500: "No One Had Storyboarded Games Before - So I Did!" - Atari Legend Roger Hector - The Retro Hour EP500
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:
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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
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
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1:49:11
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1:49:11
499: "Nintendo Made Us Cut the Bikini Girls from Duke Nukem 64" - Eurocom's Kev Harrison - The Retro Hour EP499
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
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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
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1:42:47
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1:42:47
498: “Arcade Lessons, Nintendo Secrets, and Omega 6” – Takaya Imamura & Junji Seki - The Retro Hour EP498
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
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
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1:25:30
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1:25:30
496: "The SID Chip Was My First Love” - Jeroen Tel: Maniacs of Noise - The Retro Hour EP496
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
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