The Retro Hour (Retro Gaming Podcast) · The Retro Hour (Retro Gaming Podcast)

Psygnosis, G-Police & Writing FPS History with Stuart Maine - The Retro Hour EP479

·1 hr 32 min·5 clips

Stuart Main got his first game design job by building Quake levels as his CV, leading to work at Psygnosis.

This episode of The Retro Hour podcast features hosts Dan, Ravi, and Joe discussing retro gaming news and interviewing game designer and author Stuart Mayne. The conversation covers recent industry developments, classic hardware, and Mayne's career and new book on first-person shooters. Sega is opening its first physical merchandise stores, starting in Shanghai and planning a second location in Tokyo's Shibuya district. The hosts note the store's design evokes a late-90s aesthetic and currently features mostly Sonic the Hedgehog merchandise. Sega is also relocating its UK headquarters from Brentford, where a large 25-foot Sonic statue has been a local landmark. A new, visually impressive wireframe rail-shooter called *Neon Hawk* is in development for the Vectrex by a developer who worked on *Max Payne* and *Alan Wake*. A creator has released free plans online for a $5 replacement receiver called the Wave Phoenix, which restores functionality to Nintendo's prized WaveBird wireless GameCube controllers. A free fan-made remake of *Altered Beast* is available for PC, featuring upscaled graphics and sprites borrowed from other classic Sega games. The hosts express surprise that Sega hadn't established dedicated retail stores sooner, drawing comparisons to Nintendo's global shops. They speculate the new *Altered Beast* remake uses AI-upscaled graphics, creating a visual disconnect with its original sprite work. Stuart Mayne began his 28-year career by using custom *Quake* levels as his CV to land a job at Psygnosis, where he worked on *G-Police 2*. His new book, *Hurt Me Plenty*, is a 464-page guide covering first-person shooters from 2003 to 2010, including *Doom 3*, *Call of Duty 4*, and *Half-Life 2*. The hosts recall *Doom 3* being a divisive entry for its darker, slower pace compared to earlier games in the series. The tone is conversational and enthusiastic, blending news commentary with nostalgic reminiscence about classic games and hardware. The style is informal, with hosts sharing personal anecdotes about their gaming experiences and recent finds. Retro gaming enthusiasts, particularly fans of Sega history, obscure hardware like the Vectrex, and the early 2000s FPS genre, will find this episode engaging. Listeners seeking highly structured, single-topic deep dives or exclusively modern gaming news might prefer to skip it.

As heard by us

Retro news, Psygnosis memories, and FPS history make for a solid Friday listen.

Episode 479 opens on Sega's new physical shops and a new shooter for the Vectrax before settling into Stuart Mayne's interview. The strongest stretch comes with his time at Psygnosis, his QA work on Theme Hospital and Dungeon Keeper, and his Bitmap Books writing around Hurt Me…

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Why you'd press play

A Sega-news warm-up that leads into book talk, shooter history, and an interview with Stuart Mayne.

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