This week, we chat with Randell Jesup, former Senior Software Engineer at Commodore Amiga Inc. From his pioneering work with 80's online gaming platform PlayNET and the revolutionary Amiga OS. Discover how PlayNET evolved into Quantum Link and AOL, the challenges of developing high-performance drivers, and the innovative spirit that drove Amiga's success. 

00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories

39:15 - Randell Jesup Interview

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Show notes

Lost Atari game brought back to life: https://tinyurl.com/bp8ujffh

The Thing remaster: https://tinyurl.com/3u23dk4a

USB to 3DO driver: https://tinyurl.com/mu9mk2vx

New beat 'em up Deadly Metropolis: https://tinyurl.com/2ab8pvwz

Rare Xbox in Charity Shop: https://tinyurl.com/3837en9d

This week, we chat with legendary game developer David Jones, the creative mind behind the iconic Magic Knight series. David delves into the fascinating history of creating some of the most beloved 8-bit adventure games of the 1980s, from his innovative use of the TRS-80 Model III for Spectrum development to developing the storytelling and gameplay mechanics of titles like Finders Keepers and Spellbound.

00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories

40:44 - David Jones Interview

David’s Links: https://davidxjonesauthor.com/retro-hour-podcast-links/

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Get 3 months of ExpressVPN for FREE: https://expressvpn.com/retro

Bitmap Books https://www.bitmapbooks.com/

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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

Evercade arcade: https://tinyurl.com/2s4d359p

Resident Evil Zero & Code Veronica remakes: https://tinyurl.com/mw2seakj

8bit Do Keyboard and Numpad: https://tinyurl.com/mrj4jx6v

Aliens Neoplasma II: https://tinyurl.com/4um523x8

Zelda LEGO announced: https://tinyurl.com/bdhdyhbw

We sit down with Paul Hartnoll of the legendary electronic duo Orbital. Paul takes us on a nostalgic journey, sharing his first gaming experiences and the early home systems that sparked his passion for technology. Plus the impact of Orbital's music featuring on classics like Wipeout, Test Drive 4 and creating music on the Atari ST. 

00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories

42:48 - Paul Hartnoll Interview

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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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https://www.patreon.com/retrohour

Get your Retro Hour merchandise: https://bit.ly/33OWBKd

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Show notes

Atari purchase Intellivision: https://tinyurl.com/27n8vz93

Dreamcast PSU: https://tinyurl.com/3p43au66

Apple's Unreleased iPod Tetris Clone Has Been Discovered: https://youtu.be/q0c6SOP4CCo

Mario kart rom hack: https://tinyurl.com/yc6pmyd2

RIP ICQ: https://tinyurl.com/5ed3hb8m

This week, we're joined by legendary game designer and artist Mark Healey. From his early days with a Commodore 64, working on the classic KGB Super Spy, to his pivotal role in iconic Bullfrog titles like Theme Park and Dungeon Keeper, Mark shares the stories and inspirations behind his work. Hear about his experiences with industry giants like the Darling brothers and Peter Molyneux, his innovative approach to educational games with Fun School, and the creation of his own studio, Media Molecule.

Contents:

00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories

40:37 - Mark Healey Interview

Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show:

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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https://www.patreon.com/retrohour

Get your Retro Hour merchandise: https://bit.ly/33OWBKd

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Show notes

Mario Maker 64: https://tinyurl.com/mrxyhtrw

Cronela's Mansion: https://tinyurl.com/3tv6xaj5

The Glass Staircase PS2 Horror: https://tinyurl.com/t8y32zmb

Hack NES Tetris from inside the game: https://tinyurl.com/3svec93w

Play with classic Mac OS's in your browser: https://infinitemac.org/

This week on the podcast, we sit down with the pioneering game designer Nicole Lazzaro, renowned for her work on iconic titles like The Sims, Myst, and Diner Dash. From playing Colossal Cave Adventure on shared computers to studying Psychology and Film at Stanford, and how these experiences shaped her understanding of emotions in games. 

Contents:

00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories

34:10 - Nicole Lazzaro Interview

Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show:

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:

https://theretrohour.com/support/

https://www.patreon.com/retrohour

Get your Retro Hour merchandise: https://bit.ly/33OWBKd

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Show notes

Incredible new N64 recomp tool: https://tinyurl.com/49s9sxsw

Ron Gilbert is creating a new Zelda-type game: https://tinyurl.com/yc5bkevd

Dread Delusion: https://tinyurl.com/ycy33e8h

Tomb Raider TV show: https://tinyurl.com/4bz8274h

Mario 64 on GBA: https://tinyurl.com/dv56mxnv

We catch up with the legendary Joe Bonar as he discusses his journey from the early days of the GameCube to developing on quirky systems like the Nokia N-Gage. Joe gives us an insider’s look into the creation of groundbreaking titles like Burnout, Tron 2.0, and Sonic Rivals.

