The Retro Hour (Retro Gaming Podcast)

For years, it’s been one of gaming’s biggest urban legends, how much did Michael Jackson really work on the music for Sonic the Hedgehog 3? In part two of our exclusive chat with Roger Hector, former Director of the Sega Technical Institute, we get the full story. Roger reveals how Jackson’s unexpected visit to STI turned into hands-on involvement with Sonic 3’s soundtrack. Plus, we explore Roger’s time leading the legendary Sonic team, the cross-cultural chaos of 1990s Sega, and the pressure of delivering a new Sonic game every Christmas. Contents: 00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories  42:20 - Roger Hector Interview  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 Blood – Nightdive Studios: https://tinyurl.com/3kmam6e8  Lego Game Boy Modded: https://tinyurl.com/5fnjxb4p Kraken ZX Multiclone: https://tinyurl.com/pbukjp Unofficial GBA Port of an SNES Horror Classic: https://tinyurl.com/mspschwa Sega Saturn Tomb Raider 2: https://tinyurl.com/y5m77rsc

10 Okt 1h 33min

This week marks our milestone 500th episode, and we’re celebrating in style with part one of an epic two-part chat with industry legend Roger Hector. From working under Nolan Bushnell and Al Alcorn in the very earliest days of Atari, to helping bring classics like Super Breakout and Battlezone to life, Roger shares incredible behind-the-scenes stories of arcades, coin-ops, and pioneering design that shaped the future of video games. From overflowing Pong machines to storyboarding games before anyone else thought to do it. Thanks for all your messages of support, here's to 500 more episodes! Contents: 00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories  44:12 - Roger Hector Interview  1:29:01 - Listener Messages Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show: Play Expo Blackpool: https://www.playexpoblackpool.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 Raspberry Pi 500+: https://tinyurl.com/3xzyzbku Lost Sega 1970s Game Blueprints Found: https://tinyurl.com/43wm6drf Imagine’s Infamous ‘Megagame’ Revived: https://tinyurl.com/3xzyzbku Wizordum Retro FPS Hits Consoles: https://tinyurl.com/2t7urusc Silent Hill Game Boy Remake: https://tinyurl.com/4bxk5jhp Sunsoft’s City Hunter Returns After 35 Years: https://tinyurl.com/mvcr4sr8

3 Okt 1h 49min

This week we chat with designer Kev Harrison, whose career began at Eurocom working on Duke Nukem 64 and Duke Nukem: Zero Hour. Kev shares what it was like adapting Duke’s outrageous world for Nintendo, from cutting bikini girls to sneaking in Simpsons gags, as well as why his team saw Duke as a tongue-in-cheek Bruce Campbell figure while publishers insisted he was a deadly serious hero. We also cover his years bringing Bond, Star Wars, Predator and Hellboy to consoles, packed with stories from one of the UK’s busiest studios of the late 90s and 2000s. Leave us a message for Episode 500: https://theretrohour.com/message/ Contents: 00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories  43:47 - Kev Harrison Interview Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show: Play Expo Blackpool: https://www.playexpoblackpool.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 Recreates Blast Processing Ad to Take on Mario Kart: https://youtu.be/CYOfP1a7xjc Lost Scooby Doo Computer Cartoon May Be Resurrected: https://tinyurl.com/yeu64w28 Mute Crimson: https://tinyurl.com/5d9b7xf8  Vampire Apollo A6000: https://a6000.net/ Golden Axe Ported to the Atari 2600: https://tinyurl.com/4dfy5dsw

26 Sep 1h 42min

This week we hear part two of our chat with Nintendo legend Takaya Imamura and game director Junji Seki. We hear about the creation of Omega 6: The Triangle Stars, blending manga, classic adventure game engines, and even a rock-paper-scissors battle system. Imamura reflects on his decades at Nintendo, from the high-stakes launch of the Switch to breaking free with new creative freedom, while Seki shares stories of arcades, founding his studio Happy Meal, and keeping the spirit of physical releases alive.  Leave us a message for Episode 500: https://theretrohour.com/message/ Contents: 00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories  43:18 - Takaya Imamura & Junji Seki Interview Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show: Play Expo Blackpool: https://www.playexpoblackpool.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 Virtual Boy Coming To Switch Online: https://tinyurl.com/4epef4dk iPod Clickwheel Games Preserved: https://tinyurl.com/5c9tsk8k Acclaim Hosts First ‘Play Acclaim’: https://youtu.be/bckTJ7o8xdk ‘The Ark’ Horror For Mega Drive: https://tinyurl.com/mpwu5u7x Indiana Jones Atlantis On ZX Spectrum: https://tinyurl.com/ybd32fpd

19 Sep 1h 5min

This week we welcome Nintendo legend Takaya Imamura, the visionary artist behind F-Zero, Star Fox, and Majora’s Mask. We hear some incredible stories from his three decades at Nintendo: from being interviewed by Shigeru Miyamoto, to creating Captain Falcon on a whim, to the wild one-year crunch that gave birth to Majora’s Mask. He reveals how a shrine in Kyoto inspired Fox McCloud, why Tingle was born out of pure exhaustion, and the surprising comic book roots of his latest project Omega Six.  This chat was recorded live at Retromessa in Norway. Contents: 00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories  44:22 - Takaya Imamura Interview Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show: Play Expo Blackpool: https://www.playexpoblackpool.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 Dreamcast Wireless Controller: https://tinyurl.com/yzr5kwdx Fallout 1 3D: https://tinyurl.com/476fu3b4 Vectrex Mini Updates: https://tinyurl.com/3hs2sphw Limited Run FMV Games: https://tinyurl.com/yc23t2fu Clive Sinclair Comedy: https://tinyurl.com/56s3hyhr Wolfhound Trailer: https://youtu.be/bBVXgchDEXk

12 Sep 1h 25min

This week we catch up with legendary C64 composer Jeroen Tel of Maniacs of Noise fame. Jeroen takes us back to the early days of programming music directly in machine code, pushing the SID chip to its limits, and soundtracking classics like Cybernoid, Hawkeye, Supremacy, and Turbo OutRun. From cracktros and demo parties, we hear the story of some of the most iconic game music of the 8-bit era.  This episode was recorded live at Retromessa in Norway Contents: 00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories  43:56 - Jeroen Tel Interview Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show: Play Expo Blackpool: https://www.playexpoblackpool.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 LAN Party Adventures: https://tinyurl.com/h3kuyevt Xbox 360 Softmod Is Coming: https://youtu.be/0gRHubim8DI Llamasoft & Activision Evercade Collections: https://tinyurl.com/4fpcjtzb Analogue 3D Updates: https://tinyurl.com/3hzc9mky M64: https://tinyurl.com/yxea37te JRPGs Getting Pulled Off Switch Store: https://tinyurl.com/yc4kruea

5 Sep 1h 24min

We're joined by games journalist and author Aaron Potter to chat about his new book, 50 Indie Games That Changed the World. From the roots of the Indie scene with the 80's bedroom coders, the revival of lost genres like FMV games, and how modern indie titles are keeping classic computers and consoles alive. 50 Indie Games That Changed The World: https://tinyurl.com/4s3y5p27 Contents: 00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories  37:29 - Aaron Potter 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 Vectrex Mini Prototypes Showcased At Gamescom: https://tinyurl.com/mu798csw The A1200 Revealed At Gamescom: https://tinyurl.com/2zydz45m He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe: https://tinyurl.com/2udcvjjf Cubix: 3D Platformer For The Spectrum: https://yrgb.ru/ Bubsy 4D: https://tinyurl.com/2r9pa3vy

28 Aug 1h 26min

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