Fans of Ocean Software Need to be Checking Out Retro Gaming Round-Up
Simon “Dinosaur Pie” Butler
Retro Gaming Round-Up, a podcast about the classic days of early gaming often pre-dating the NES, has a new section that I’m finding just wonderful. It’s hosted by Simon Butler, a well known developer during the microcomputer days that worked at the beloved Ocean Software. Some use the term “legend” and he’s credited with over 260 releases on Giant Bomb and Moby Games, not to mention his personal claim of around 300 games. It turns out he’s a somewhat angry, off-putting, foul mouthed, hilarious storyteller. That’s why Butler getting his own segment on Retro Gaming Round-Up, dubbed “Dinosaur Pie,” has me hooked.
If you are not familiar with Retro Gaming Round-Up, the shows are long. No, like 5-8 hours long. LONG. They only release about once a month, though, so when you put it together it’s the same or less content than GH101 cranks out so I can’t fault them in the least. Much like a charity shop or flea market, sometimes you have to dig into the different sections until you find the gems in each episode, but there’s always some good times to be had because both Scott and UK Mike are fun to listen to. Each section in the show is given time stamps on both the web site and in the RSS show notes, so it’s easy to navigate and allows you to only listen to one or two sections each episode if you desire. Dinosaur Pie appears to have started in January 2016 for episode 97 and there have been 5 segments so far (not all numbered episodes are main episodes, mind you). Not only does Butler re-tell some great stories about making games like Robocop (Jam, are you listening?) but he also gives his own frank commentary on the state of games today. Either way, I’m charmed and delighted.
In full disclosure Retro Gaming Round-Up has been tied to its former co-host, Mike Kennedy, by this very site in the past. Kennedy is best known these days for leaving Retro Gaming Round-Up and embarking on the dumpster fire that is the Retro VGS console and later re-branded as the Coleco Chameleon. If you don’t know that story, feel free to read our articles here. Retro Gaming Round-Up has been as hard on Kennedy as anyone else, mostly because the other co-hosts lost both a friend and money in the deal, and have even discussed this on recent episodes. You can find the podcast by either clicking on the link at the beginning of this article or search your favorite podcast reader to find the show. Enjoy!
Gaming History 101 
I think Simon’s segments started last year in Jan 2015. He’s much more interesting than SoCal Mike playing a MAME game and trying describe it on a damn podcast. His insight into the nascent game industry is very entertaining.
One of my favorite segments is the top ten list. I like how they each come in with their list and then argue which ones should go in which slots and which ones get thrown out.
bmulligan69
May 28, 2016 at 5:14 pm
Yeah I like top 10 as well, especially because of the random and completely random ways in which they slot and remove items.
Fred Rojas
May 30, 2016 at 8:47 pm
My slots started in September of 2015 if I recall.
They were very hesitant and stream of consciousness and mostly garbledegook and the cursing and swearing only kicked in with the 2nd episode if I recall.
I’m not the most knowledgeable person in the world about what game was released on what machine and in what year, but I play shedloads of the buggers and I have very strong opinions on just about everything…hence my podcast.
Simon Butler
November 4, 2016 at 3:41 pm