iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

BootlegGames Wiki @bootleggameswiki.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

C&E also sent Bubble Bath Babes to AVE for review. Curiously, it credits Hacker International instead of Panesian, the only company that commercialised BBB. Hacker released the game as "Soap Panic".

Bubble Bath Babes title screen, with Hacker International copyright.

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BootlegGames Wiki @bootleggameswiki.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

"Why is it named Xiao Ma Li"?. 小瑪琍 (Small Mario) was a popular gambling machine in Taiwan. Its front panel featured Mario... and that's about it! None of these machines were endorsed by Nintendo, of couse. Someone figured they'd made a video game out of it.

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BootlegGames Wiki @bootleggameswiki.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Xiao Ma Li was initially released by Idea-Tek. Some copies credited an otherwise unknown company: "Nei-Hu Electronics". C&E did release it again in 1991 alongside Tiles of Fate. Possibly when TXC took over idea-Tek. C&E had no reason to release it, unless they had been involved.

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BootlegGames Wiki @bootleggameswiki.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Another bomb from the AVE archives: a Xiao Ma Li evaluation sample crediting C&E, and from 1989! 🤯 Unsurprisingly, AVE rejected the game. Can't blame them for that.

Xiao Ma Li title screen with 1989 C&E copyright.

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BootlegGames Wiki @bootleggameswiki.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Latest hot debate at the BootlegGames Wiki! Did the beloved Hwang Shinwei develop Carmaze, a 1986 DOS port of Rally X?

Carmaze title screen. The credits read: "The Third Wave Publishing Corp. Author: Huang Hsin-Wei"

Carmaze gameplay. The game has rudimentary graphics.

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BootlegGames Wiki @bootleggameswiki.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

The common hack of TXC's massively popular 棋王 (Qi Wang), commonly known as 中国象棋 (Chinese Chess), replaces the girl by a middle aged balding man on the main menu. The hacker also gave the baby's head a clean shave 👨🏻‍🦲 Had anyone noticed?

Original TXC Qi Wang difficulty selection menu.

Title screen of Chinese Chess, the Qi Wang hack.

Selection screen of Chinese Chess, the hack of Qi Wang. In that hack, the baby has no tuft of hair, and the girl is replaced by some balding middle aged man.

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Dave Flynn @daveflynn.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

I've had these carts for years and never knew which console they were for

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BootlegGames Wiki @bootleggameswiki.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Erratum: these did support normal MSX cartridges as well.

Photo of a Space Shuttle MSX-compatible unit, with a MSX cartridge.

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BootlegGames Wiki @bootleggameswiki.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Here's Gomoku Narabe Renju from the same series, even features a modified title screen with a 1985 copyright!

Space Shuttle Gomoku Narabe Renju cartridge from 1985.

Title screen, with the copyright updated to 1985, plus Nintendo being replaced with the Space Shuttle Chinese name.

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BootlegGames Wiki @bootleggameswiki.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Interestingly, there exist (a lot more!) "Space Shuttle"-branded cartridges that are actually for a unique MSX clone supporting only Famicom-shaped cartridges.

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BootlegGames Wiki @bootleggameswiki.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

We often get the question: "how far back dates Famicom piracy in Taiwan"? Prior to hardware clones, households could only acquire Japanese Famicom units. However there were already commercial copies of games! The oldest we've seen were from 1985.

An unauthorized copy of Baseball for the Famicom from 1985.

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BootlegGames Wiki @bootleggameswiki.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

Link to the timelines: unlicensed.games/libg/comment... We hope subsequent ones will follow for C&E catalog and AVE "american" titles!

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BootlegGames Wiki @bootleggameswiki.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

Thanks to the unstoppable @frankcifaldi.bsky.social in his quest to preserve Video Game History, we get a unique glance at AVE's archives of Idea-Tek titles. A one of a kind opportunity to study development timelines, with the developer-publisher back and forth across continents!

F-15 City War very first prototype, with its placeholder title screen (re-used from Xiao Ma Li)

The very first 30-in-1 prototype ROM archived by AVE.

First Tennis prototype (prior to being renamed to Rad Racket Tennis II), from early 1991.

A photocopy of a fax sent by AVE to Idea-Tek. The fax has a photo of the playfield with surrounding remarks. One of them is to correct the typo on the billboard ("Dudes with ttitude"). Idea-Tek misintepreted AVE's request and inserted it in the game as "Shouldsay with Attitu".

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BootlegGames Wiki @bootleggameswiki.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

TXC notably used Strike Wolf as a pack-in game for their TLG-405 Machine Light-Gun. ... and to avoid infringing on others' copyrights, as the initial pack-in cartridge was a 2-in-1 with Operation Wolf and Space Shadow!

