The Retro Hour - Episode 21 (Amiga Demo Scene Memories With H0ffman)

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.com Leeds Gaming Market: https://leedsgamingmarket.com/ Check out PCBWay at https://pcbway.com for all your PCB needs 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 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 NES Blunder Spotted in Stranger Things: https://tinyurl.com/4m3yu3bu Turrican & Taito Hit Evercade: https://tinyurl.com/3mjkfe8e Dreamcast VMU Pro Preorders: https://tinyurl.com/59t5nwvy Mighty Final Fight Drops This Christmas: https://tinyurl.com/3nhs6835 DSpico – Open-Source DS Flash Cart Lands: https://tinyurl.com/mwv6fzbp New Dead Rising in the Works?: https://tinyurl.com/jx7m6t36 Stab N Dash Returns on Plus/4: https://tinyurl.com/mweuj6nv

5 Des 1h 55min

This week we’re joined by industry veteran Michael Devine, former VP of Sales at The 3DO Company, key player at TDK Mediactive, and now CEO of Rockit Games, for an incredible look at four decades inside the games industry. From the “mind-blowing” M2 demos and the rise of Army Men, to the chaos of securing Hollywood licences and resurrecting Jaleco’s classic sports titles. Rock It Games: https://rockitgames.com/ Contents: 00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories  49:31 - Michael Devine Interview  Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show: Bitmap Books - https://www.bitmapbooks.com Doncaster Gaming Market: https://www.doncastergamingmarket.com/ Check out PCBWay at https://pcbway.com for all your PCB needs 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 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 Mario 64 on the PlayStation: https://tinyurl.com/mst4wr2v Zork goes open source: https://tinyurl.com/fscxdevf Xbox Crocs: https://tinyurl.com/nb5yhved Daytona USA returns: https://tinyurl.com/yvw3x72e Modern paper tape reader: https://tinyurl.com/28b5p7y4 TimeSplitters Rewind: https://www.timesplittersrewind.com/

28 Nov 1h 48min

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.html Contents: 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.com Check out PCBWay at https://pcbway.com for all your PCB needs 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 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 Dreamcast Dream Disc 2025 Incoming: https://tinyurl.com/3cnwr6ek Woodgrain NES Almost Happened: https://tinyurl.com/ycx68xuc Codemasters Archive Project: https://tinyurl.com/s4m4kcpe Ridge Racer Hits the GBA: https://tinyurl.com/mub79zxk Duke Nukem 3D Gets Voxels: https://tinyurl.com/yezkyufe Hunter 360 Controller: https://tinyurl.com/ee2j5mtr

21 Nov 1h 53min

This week, we catch up with the ever-inventive Ctrl-Alt-Rees in his brand new studio. Rees shares his latest projects, retro tech obsessions, and the bizarre story of a Japanese teaching computer with a paper screen. We hear his thoughts on modern Atari’s surprising comeback, his favourite (and most hated) handhelds, the quirks of the Jaguar scene, and why Windows 95 still holds up 30 years later.  ctrl-alt-rees on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ctrlaltrees Podcast and website: https://ctrl-alt-rees.com/ Contents: 00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories  56:32 - ctrl-alt-rees Interview  Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show: Doncaster Gaming Market: https://www.doncastergamingmarket.com/ Bitmap Books - https://www.bitmapbooks.com Check out PCBWay at https://pcbway.com for all your PCB needs 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 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 GameTank: Next-Gen 8-Bit Hardware: https://tinyurl.com/25fvsyku Atari 50: Namco DLC: https://tinyurl.com/47w8ztfc Eternal Hunters: New SNES RPG Revealed: https://tinyurl.com/mt6s387t Taito Offers $650 Bounty on Lost Tech: https://tinyurl.com/npr3m35b Commodore Name Battle Heats Up: https://tinyurl.com/46n7c3za Jurassic Systems Revives 1993 Hacker Vibes: https://jurassicsystems.com/

14 Nov 1h 54min

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.com Check out PCBWay at https://pcbway.com for all your PCB needs 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 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 Solid Aluminium Xbox Prototype Actually Works: https://youtu.be/0OMP8JvGWNY Lost Destruction Derby 2 Saturn Prototype Unearthed: https://tinyurl.com/5c75zhxa James Pond Makes a Comeback on Modern Consoles: https://tinyurl.com/2s4j38wd Castlevania Amiga Remake Gets CD32 Upgrade: https://tinyurl.com/47624rsa Castlevania Comes to the Atari 2600 (!): https://tinyurl.com/2k5ub8f5 Sonic Finally Lands on the GX4000: https://tinyurl.com/bdm5svj2 Worms Turns 30 – Team17’s Classic Celebrated: https://tinyurl.com/mrvtutnc

