Episode 147: H.E.R.O.

From Video Game History Hour by Video Game History Foundation

January 14, 2026 · 1h 16m · Season 2 · Episode 147

About this episode

The episode features discussions about the Atari 2600 game H.E.R.O. with developers John Van Ryzin and Kevin Wilson.

Atari game developer John Van Ryzin and Digital Eclipse Technical Director Kevin Wilson both join host Frank Cifaldi to reminisce about the Atari 2600 title, and Frank’s favorite game, H.E.R.O. . We also explore John’s early career, his entry into game development, programming limitations of the 2600 (RAM, timing issues, etc.), the spiritual sequel to H.E.R.O. and John’s most recent title Alien Abduction! , the differences in modern development, and so much more. You can listen to the Video Game History Hour every other Wednesday on Patreon (one day early at the $5 tier and above), on Spotify , or on our website . See more from John Van Ryzin: Alien Abduction!: https://adgm.us/ See more from Kevin Wilson: Website: digitaleclipse.com Mortal Kombat Legacy Kollection: https://www.digitaleclipse.com/games/mortal-kombat-legacy-kollection Video Game History Foundation: Email: podcast@gamehistory.org Website: gamehistory.org Support us on Patreon: /gamehistoryorg

People in this episode

Host: Frank Cifaldi

Guests: John Van Ryzin, Kevin Wilson

Topics covered

Atari 2600
game development
programming limitations
H.E.R.O.
video game history
John Van Ryzin
Kevin Wilson

Keywords

H.E.R.O.
Atari
game development
John Van Ryzin
Kevin Wilson
video games
programming

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Atari, Digital Eclipse, Video Game History Foundation

Products: H.E.R.O., Alien Abduction!, Mortal Kombat Legacy Kollection