Contents:

00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories

39:09 - Joe Bonar Interview

Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show:

Get 3 months of ExpressVPN for FREE: https://expressvpn.com/retro

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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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Get your Retro Hour merchandise: https://bit.ly/33OWBKd

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Show notes

Super Mario Bros CD: https://tinyurl.com/35tbt53m

Gladmori for Dreamcast and Neo Geo: https://tinyurl.com/5byrnpbn

BASIC turns 60: https://tinyurl.com/5xsawmbj

Tricky Madness: https://tinyurl.com/2uj3v6zn

ZX Spectrum game broadcast on FM radio: https://tinyurl.com/4dzxdfdp

This week, we're joined by Sam Dicker, a pioneer who helped shape the sound and fury of iconic games like Defender and Sinistar. We explore his time at Williams Electronics and joining the early Amiga crew, Sam shares his stories behind the creation of game-changing sounds and making the legendary Amiga 'boing ball' demo that wowed CES in 1984.

Contents:

00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories

40:48 - Sam Dicker Interview

Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show:

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:

https://theretrohour.com/support/

https://www.patreon.com/retrohour

Get your Retro Hour merchandise: https://bit.ly/33OWBKd

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Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/theretrohour

Show notes:

Xbox 360 store to close this summer: https://tinyurl.com/6hs6suxj

SummerCart64: https://tinyurl.com/yc6mjuzr

Dr Robotnik ring racers: https://tinyurl.com/43x9466s

Fallout excel: https://tinyurl.com/2ktmw25t

30 years since Commodore went bust: https://tinyurl.com/m573sxhx

We continue our celebrations of 40 years of the Amstrad CPC with part 2 of our chat with Roland Perry.  This episode dives into the Sinclair acquisition, the transformation of Amstrad after incorporating the Spectrum, the expansion of the CPC line into high-end models, and a peek at some intriguing unreleased prototypes.

Contents:

00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories

42:36 - Roland Perry Interview

Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show:

Take your business to the next level today and enjoy 3 months of Shopify for £1/month: https://shopify.co.uk/retrohour

Bitmap Books https://www.bitmapbooks.com/

Check out PCBWay at https://pcbway.com for all your PCB needs

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

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Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/theretrohour

Show notes:

Infogrames revival announced: https://tinyurl.com/mtvjj6ar

Game Boy as FM Radio with new cart: https://tinyurl.com/y7xauz4t

Switch Arcade Racing Dock revealed: https://tinyurl.com/3j9hcnrt

Doom 64 coming to the Dreamcast: https://tinyurl.com/59zwawsf

Phoenix launches on Amiga: https://tinyurl.com/mk635zy3

Join us on a special journey back in time with Roland Perry, the visionary tech consultant behind the legendary Amstrad CPC, as we celebrate 40 incredible years of this iconic machine. In this not-to-be-missed episode, Roland takes us from his early days tinkering with electronics in school, through the founding of Ambit International, right up to his crucial role in steering the Amstrad CPC to success against heavyweights like the ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64. 

Contents:

00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories

45:20 - Roland Perry Interview

Amstrad Addict Magazine: https://www.pixel.addict.media/shop/amstrad-addict-magazine

Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show:

Take your business to the next level today and enjoy 3 months of Shopify for £1/month: https://shopify.co.uk/retrohour

Bitmap Books https://www.bitmapbooks.com/

Check out PCBWay at https://pcbway.com for all your PCB needs

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

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Twitter: https://twitter.com/retrohouruk

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Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/theretrohour

Show notes:

Golden Axe TV Show: https://tinyurl.com/3abhf8sr

Xbox Launch Dedicated Team to Backwards Compatibility: https://tinyurl.com/bdujbj55

New Atari ST Racer: https://tinyurl.com/y5c6b8zr

Tomb Raider Coming to Evercade: https://tinyurl.com/hefukt8w

Control Your Switch Using Your GBA: https://tinyurl.com/mwdkpa9r

This week, we have a virtual sit-down with Lee Jacobson, the creative force behind the cult classic dark adventure game 'Harvester' and the groundbreaking 'Command Adventures: Starship' and the B-movie style 1994 FPS 'The Fortress of Dr. Radiaki', sharing behind-the-scenes tales from the early days of FPS and adventure games. 

Contents:

00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories

43:59 - Lee Jacobson Interview

Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show:

Take your business to the next level today and enjoy 3 months of Shopify for £1/month: https://shopify.co.uk/retrohour

Bitmap Books https://www.bitmapbooks.com/

Check out PCBWay at https://pcbway.com for all your PCB needs

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/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/retrohouruk

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/retrohouruk/

Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/theretrohour

Show notes:

Wii U connects to new servers no jailbreak: https://tinyurl.com/2a5fn96j

Rare PS1 controller turned into handheld: https://tinyurl.com/5bsjmytr

Prototype N64 cancelled game appears online: https://tinyurl.com/yc4erc7c

CEX launches repair service for consoles including retro: https://tinyurl.com/4jm5ymk7

Ninja Action Shadow game: https://tinyurl.com/8u297mye