7 Nov 1h 56min

This week we're joined by Sierra legend Mark Crowe, co-creator of the Space Quest series and one half of the iconic Two Guys from Andromeda. Mark reveals how he went from never touching a computer to helping define the golden age of adventure gaming, working alongside Roberta Williams, Disney, and a hapless space janitor named Roger Wilco. Plus, we hear about the long-awaited reunion that brought Space Venture to life. Contents: 00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories  58:10 - Mark Crowe Interview  Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show: London Gaming Market: https://www.londongamingmarket.com/ Bitmap Books - https://www.bitmapbooks.com Check out PCBWay at https://pcbway.com for all your PCB needs 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 Sugar Ghouls: https://tinyurl.com/4kjjxvw2 Amiga Addict Amiga Format issue: https://tinyurl.com/53vsfmtd The A1200: https://tinyurl.com/538trdxx MD Engine: https://tinyurl.com/yea8r8fn New Barcode Battler cards: https://tinyurl.com/y33362mk Intellivision Amico prototype sold: https://tinyurl.com/9ze43yf8 Deep Sea Horror Shooter Inspired By Star Fox 64: https://tinyurl.com/ymn9je3r

31 Okt 1h 40min

This week's show features Erik Simon, co-founder of the legendary Thalion Software, the minds behind Lionheart, Ambermoon, and No Second Prize. Erik shares hilarious and jaw-dropping tales from the golden age of Amiga development, how the demo scene shaped Thalion’s “make the impossible happen” ethos, why Lionheart used every Amiga graphics mode.  Recorded live at Amiga 40 in Germany. Contents: 00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories  46:59 - Erik Simon Interview  Amiga Report Archive: https://bigbookofamigahardware.com/amigareport/ This Week In Retro: https://www.rmcretro.com/this-week-in-retro Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show: Cardiff Gaming Market: https://www.cardiffgamingmarket.com/ Bitmap Books - https://www.bitmapbooks.com Check out PCBWay at https://pcbway.com for all your PCB needs 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 This ‘In The Hunt’ Tech Demo Shows What the 16-Bit Generation Lost: https://tinyurl.com/mw94hsup Cambridge University Rescues Data from Old Floppy Disks: https://tinyurl.com/yc6tse6u Vampire’s Veil – A New Castlevania-Inspired Indie: https://tinyurl.com/ycx3n3zh Ymir Emulator Hits 90% Sega Saturn Compatibility: https://tinyurl.com/3a9c6z23 Fear Effect Returns with New Features: https://tinyurl.com/mttcdftj Bubble Bobble Remastered for C64: https://tinyurl.com/5ftruknf

24 Okt 1h 12min

This week, we’re joined by former Amiga Report editor, writer, and This Week in Retro host Jason Compton, who takes us into the golden age of 90s computing news. From chasing stories during Commodore’s dramatic collapse (“we may not make more chips, but we can sell the floor scrubber!”) to the birth of one of the first online tech magazines, Jason recalls the chaos, creativity and sheer enthusiasm that kept the Amiga community alive long after the headlines faded.  Contents: 00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories  50:34 - Jason Compton Interview  Amiga Report Archive: https://bigbookofamigahardware.com/amigareport/ This Week In Retro: https://www.rmcretro.com/this-week-in-retro Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show: Cardiff Gaming Market: https://www.cardiffgamingmarket.com/ Bitmap Books - https://www.bitmapbooks.com Check out PCBWay at https://pcbway.com for all your PCB needs 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 New Atari Jaguar 3D shooter announced: https://tinyurl.com/yc2adedu Street Racer retro collection coming to Steam: https://tinyurl.com/ta65wv33 deadmau5 teams with Atari for new 7800 game: https://tinyurl.com/9tjfdftb NightVein gothic run-and-gun for Mega Drive: https://tinyurl.com/3jd9j4tk Flashback unofficially ported to Sega Saturn: https://tinyurl.com/4psmpxtf The Old Blue Workbench: https://triumph.no/oldblue/

16 Okt 1h 54min