479: Psygnosis, G-Police & Writing FPS History with Stuart Maine - The Retro Hour EP479
This week, we’re joined by game designer and author Stuart Maine, whose 28-year career spans iconic titles like Theme Hospital, Dungeon Keeper, and G-Police: Weapons of Justice. Stuart shares stories from the heyday of Bullfrog and Psygnosis, reflects on the golden era of first-person shooters, and reveals the wild behind-the-scenes of cancelled games and dev kit coffee tables. Plus, we dive into his latest book Hurt Me Plenty which explores the blockbuster FPS era of 2003–2010.
Contents:
00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories
37:15 - Stuart Maine Interview
Pre-order Hurt Me Plenty: The Ultimate Guide to First-Person Shooters 2003–2010: https://tinyurl.com/mwtf8juz
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
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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:
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Show notes
Sega opens first shop: https://tinyurl.com/44mb6amr
Sega HQ relocating: https://tinyurl.com/38eyzs3t
New Vectrex shooter from Alan Wake dev: https://tinyurl.com/buup3kwp
WavePhoenix revives classic controller: https://tinyurl.com/ra7a8y9c
Fan remake of Altered Beast: https://tinyurl.com/5n8kn8rs
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1:31:55
478: Why The Demo Scene Is Now a Cultural Treasure - The Retro Hour EP478
This week, we’re joined by the brilliant Tobias Kopka—aka Melkor of Haujobb—as we explore the importance of the demo scene. We explore how this underground digital art movement went from C64 crack intros to global recognition through the ‘Art of Coding’ UNESCO initiative. From the days of 2,000 sweaty kids attending events like The Gathering to international cultural bids, Tobias shares some amazing stories, including running demos on ATMs and sending them into space!
Contents:
00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories
39:49 - Tobias Kopka 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
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/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
Wii Homebrew Channel closes: https://tinyurl.com/yy32spc4
Frontier Force: https://tinyurl.com/53uy5u54
Breakspace Spectrum magazine – Issue 1 released: https://breakspace.itch.io/issue-1
Toys R Us – the movie: https://tinyurl.com/48trvmhm
Linecraft for Pico-8: https://tinyurl.com/5cbyrynu
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1:31:38
477: American McGee - From Doom to Dark Wonderland - The Retro Hour EP477
We’re joined by legendary game developer American McGee, who takes us on a journey from his humble beginnings on the Timex Sinclair and Commodore 64 to designing iconic levels for Doom II and Quake. He shares behind-the-scenes stories from iD Software, reveals how a Ferrari-driving neighbour turned out to be John Carmack, and discusses the gothic inspirations behind American McGee’s Alice. Plus, we hear about his time at EA, and why being fired from iD turned out to be one of the best things that ever happened to him!
Contents:
00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories
35:28 - American McGee 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
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/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/
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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/retrohouruk/
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/theretrohour.com
Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/theretrohour
Show notes
YouTube Turns 20: https://tinyurl.com/mrx88ybs
Windows on Game Boy: https://tinyurl.com/25mkwpdp
OutRun the Movie: https://tinyurl.com/5n6r8ntk
Neon Hearts City: https://tinyurl.com/yvezebcn
Upcoming events
RetCon 2025 – https://retconfestival.co.uk/
PT1210 – https://www.ptweekender.com/
RetroMessa – https://www.retromessa.no/
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1:27:41
476: The Commodore Amiga at 40: The Original Developers' Story - The Retro Hour EP476
As the Commodore Amiga celebrates its 40th birthday, we hear stories from original developers Dale Luck, Jeff Porter, Andy Finkel, and others. Recorded live at VCF East in New Jersey, our Dan gets the story of this legendary machine direct from the people who made it happen.
Thanks to Amiga Bill for recording the interview, and joining us for the news this week!
🌟 Twitch: twitch.tv/AmigaBill
📺 YouTube: youtube.com/@AmigaBill
🌐 Website: AmigaBill.tv
VCF Event: https://vcfed.org/
Contents:
00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories
45:00 - Amiga 40th Panel
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
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/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 Sega Saturn homebrew racer: https://tinyurl.com/2sn87by7
Compute’s Gazette returns: https://tinyurl.com/yc7km7yn
Limited Run DOOM I & II collection: https://tinyurl.com/yyw46vhc
AmigaOS update released: https://tinyurl.com/4fzbs2d8
Mechanoids 2 – The Final Conflict: https://tinyurl.com/3mkh48rs
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1:56:13
475: The Story of Unreal Tournament – With Producer Neil Haldar - The Retro Hour EP475
This week we’re joined by Neil Haldar, a pivotal figure behind the legendary Unreal Tournament. From dropping out of medical school to leading major projects at Sierra Online, GT Interactive, and MGM Studios, Neil shares incredible stories from his time shaping iconic games. Plus, we rewind to the 3DO era, and get the inside story on licensed games like 007 Racing and Rocky.
Contents:
00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories
42:36 - Neil Haldar 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
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/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
AI-generated Quake mixes reactions: https://tinyurl.com/tcevvphu
John Carmack defends AI Quake II level: https://tinyurl.com/55kne3rm
New N-Gage release: https://tinyurl.com/28rzes4x
The World Is Not Enough prototype: https://tinyurl.com/54vwzw6p
GameCube comes to Switch 2: https://tinyurl.com/3v7cujsc
Italia