Hwang Shinwei
Taiwanese video game programmer
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Hwang Shinwei (Chinese: 黃信維; pinyin: Huángxìnwéi), sometimes romanized as Huang Hsin-Wei or Huang Xinwei, is a Taiwanese video game programmer. From 1988 to 1991, he developed video games for the NES without a license from Nintendo, which were mostly published by RCM Co., Ltd. (also known as RCM Group or simply RCM, standing for RamCo Man International (Chinese: 劍虹國際有限公司)). Though some of Hwang's titles are originals. most are clones of popular games, many of which were not originally ported to the NES (such as Rally-X). All of these games were released on various multicarts, but several, like Brush Roller and Magic Jewelry, were also released on standalone cartridge format. Though standalone games and multicarts produced by RCM and other companies with ties to Hwang often had copyright information listed, cartridges produced by unrelated companies usually had their copyright information removed, even on single release cartridges. Hwang retired from NES game development around 1991, coinciding with a Nintendo lawsuit against several Taiwanese companies (including RCM) for their counterfeiting activities.[1][failed verification] It is possible he may have been arrested, though whether or not this is true is unclear.
Hwang Shinwei | |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Video game programmer |
| Years active | 1988–1991 |
| Known for | Magic Jewelry |
List of Hwang Shinwei games
Clone titles
| No. | Title | Release year(s) |
Original publisher(s) |
Clone of | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mí Hún Chē | 1988 | Chi Chi Toy Co. | Rally-X | Also known as Ecstasy Car. Also credited as The Latest Strong Card: Ecstasy Car (Zuìxīn Qiáng Kǎ - Mí Hún Chē) on the cartridge. |
| 2 | 3D Block | 1989/1990 | Jujing Electronics (1989) RCM Group (1990) | Blockout | Credited as Three-Dimensional Tetris (Lìtǐ Èluósī Fāngkuài) on the cartridge. |
| 3 | Block Force | 1990 | Jujing Electronics RCM Group | Block Hole | Credited as Square Force on the cartridge. Originally programmed by Hwang Jiun-Ming, Shinwei in this game is credited as "layout and music". |
| 4 | Brush Roller | Various publishers | Crush Roller | Its hack version was developed by NTDEC as Bookyman in 1991, and later included in their 1992 multicart Caltron 6 in 1. | |
| 5 | F18 Race | RCM Group | Grand Prix | Also known as X1 Race. | |
| 6 | Frog River | Frogger | |||
| 7 | Magic Jewelry | Columns | Also credited as Magic Gems (Mófǎ Bǎoshí) on the cartridge. | ||
| 8 | BB Car | 1991 | RCM Group JY Company | Rally-X | Credited as Super Car on the cartridge. A new version of the original 1988 game Mí Hún Chē. |
| 9 | Boat Race | Self-published | |||
| 10 | Magic Jewelry II | RCM Group | Columns' | Also credited as Gemstone Second Generation (Bǎoshí Fāngkuài Èr Dài) on the cartridge. The only sequel to Magic Jewelry. | |
| 11 | Wild Ball | Emi-chan no Moero Yakyūken! | Credited as Magic Giral on the cartridge, and Baseball Boxing (Yěqiú Quán) in the game, the latter a literal translation of the Japanese term. | ||
| 12 | Face Tetris[2][failed verification] | Unknown | Unknown | Faces |
Original titles
| No. | Title | Release year | Original publisher | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Guess Numbers[2] | 1990 | RCM Group | Both these Puzzle games use graphics taken from Adventure Island. |
| 2 | Picture Collect[2][failed verification] | |||
| 3 | Punch Sprite | Self-published | Also known as Punch Pipe. A Whack-a-mole game with graphics taken from Super Mario Bros.. | |
| 4 | Soha Poker[2] [failed verification] | Unknown | A Poker-based game. | |
| 5 | Sky Shot[2] [failed verification] | RCM Group | ||
| 6 | 2 Turn Pair | 1991 | A Shisen-Sho-based game. | |
| 7 | Memory Pair | A Concentration solitaire game. | ||
| 8 | China Chess | Unknown | Unknown | A Banqi-based game. |
| 9 | Black Jack[2] [failed verification] | Based on the homonym card game. | ||
| 10 | Magic Sound[2] [failed verification] | |||
| 11 | Piano | A Piano simulator game. |
Multi-game cartridges
| No. | Title | Original publisher |
Release year |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tetris Family: 6-in-1 | RCM Group | 1991 | 1) Credited as Block Family on title screen. 2) Contains: Tetris, Tetris, 3D Block, Flipull, Magic Jewelry, and Block Force. |
| 2 | Tetris Family: 9-in-1 | RCM Group | 1991 | 1) Credited as Tetris Series: Super 9 in One on title screen. 2) Contains: Tetris (BPS/Nintendo), Tetris (Atari), 3D Block, Flipull, Block Force, Magic Jewelry, Wild Ball, 2 Turn Pair, and Memory Pair. |
| 3 | Tetris Family: 12-in-1 | RCM Group | 1991 | |
| 4 | 12-in-1 Hwang Shinwei | Unknown | Unknown | Contains: Magic Jewelry, Tengen Tetris (credited as Tetris II), Chinese Chess, Dr. Mario, Taiwan Mahjong 16 (credited as Taiwan Mahjon), Gomoku Narabe Renju (credited as Five Chess), Block Force, Hayauchi Super Igo (credited as Chess), Arkanoid (credited as Super Arkanoid), Flipull, Super Mario Bros. (credited as Super Mario II), and Tank 1990. |