The Retro Hour (Retro Gaming Podcast)

This week we’re catching up with Andy Robert of the legendary Thalamus Software, for a chat about one of the most fascinating careers of the 8-bit era. From discovering computers via library games and typing in listings, to writing for Zzap!64 and Commodore Format, Andy shares incredible stories from the golden age of the Commodore 64. We dig into Creatures, Mayhem in Monsterland and that infamous 100% review score, the realities of magazine bias, late-night map drawing, and the risks of going indie before “indie” was a thing. Plus, we fast-forward to the modern Thalamus revival, deluxe boxed releases, Amiga hits like Roguecraft, and why nostalgia still needs to be done properly.Thalamus: https://www.thalamus.shop/Contents:00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories 41:26 - Andy Roberts Thalamus Interview Please 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!Leeds Gaming Market: https://leedsgamingmarket.com/Check out PCBWay at https://pcbway.com for all your PCB needsWe 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 notesSonic R Platformer Mod: https://tinyurl.com/mu6e538jLemmings Reloaded On C64: https://tinyurl.com/hh856em2Lost Beavis & Butt-Head Game: https://tinyurl.com/h8wt9um9The Last Of Us Demake: https://tinyurl.com/2abjtn6cGamebox For Classic Mac: https://manticore.nz/gamebox

What makes a truly great gaming community? Sean Baptiste, who helped grow Harmonix’s forum from a dozen diehards to hundreds of thousands of fans, shares what it really takes. From the secret struggles behind QA on Karaoke Revolution, to rocking out with the stars at the Grammys, Sean reflects on how fan feedback shaped Rock Band, how social media changed the game, and why authentic engagement still matters more than ever.Contents:00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories 52:18 - Sean Baptiste Interview Please 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!Leeds Gaming Market: https://leedsgamingmarket.com/Check out PCBWay at https://pcbway.com for all your PCB needsWe 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 notesDan's Escapist Column: https://tinyurl.com/35srz7e8Mario 64 Dreamcast Port Impresses: https://tinyurl.com/chayc96wCombo Portable TV Demo: https://tinyurl.com/mp5fy7ckLost PS2-Style RPG Revealed: https://tinyurl.com/4rb98wfnCommodore Drive Turned PC: https://youtu.be/6loDwvG4CP87-Day Dark Souls Demake: https://tinyurl.com/2sp2bc57Yie Ar Kung-Fu Genesis Port: https://tinyurl.com/yc7y5pmx

This week we’re joined by Mike Tucker and Quang DX from Bitmap Bureau to talk about the making of Terminator 2D: No Fate. We hear how their lifelong love of Terminator 2 turned into a three-year obsession, why so many classic T2 games missed the mark, and how this project set out to put that right. From painstakingly recreating iconic film moments in pixel art, to difficulty balancing, licensing hurdles, hidden Easter eggs, and expanding the Future War beyond the film, this is the story of how the Terminator game fans always wanted finally became reality. Bitmap Bureau: https://www.bitmapbureau.com/Contents:00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories 55:33 - Terminator 2D: No Fate Interview Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show:Bitmap Books - https://www.bitmapbooks.comLeeds Gaming Market: https://leedsgamingmarket.com/Check 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/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 notesSonic Lands on the Amiga: https://tinyurl.com/4rckwhvwCelebrate 50 Years of Jaws: https://tinyurl.com/348uw48eCES Retro Tech: https://tinyurl.com/3fwpynyhModder Creates Switch-Style Dock for the Nintendo 3DS: https://youtu.be/Kqn9QqYMQOMThe Iconic QuickShot II Joystick Returns in 2026: https://tinyurl.com/2p9pr8k9Support for the Sega Dreamcast Web Browser Ends After 25 Years: https://tinyurl.com/4c9ppapcStreets of Rage 2 New Era v3 Out Now: https://tinyurl.com/3xd8jrx3