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BootlegGames Wiki @bootleggameswiki.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Things turned around between 1992-1993, where the big guns released: - TXC: Strike Wolf, 3/6-in-1 Supergun - Sachen: Cosmocop 2-in-1 - NTDEC: Top Hunter, Master Shooter - GoGo: Lethal Weapon and... the peripheral was mostly forgotten thereafter. Most accessories are short lived after all!

Micro Genius 6-in-1 cover with Clown, Snake Charmer and Shooter: 3 light-gun exclusive titles.

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BootlegGames Wiki @bootleggameswiki.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Akin to the NES, the light-gun was a must-have accessory to any Famiclone possessing households. Oddly enough, taiwanese companies produced few titles at first: Crime Busters (1989) and Hit Marmot (1991) are pretty much alone.

Front of the box of the TXC/Taejan (Micro Genius) first light gun from mid-1987, the TLG-401, strongly inspired from Nintendo official Famicom light gun.

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Reposted by BootlegGames Wiki

AtariSpot // rob @atarispot.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

If you missed it… hey, I’m alive! I’ve got a new site going so that I can put things somewhere that isn’t social media. The first truly new post is about a heretofore undocumented 2600 clone console manufactured in a state-owned factory in China. Much more to come! theatari.spot/blog/2026-07...

theatari.spot

Shanghai's Dazzling 2600 Clone: Apollo-8 TV GAME

The 新建 (Xinjian) XJ 8811 -- a beautiful Atari clone console from a Chinese state-owned factory.

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Frank Cifaldi @frankcifaldi.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

I'm still really proud of the premise of this exhibit, which was "the NES never actually stopped." This photo is from the part of the timeline where it served as the basis of cloned plug & play systems with new games, and when Nintendo started emulating the system in Animal Crossing.

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Frank Cifaldi @frankcifaldi.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

This is a picture from our "Staying With Power" museum exhibit from 2018, about the longevity of the NES! We are the only organization that gives Zdog, history's greatest console, the respect and reverence it deserves.

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BootlegGames Wiki @bootleggameswiki.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

s i g h Humanity would make a small leap if people had more critical thinking when it comes to these games. This was a product for very young children, it's not meant to contain anything like Castlevania or Contra.

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BootlegGames Wiki @bootleggameswiki.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

This was an off-the-shelf controller around 2005-2007, we've seen it on some other clones, sometime with different connector.

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BootlegGames Wiki @bootleggameswiki.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

The ZDog was released roughly 20 years ago! It is the last NES-based release by Hummer Technology, in collaboration with Zechess! bootleggames.fandom.com/wiki/ZDog

The dumped ZDog unit on exhibition at PRGE 2018. Photo courtesy of The Video Game History Foundation.

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G.M.M. @geeemmemm.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

I'll see if I can get a scan of it broken down at some point. Inside is blank and the sides are repeated, here's the top and bottom too. The cube itself is a standard Skewb, no unique colors or extra branding. The images on the wiki page look to be from the listing I got this from.

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G.M.M. @geeemmemm.bsky.social · 03/05/2026

Everything around this game has made it stay on my mind. I recently got a branded cube for it from a saved search.

A boxed copy of Creatom next to a boxed Skewb puzzle with the Creatom branding.

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BootlegGames Wiki @bootleggameswiki.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

Please do post photos of the the box (all faces) and the cube, if it can be opened! The operation of the Creatom combination puzzles seem undocumented, it would be valuable to have that information somewhere! And help us extend the page if you like the game :) bootleggames.fandom.com/wiki/Creatom

bootleggames.fandom.com

Creatom

Creatom is a Famicom puzzle game designed by Uwe Mèffert in collaboration with TXC Corporation. It was released in the first half of 1991, initially exclusive to Taiwan and possibly Hong Kong. Creatom...

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BootlegGames Wiki @bootleggameswiki.bsky.social · 03/05/2026

Creatom is a NES title developed by TXC in collaboration with puzzle inventor Uwe Mèffert. Nowadays it has been vastly forgotten due to its sheer difficulty. But did you know it retailed with a hefty instructions manual and suppoting puzzle pieces?

Photo of Creatom puzzle pieces, cartridge and manual.

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power player viira @pirategamething.com · 26/12/2025

The Padvent Calendar 2025 compilation is live! Whether you missed a day, hate holding your device vertically, or just want to give the whole thing a rewatch, now it's all in one place! www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzGf...

youtube.com

The Padvent Calendar 2025: 25 More Days of Assorted Famiclone Filler

YouTube video by PirateGameThing

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BootlegGames Wiki @bootleggameswiki.bsky.social · 23/12/2025

And that's the newly uncovered version! Volleyball had replaced the AVE logo with TXC, why wouldn't Tennis? In fact, they eventually did! Likely once they got rid of that disfunctional "Shoulsay with attitu" revision, a prototype that should never have made it to the market!

