The Retro Hour (Retro Gaming Podcast)

Alex Sulman joins us to share his journey from typing in code on the ZX Spectrum to designing major titles at Sony, Blizzard, DICE and beyond. We hear about his early days in QA at Sony Cambridge, working on classics like Medievil, Frogger and Primal, and hear behind-the-scenes stories from PlayStation’s golden era, the launch of the PS2 and PS3. Alex also discusses developing 24: The Game, contributing to God of War 3, and bringing his experience to Diablo 3, along with insights into how games were really made during the 90s and early 2000s—and how a simple fanzine helped launch his career.  
Dev to Dev podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/ro/podcast/dev-to-dev/id1836754572
Contents:
00:00 – The Week’s Retro News Stories
57:56 – Alex Sulman Interview
Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show:
Bitmap Books – https://www.bitmapbooks.com
Go to https://surfshark.com/retrohour or use code RETROHOUR at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN!
Play Expo Blackpool: https://www.playexpoblackpool.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
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
Show notes
Ex-Xbox Icon Joins Commodore: https://tinyurl.com/3mn8m48b
Lost Star Wars Xbox Game: https://tinyurl.com/2s3sz3w6
New Atari Jaguar Racer: https://tinyurl.com/bdfhdpke
Nightdive Sin Remaster Update: https://youtu.be/Tw5DMMTfk5o
Monkey Island C64 Port: https://tinyurl.com/msct5wnn
Mega CD Dev Kit Milestone: https://tinyurl.com/mry7m64s
Defender Of The Crown Remake: https://tinyurl.com/2rzj577c

This week we’re joined by Vincent Bitetti, former CEO of TDK Mediactive, for a fascinating look at one of gaming’s most unusual industry journeys. Starting in the early days of BBS networks and sound-effect licensing, including iconic properties like Star Wars, Star Trek, and Babylon 5, Vincent helped pioneer digital media distribution before leading TDK’s push into video games during the CD-ROM boom. We discuss how TDK evolved from an audio hardware giant into a multimedia powerhouse, their links to Nintendo and the GameCube era, and the art of spotting market opportunities before they explode. 
Contents:
00:00 – The Week’s Retro News Stories
49:14 – TDK Mediactive Interview
The Retro Hour VIDEO Version: https://www.youtube.com/@TheRetroHourPodcast
Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show:
Bitmap Books – https://www.bitmapbooks.com
Go to https://surfshark.com/retrohour or use code RETROHOUR at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN!
Play Expo Blackpool: https://www.playexpoblackpool.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
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
Nintendo PlayStation Prototype Found: https://tinyurl.com/yz2u7yh5
Street Fighter 2 Amazing New Spectrum Version: https://tinyurl.com/ra7f3m4
Mad Dog McCree In ScummVM: https://tinyurl.com/3zsx2xhs
Game Boy Camera Phone Transfer: https://tinyurl.com/uktvuhtn
Saturn’s Last Mystery Revealed: https://tinyurl.com/2u9wde5b

This week we’re joined by David Oghia, the man behind the upcoming Vectrex Mini. We explore his journey from discovering the ZX81 in the early 80s to working on official Star Wars publications and visiting Skywalker Ranch, before diving into the revival of one of gaming’s most unique consoles. David explains why the original vector-display Vectrex remains so special, the challenges of recreating it with modern hardware, and how the Kickstarter campaign unexpectedly smashed its funding goal. We also discuss games, overlays, controllers and what the future might hold for the reborn Vectrex brand.
Contents:
00:00 – The Week’s Retro News Stories
46:05 – Vectrex Mini Interview
Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show:
Bitmap Books – https://www.bitmapbooks.com
Go to https://surfshark.com/retrohour or use code RETROHOUR at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN!
Play Expo Blackpool: https://www.playexpoblackpool.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
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
Triforce Arcade Emulation: https://tinyurl.com/ycxwe6hw
Rave Racer On Consoles: https://tinyurl.com/38mbt8pu
Remote Vintage Mainframes: https://tinyurl.com/mryykp8k
Evercade Wireless Controller: https://tinyurl.com/5bjmj36x
Unreal Tournament 2004 Patch: https://tinyurl.com/4cutcc3d
Hyper Sentinel Fusion: https://tinyurl.com/mrdeupdt

This week, we’re joined by Core Design artist and animator Billy Allison, whose incredible career spans hand-drawn children’s TV classics like SuperTed and The Forgotten Toys through to iconic 16-bit games including Chuck Rock, Wonder Dog, Bubba 'n' Stix and more. Billy shares how he went from experimenting with animation on a ZX Spectrum and Deluxe Paint to pushing early 3D on Shadow Man and revisiting Alien Breed years later. From sneaking into film school rostrum rooms to pioneering full-screen Amiga cutscenes.
Contents:
00:00 – The Week’s Retro News Stories
51:34 – Billy Allison Core Design Interview
Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show:
Bitmap Books – https://www.bitmapbooks.com
Go to https://surfshark.com/retrohour or use code RETROHOUR at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN!
Play Expo Blackpool: https://www.playexpoblackpool.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
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
N64 & PS2 Mario Co-Op Mod: https://youtu.be/gCza2KrstxE
Amiga Mario Kart Clone: https://tinyurl.com/2s4y92d4
Minecraft On Sega Saturn: https://tinyurl.com/fwcr2d3d
Best Way To Play Fan Translations: https://tinyurl.com/378jn4r2
Castlevania Silent Planet: https://tinyurl.com/bdhdn5z3
New bsnes Build Adds Multitap: https://tinyurl.com/yt4nwvj4

This week we’re joined by Hilary Goldstein and Dave Clayman, two of the voices behind IGN’s legendary Three Red Lights podcast, the loud, chaotic and gloriously irreverent Xbox 360 show that helped define mid-2000s gaming culture. From sleeping on office couches and playing Halo 2 before anyone else, to Don King promos, 50 Cent interviews and the early days of podcasting when you had to manually download episodes onto an MP3 player, they share wild behind-the-scenes stories from the golden age of online gaming media. 
Contents:
00:00 – The Week’s Retro News Stories
50:46 – Three Red Lights Podcast Interview
Please visit our amazing sponsors and help to support the show:
Bitmap Books – https://www.bitmapbooks.com
Go to https://surfshark.com/retrohour or use code RETROHOUR at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN!
Play Expo Blackpool: https://www.playexpoblackpool.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
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
Rogue 7800 Roguelike: https://tinyurl.com/yc5dzbp6
Rayman 30th Anniversary: https://tinyurl.com/y9vufpyn
Super Mario 64 PDF: https://youtu.be/a0F08py5Z4M
Kula World 32X Port: https://tinyurl.com/4t957hxw
Computer History Collection Online: https://tinyurl.com/438nvhxw
Castlevania Belmont’s Curse: https://tinyurl.com/4s9abvum
Patrons news
Metal Gear Solid Collection: https://tinyurl.com/27458dp7
Wheeze Game Boy Release: https://tinyurl.com/bdchv5zn