It’s our absolute favourite episode of the year once again, the Retro Hour Christmas Quiz is back! 🎄🎮This year, Paul Drury and Oliver Wilmot are taking on hosting duties, armed with festive cheer and plenty of tricky questions. Meanwhile, Dan, Ravi and Joe have each drafted in some of our wonderful Patrons to join their teams, because what’s Christmas without a bit of friendly competition and chaos?Expect laughs, questionable answers, retro knowledge put to the test, and the all-important bragging rights as everyone battles it out to be crowned this year’s Retro Hour Christmas Super Quiz champions.So grab a mince pie, pour yourself something festive, and settle in for a proper Christmas treat with the Retro Hour gang.Merry Christmas to all our amazing listeners, we'll see you in 2026!Paul Drury co-hosts The Ted Dabney Experience podcast – interviews with the leading lights and supporting cast of the Golden Age of Arcades: https://www.teddabneyexperience.com/Check out Oliver Wilmot’s regular Yet Another Video Games Quiz at: https://www.facebook.com/anotherquizNamcos Twitch channel: https://www.twitch.tv/namcosPlease visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show:Bitmap Books – https://www.bitmapbooks.comPLAY Expo Blackpool: https://www.playexpoblackpool.com/The Retro Hour Book: https://retrohour.myshopify.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.com

This week, we catch up with the legendary H0ffman to hear some tales from the demo scene trenches, Amiga wizardry, and porting classic arcade titles. From brigning Metal Gear and Knightmare from the MSX to the Amiga, to pushing Neo Geo boundaries with Sega classics, and how he accidentally created a global DJ community with a bit of Amiga code. h0ffman Website: https://hoffman.home.blog/h0ffman Itch: https://h0ffman.itch.io/Contents:00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories 57:27 - h0ffman Interview Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show:Bitmap Books - https://www.bitmapbooks.comLeeds Gaming Market: https://leedsgamingmarket.com/Check 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/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 notesNES Blunder Spotted in Stranger Things: https://tinyurl.com/4m3yu3buTurrican & Taito Hit Evercade: https://tinyurl.com/3mjkfe8eDreamcast VMU Pro Preorders: https://tinyurl.com/59t5nwvyMighty Final Fight Drops This Christmas: https://tinyurl.com/3nhs6835DSpico – Open-Source DS Flash Cart Lands: https://tinyurl.com/mwv6fzbpNew Dead Rising in the Works?: https://tinyurl.com/jx7m6t36Stab N Dash Returns on Plus/4: https://tinyurl.com/mweuj6nv

This week, we’re joined by eXo, the visionary behind the colossal eXoDOS emulation project, dedicated to preserving DOS, Windows 3.x, and interactive fiction games in all their original (and often quirky) glory. We explore how eXo and a global team of volunteers are not just making old games playable again, but restoring everything from lost CD audio to obscure soundcard support and the belief that retro games should be remembered, and played exactly as they were.eXoDOS: https://www.retro-exo.com/exodos.htmlContents:00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories 51:49 - eXo Interview Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show:Doncaster Gaming Market: https://www.doncastergamingmarket.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/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 notesDreamcast Dream Disc 2025 Incoming: https://tinyurl.com/3cnwr6ekWoodgrain NES Almost Happened: https://tinyurl.com/ycx68xucCodemasters Archive Project: https://tinyurl.com/s4m4kcpeRidge Racer Hits the GBA: https://tinyurl.com/mub79zxkDuke Nukem 3D Gets Voxels: https://tinyurl.com/yezkyufeHunter 360 Controller: https://tinyurl.com/ee2j5mtr

From hating Pong to working for Atari, this week we chat with Matt Householder. From his early days at Gaming Devices Inc. and designing the arcade classic Krull, through to joining Atari right after the video game crash and witnessing the dramatic Amiga chipset saga from the inside. Matt reveals what it was really like working under Jack Tramiel, converting GEM for the Atari ST in record time, and why developers had to sell snacks from their desks just to survive. He then takes us into the golden years at Epyx, creating World Games and the smash hit California Games, before moving on to 3DO, where a secret project he managed ended up helping fund Diablo.Contents:00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories 54:26 - Matt Householder Interview Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show:Doncaster Gaming Market: https://www.doncastergamingmarket.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/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 notesSolid Aluminium Xbox Prototype Actually Works: https://youtu.be/0OMP8JvGWNYLost Destruction Derby 2 Saturn Prototype Unearthed: https://tinyurl.com/5c75zhxaJames Pond Makes a Comeback on Modern Consoles: https://tinyurl.com/2s4j38wdCastlevania Amiga Remake Gets CD32 Upgrade: https://tinyurl.com/47624rsaCastlevania Comes to the Atari 2600 (!): https://tinyurl.com/2k5ub8f5Sonic Finally Lands on the GX4000: https://tinyurl.com/bdm5svj2Worms Turns 30 – Team17’s Classic Celebrated: https://tinyurl.com/mrvtutnc