489: “Don’t Press OK – It Will Destroy Your PC!”: QA Testing at Virgin with Dave Isherwood - The Retro Hour EP489
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:
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https://www.patreon.com/retrohour
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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
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1:31:08
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1:31:08
488: "My Spectrum Caught Fire on Boxing Day!" - RetroBytes - The Retro Hour EP488
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
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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
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1:29:35
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1:29:35
487: “We Cold-Called Nintendo After a Few Ciders” The Story of Enigma Variations - The Retro Hour EP487
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
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1:33:56
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1:33:56
486: He Cracked Games at 14, Then Made Game Genie and Rock n’ Roll Racing - The Retro Hour EP486
We’re joined by Allen Anderson, a veteran SNES coder, and one of the key programmers behind Rock n’ Roll Racing. Starting as a teenage game cracker in Arkansas, he shares how hacking games led him into the industry, the chaos of SNES development with homemade dev kits, and how he programmed the Game Genie under insane deadlines, and the story behind the legendary cancelled Sega Saturn title, Propaganda.
Contents:
00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories
38:20 - Allen Anderson 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/
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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:
Switch 2 Emulation Issues: https://youtu.be/A3ylCAr0dbs
Maplin Returns: https://tinyurl.com/23w9xy5p
Duke Nukem Netflix Project: https://tinyurl.com/yc8euk4h
Turrican CPC Remaster: https://tinyurl.com/mr3se7jp
Linux Format Closes: https://tinyurl.com/5e9dhzcx
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1:40:49
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1:40:49
485: Psygnosis to PSN: Phil Gaskell on Shaping Sony’s Early Playstation Era - The Retro Hour EP485
This week, we chat with game developer and producer Phil Gaskell, whose career spans from typing BASIC on a ZX81 to shaping titles at Psygnosis, Sony Playstation and Warthog. Phil shares behind-the-scenes tales of early PlayStation days, cancelled games, missed payrolls and mafia connections at Gizmondo, and rebooting iconic games like Lemmings and Super Stardust HD.
Contents:
00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories
36:41 - Phil Gaskell Interview
Our Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TheRetroHourPodcast/videos
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:
Atari beats ChatGPT: https://tinyurl.com/54pr4bxw
PS1 custom motherboards: https://tinyurl.com/mtrdfb3j
Head Over Heels sequel: https://tinyurl.com/4whtcrnn
Mario Kart 64 on Dreamcast: https://tinyurl.com/jjk8uhyt
Discord on Windows 95: https://youtu.be/wxdn30G2LE8
UK