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BootlegGames Wiki @bootleggameswiki.bsky.social · 23/12/2025

We did our accounting: the current number is six different builds, and we strongly suspect a seventh exists. Do you love Rad Racket Deluxe Tennis II as much as we do?

One release of Rad Racket Deluxe Tennis II by TXC.

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BootlegGames Wiki @bootleggameswiki.bsky.social · 12/12/2025

Given that the final build of Final Fight 3 on the SC-12x multicarts has advanced anti-debugging traps that the single version lacks, I want to believe there were (at least) another programmer involved.

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BootlegGames Wiki @bootleggameswiki.bsky.social · 11/12/2025

Ugh, that's so cryptic. Because, what's there to design past selecting the assets you are porting over 🫠 ?

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BootlegGames Wiki @bootleggameswiki.bsky.social · 11/12/2025

just to be clear I'm not trying to minimize his input on the projects.

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BootlegGames Wiki @bootleggameswiki.bsky.social · 11/12/2025

I would rather expect the two talented programmers (S. Lin and S. Hseih) to have worked on the prestigious titles, including Final Fight 3. While H. Cheng was likely the one revamping existing engines/code-base into other games. E.g Street Fighter Zero 97, King of Fighters 96, Earthworm Jim 3, etc.

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BootlegGames Wiki @bootleggameswiki.bsky.social · 11/12/2025

Cassette, game paks, Cartridge, electronic game... but had you seen that one?

Back cover of an unlicensed Famicom game reading "VIDEO GAME TAPE".

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BootlegGames Wiki @bootleggameswiki.bsky.social · 11/12/2025

Final Fight 3 is the other one. I want to believe that in the last year prior to breaking up/moving away from the Famicom (mid 97-98), they were likely optimizing their work force to parallelize as many projects as possible. That meant things like programming & directing rather than composing.

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power player viira @pirategamething.com · 01/12/2025

It's back! Starting tomorrow morning, I'll be releasing daily Shorts on my YouTube channel featuring a randomly selected game from Project Plug & Play as a part of The Padvent Calendar 2025!

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BootlegGames Wiki @bootleggameswiki.bsky.social · 09/11/2025

We're ashamed that our possibly best contribution to GA in those 10 years appears to be the Doraemon head emoji 🫠

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Gaming Alexandria @gamingalexandria.bsky.social · 09/11/2025

Hard to believe it's already been ten years that Gaming Alexandria has been around. Here's a (late) article about our history, as well as special thanks and small blurbs from others of what Gaming Alexandria has meant to them. Here's to another ten years! www.gamingalexandria.com/wp/2025/11/g...

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BootlegGames Wiki @bootleggameswiki.bsky.social · 22/10/2025

Waixing throughput was massive in 1996: the chinese copyright office lists more than 50 titles released by Waixing that year! Churning out that many games possibly came with disorganization. It was just faster to implement the splash screen everytime than align and design a reusable template.

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Dave Flynn @daveflynn.bsky.social · 15/10/2025

Taiwanese bootlegs in the 80s and 90s often came with translated manuals or instructional inserts like this one for Shiten Myooh/Shadow Blasters/四天明王 on the Mega Drive: #Taiwan #Sega #MegaDrive #bootlegs

Shiten Myooh Chinese (Taiwan) instructional insert outer cover

Shiten Myooh Chinese (Taiwan) instructional insert inner

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taizou @taizou.12bit.club · 15/10/2025

It's cute the things people are saying. Mediocre but functional video games and even well regarded ones that just weren't for them. Me I finished Pokémon Jade (Special Pikachu Edition). A game where you have to use a cheat code to stop it crashing at the end of the first level

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Brave Wave @bravewave.net · 08/09/2025

影山雅司永眠のお知らせ We are deeply saddened to share that Gimmick! composer Masashi Kageyama has passed away.

Masashi Kageyama in Asakusa, Tokyo. January 2020

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BootlegGames Wiki @bootleggameswiki.bsky.social · 05/09/2025

After King Fishing, the Hummer Team dumping commando just dropped a new bomb.

"Os Cavaleiros Do Zodiaco" title screen. A Saint Seiya themed fighting game by Hummer Team.

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BootlegGames Wiki @bootleggameswiki.bsky.social · 31/08/2025

had thought you meant a script for a 💯 newer video 😔

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Smed is Two 🕹️🐑 @smedis2.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

Waixing's "Boat Race", a hack of Eliminator Boat Duel, is probably the closest we'll ever get to seeing an "actual" VT03 game that utilizes the hardware properly and that's mainly only because it's based on a pre-existing impressive game lmao

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