459: The Best of Retro In 2024: Unforgettable Highlights - The Retro Hour EP459

This week’s episode comes live from Retromessa 2025 in Norway, where we were joined on stage by legendary video game composer Richard Jacques. From creating music on a ZX Spectrum at age 11 to scoring iconic titles like Sonic R, Jet Set Radio, Headhunter, and Mass Effect, Richard shares his incredible journey through Sega’s golden years, live orchestras at Abbey Road, and the unexpected afterlife of a song that became a meme.  Richard's website: https://www.richardjacques.com/home Contents: 00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories  54:42 - Richard Jacques Interview Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show: Liverpool Gaming Market: https://www.liverpoolgamingmarket.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 Sega Laserdisc Emulation Has Just Taken a Major Leap Forward: https://tinyurl.com/yc3t492v The Settlers II Finally Settles on Amiga 29 Years Late: https://tinyurl.com/y5xjjyvh Modder Builds Windows 98 Handheld Using Original Hardware: https://tinyurl.com/2v7j2y37 Happy 30th Birthday to Internet Explorer: https://tinyurl.com/452j77md Parenting Like It’s 1999: https://tinyurl.com/2etae5m7

21 Aug 1h 36min

This week we are joined by award-winning experimental designer, educator and game maker Alex Johansson of ALYO Games. He is the mind behind wild alt-controller creations like Muppet Boxing, syringe-powered co-op games and his new Morse code-based strategy title Morse. We dive into the wonderfully strange world of odd inputs, discuss why Flash games should have been preserved, explore how gaming can reach older and underserved communities, and hear how Alex’s love for tactile play has taken him from cardboard-box cockpits to the heart of the ham radio scene. Alex's website: https://alexvscoding.itch.io/ Contents: 00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories  43:13 - Alex Johansson Interview Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show: Crawley Gaming Market: https://www.crawleygamingmarket.com/ Bitmap Books - https://www.bitmapbooks.com 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 Heretic and Hexen remasters: https://tinyurl.com/k6ueyunb PS1 clone will also play Sega CD and Sega Saturn: https://tinyurl.com/fvd37ypa Monty Mole games: https://tinyurl.com/mtskfsxh AOL is turning off its dial-up after 34 years: https://tinyurl.com/4f95wrf6 40 years of the Amiga as an album tribute by Allister Brimble: https://tinyurl.com/2d4a5c85

14 Aug 1h 33min

This week, we chat with Andy Davidson, the creator of the legendary game Worms. Andy shares how a quirky artillery game made on a school Amiga evolved into one of the most recognisable franchises in gaming history. From ripping sprites out of Lemmings for a laugh, to a five-minute pitch that landed him a publishing deal with Team17, plus some updates on the upcoming Worms Director's Cut 1.5 for the Amiga!  Andy Davidson on X: https://x.com/totalwormage Contents: 00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories  35:31 - Andy Davidson Interview Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show: Crawley Gaming Market: https://www.crawleygamingmarket.com/ Bitmap Books - https://www.bitmapbooks.com 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 Rare's 40th Anniversary Blue Plaque: https://tinyurl.com/yfvut7sc Rare Evercade Collection: https://tinyurl.com/bdd3emcb Rare Vinyl Set: https://tinyurl.com/4puzktvw Rick Dangerous Mega Drive Port: https://tinyurl.com/ydr25k9f Zelda Homage NES-Style Spin-Off: https://tinyurl.com/4ahudfru Groundbreaking Game Descent’s Anniversary: https://tinyurl.com/tddfybfa

8 Aug 1h 40min

This week we’re joined by Matt Porter, former programmer at Argonaut Software and one of the key developers behind Croc: Legend of the Gobbos. Matt shares inside stories from the development of titles like Creature Shock, Scooby-Doo Mysteries, and SWAT: Global Strike Team, delves into the challenges of porting games across wildly different platforms, and teases some fascinating lost betas and unreleased gems he’s been finding on 30-year-old hard drives. Dovetail Games: https://dovetailgames.com/ Contents: 00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories  37:40 - Matt Porter Interview Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show: Sheffield Gaming Market: https://www.sheffieldgamingmarket.com/ Bitmap Books - https://www.bitmapbooks.com 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 James Pond Revival and AI Campaign: https://tinyurl.com/9wafa3zx Bitmap Bureau Terminator Game Delay: https://tinyurl.com/yry357hp Game Gear Camera Mod Using GBC Hardware: https://tinyurl.com/msrus64r Rare 3DO M2 Console Withdrawn from Sale: https://tinyurl.com/4z6hv5h7 Super Mario Bros. Remastered Coming to PC: https://tinyurl.com/4dmy62vk

