Retro News Stories48:21 - Paulee Alex Bow InterviewPlease visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show:Bitmap Books – https://www.bitmapbooks.comCheck out PCBWay at https://pcbway.com for all your PCB needsLondon 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/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/theretrohourShow notes Worms Director’s Cut Expansion: https://lnk.ua/5kH00iGiRRomero Praises id Developers: https://lnk.ua/k0IOBSZGOPlayStation Ends Physical Releases: https://lnk.ua/lvs87s7ydGermany’s Preservation Project Collapses: https://lnk.ua/VFJe5qL8SCommand & Conquer on Atari ST: https://lnk.ua/aQhG7CrtNEmpire Interactive Quits 3DO: https://lnk.ua/aBXtA0qb6Android Becomes a Wii U: https://lnk.ua/7jYPe7vxJYouTube on Game Boy Color: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GlYnN9JK1k

July 3, 2026Episode 5381 hr 54 min

538: Commodore 64: The Birth of a Cultural Icon - The Retro Hour EP538

This week, we’re joined by legendary documentary makers Ant and Nic Caulfield, the team behind From Bedrooms to Billions, The Amiga Years and The Rubber-Keyed Wonder, as they return to celebrate one of the most iconic home computers ever made: the Commodore 64. Commodore 64: The Birth of a Cultural Icon on Kickstarter: https://lnk.ua/TRJ0cmHX1Contents:00:00 – The Week’s Retro News Stories56:23 – Commodore 64 Documentary InterviewPlease visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show:Bitmap Books – https://www.bitmapbooks.comCheck out PCBWay at https://pcbway.com for all your PCB needsPlayEXPO 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/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/theretrohourShow notesCommodore Phone Price Drop: https://lnk.ua/L9Jyk0HoHSonic Cartridges Return: https://lnk.ua/RbgJGWLALEcco Remaster Physical Edition: https://lnk.ua/1R9OKXgHbNeo Turbo Challenge Amiga: https://lnk.ua/Vl6vprJIbWolfenstein 3D On Lynx: https://lnk.ua/gaL5jitCm3DO Returns?: https://lnk.ua/hCMaWHfX6Meshtastic On Commodore 64: https://lnk.ua/XlABpzaBa

June 26, 2026Episode 5371 hr 31 min

537: The Man Who Made Lemmings Work On Atari ST: DMA Design's Brian Watson - The Retro Hour EP537

This week we’re joined by Brian Watson, formerly of DMA Design who worked on the Atari ST version of Lemmings 1 and 2, and porting it to the Atari Lynx. He later worked for Iguana Entertainment, Acclaim, working on Turok, N64 audio drivers and clever memory systems used across dozens of games. Brian shares brilliant stories from the trenches of 16-bit and 32-bit development, the challenge of making ambitious games work on limited hardware, and what it was really like behind the scenes at DMA and Acclaim.Contents:00:00 – The Week’s Retro News Stories43:31 - Brian Watson InterviewPlease visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show:Bitmap Books – https://www.bitmapbooks.comCheck out PCBWay at https://pcbway.com for all your PCB needsLondon 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/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/theretrohourShow notesMinecraft On PS2: https://lnk.ua/kNl3123pXGame Boy GTA: https://lnk.ua/LQySSpMoNApidya Remake Pre-Orders: https://lnk.ua/23bg38SjWDreamcast USB Controller: https://lnk.ua/MUJ4zS3JzRetro Warehouse Haul: https://lnk.ua/Lbd1kmKIfDiscord Social SDK: https://lnk.ua/6Wfh1bNoy

June 18, 2026Episode 5361 hr 50 min

536: The 7th Guest: The Inside Story with Trilobyte's Rob Landeros - The Retro Hour EP536

Rob Landeros joins us to share the incredible story behind Trilobyte and The 7th Guest, from discovering the Amiga and working at Cinemaware and Virgin, to teaming up with Graeme Devine and helping ignite the CD-ROM revolution with one of the most iconic FMV horror puzzlers of the 1990s. The 7th Guest Remake: https://the7thguestremake.com/Diddly on Kickstarter: https://lnk.ua/9XeHAcgxMContents:00:00 – The Week’s Retro News Stories47:15 - The 7th Guest InterviewPlease visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show:Bitmap Books – https://www.bitmapbooks.comCheck out PCBWay at https://pcbway.com for all your PCB needsLondon 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/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/theretrohourShow notesGodzilla Remaster Challenges GTA: https://youtu.be/w-veMlH2L-APaulaNET Amiga Wi-Fi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhAg-fT83o8Jet Set Radio Divides Fans: https://lnk.ua/tdyOdTeYHN64 Controller Guitar Pedal: https://lnk.ua/9IWlFwXIzThief Remaster Announced: https://lnk.ua/XduraQixGCastlevania Mega Drive Port: https://lnk.ua/tOaxHv6waMetro Siege Hits Kickstarter: https://lnk.ua/RyOFar6cKPatrons newsFinal Fight 64 Homebrew: https://lnk.ua/awxAjBPf5Perfect Dark VR Port: https://lnk.ua/bKQAOFZqH

June 11, 2026Episode 5351 hr 49 min

535: The Game That Took 37 Years to Finish: Ocean Software's Colin Porch - The Retro Hour EP535

This week we’re joined by veteran programmer Colin Porch, whose career took him through some of the biggest names in British gaming history, including Imagine, Software Projects and Ocean Software. Colin shares stories of Imagine’s dramatic collapse, converting arcade hits like Dragon’s Lair, Operation Wolf and Gryzor to home micros, the infamous lost Parasol Stars C64 port, and the technical wizardry behind bringing Head Over Heels to the Commodore 64, Atari ST and Amiga. Plus, we hear the incredible story of Return to Blacktooth, the Head Over Heels sequel Colin began in 1989 and has finally completed 37 years later. Return To Blacktooth: https://thalamusdigital.itch.io/Contents:00:00 – The Week’s Retro News Stories48:17 – Colin Porch InterviewPlease visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show:Bitmap Books – https://www.bitmapbooks.comCheck out PCBWay at https://pcbway.com for all your PCB needsLondon 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/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/theretrohourShow notesRGL Teases The A1200: https://lnk.ua/GqyeXdPJ5Commodore Teases June 16th Announcement: https://lnk.ua/OXRSP2jzOCrazy Taxi GenAI Response: https://lnk.ua/5JfoTfy1fAtari Toy Story Collection: https://lnk.ua/TJqoQuQ5jResident Evil Code Veronica: https://lnk.ua/EDTxG2iaSOcarina Of Time Remake: https://lnk.ua/6Two6Um7uCuphead Devs’ Master System Spin-Off: https://lnk.ua/KnkMouiRw