1 Aug 1h 39min

This week’s guest is Rob Smith: the mad‑scientist of the retro scene. Rob takes us on a tour of his wild inventions—from a disco‑themed floppy‑disk cleaning workstation that actually plays tunes, to a full‑scale whack‑a‑mole game controlled by an Amiga via Arduino and AMOS, and his glowing levitating Boing Ball built with magnets and LEDs. He also talks about the Retro Directory, disc backup stations, and his journey from VIC 20 BASIC to making modern retro PD titles. Rob Smith's website: https://robsmithdev.co.uk/ Contents: 00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories  47:48 - Dave Isherwood Interview Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show: Sheffield Gaming Market: https://www.sheffieldgamingmarket.com/ Bitmap Books - https://www.bitmapbooks.com 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 Atari Classics in Volkswagen Vehicles: https://tinyurl.com/wfner8j2 Paprium Flash Cart Release: https://tinyurl.com/2ucerftm Metro’s Top 20 Amiga Games: https://tinyurl.com/ftz5y86h Grant Sinclair Gamercard: https://tinyurl.com/nzc9uuem Atari x Pac-Man Collection – Limited Edition 2600+: https://tinyurl.com/47ar835w Atari 50 Namco DLC: https://tinyurl.com/bd8xczzs Modern SNES Handheld in Development: https://tinyurl.com/45c8u3jn

25 Jul 1h 31min

his week, we go behind the scenes of ’90s game testing with QA veteran Dave Isherwood! From the chaos of Virgin Interactive’s wild office parties to uncovering show-stopping bugs just hours before launch. Hear about the day Virgin fell apart, the mystery of the deadly red screen, and why he had to fake losing video game tournaments.  Contents: 00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories  37:37 - Dave Isherwood Interview Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show: Bitmap Books - https://www.bitmapbooks.com 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 Commodore 64 Ultimate Edition: https://www.commodore.net/ Rare Sega Genesis Re-Release: https://tinyurl.com/5n6ftw5a Worms Forever Game Boy Mod: https://tinyurl.com/8j86zb7b Beat ’Em Up Collection – QUByte Classics: https://tinyurl.com/mr4nuuxk YouTuber Copyright Lawsuit: https://tinyurl.com/jbdjdmr5

18 Jul 1h 31min

This week, we’re joined by John from the awesome YouTube channel RetroBytes - a creator who dives into the obscure corners of computing history. From his childhood memories of a flaming Spectrum, to restoring Unix workstations, the beauty of operating systems that time forgot, and why Gopher might’ve beaten the web, if not for one fatal mistake.  RetroBytes on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@RetroBytesUK Contents: 00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories  40:03 - RetroBytes Interview Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show: Bitmap Books - https://www.bitmapbooks.com 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 Events: The Amiga at 40: https://tinyurl.com/4wu2866h NottsVGE: https://www.nottsvge.com/ RetroMessa: https://www.retromessa.no/ Show notes Xbox Mass Lay Offs: https://tinyurl.com/47t45sum New Jazz Mag: https://www.supercellphonegamer.com/ GameCube to Switch 2 Dock: https://tinyurl.com/5k32x59t Flipping Good Game: https://tinyurl.com/bddecmvz 3D Print with Accuracy: https://tinyurl.com/37t6zwsz

11 Jul 1h 29min

This week, we’re joined by Darren Melbourne and Mark Greenshields to unravel the untold story of British software house Enigma Variations. From bargain licensing deals for Postman Pat and Bugs Bunny to cold-calling Nintendo after a few ciders. Plus, their recent efforts to preserved lost classics, the truth behind NES Lion King, and why some of their best work never saw the light of day... until now. Contents: 00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories  32:53 - Darren Melbourne and Mark Greenshields Interview Games That Weren't: https://www.gamesthatwerent.com/ Antstream: https://www.antstream.com/ Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show: Bitmap Books - https://www.bitmapbooks.com 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 Animaniacs for GBA: https://tinyurl.com/y3u3ahsk Postal 2 Redux: https://tinyurl.com/32f4f54x Game Boy Camera on Switch 2: https://tinyurl.com/y5t7phw3 Playdate FMV Game: https://tinyurl.com/vtacmh6e Windows 95 on PS2: https://tinyurl.com/2nttad7w

3 Jul 1h 33min