RF Generation Message Board

Shaq-Fu

[img width=145 align=right]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/games/U-040/bf/U-040-S-05110-A.jpg[/img]Week: 2005.03.06 - 2005.03.12
Game: Shaq-Fu
Console: Sega Genesis
Year: 1994
RFG ID #: U-040-S-05110-A
Part #: 728301
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Delphine Software International
Genre: Fighting
Players: 1-2
Format: Cartridge

Game page address: http://www.rfgeneration.com/cgi-bin/getinfo.pl?ID=U-040-S-05110-A&
Screenshots: http://www.rfgeneration.com/cgi-bin/screenshot.pl?ID=U-040-S-05110-A

As you may have noticed, this week's featured game is everyone's favorite, Shaq-Fu.  Released for your favorite home consoles (Genesis and SNES) as well as for your handheld systems too (Game Gear and GameBoy), Shaq-Fu is often considered the worst game ever made.  Does it deserve this reputation?  Or, is it simply scoffed at because it was a game whose sales were fueled by a Shaq-crazed country, but underneath the marketing is a real gem?  

This topic is to discuss this week's featured game.  Anything related to the game goes.  You may want to voice your opinions on how terrible or how great it is, its collectability (or lack thereof), any fun facts you may have about it, or even how it relates to the great movie Kazaam.  Okay, so scratch that last one, but you get the idea.  In particular, the Sega Genesis version is being highlighted this week, but discussion about any of the incarnations of this important (sic) game may be discussed  in this thread.

So, any thoughts?

When i was younger i thought this game was great.
Beat it a few times with each character.

My mom sold it with all the rest of our Genesis stuff though.

4 years later i hear everyone talking about how terrible of a game it was.
After repurchasing it and playing it i never before realized how terrible of a game it was compared to so many other games in its genre.

I just played through the game in easy mode. The dialogue was awful to point of being comical. Some of the characters looked allright as did the backgrounds but Shaq sure looked out of place. Maybe it was the shorts and basketball jersey.

I also found it quite amusing how he's go into each round with a little Bruce Lee stance and when he won he'd do the jogging in place boxing move.

I didn't expect much of a challenge playing in easy, but it was way easy. Just pin a guy in a corner and use one attack to finish off. The only slight challenge was Sett Ra and only because he jumped around a lot.

I do have to admit that I prefer Shaq Fu over Shaq's other side projects like the bad movies and rap albums. He must not have been keeping up on his Shaq Fu training as the Pistons pretty much ran over him in the finals last year.

All I remember are the horrible controls and that there seemed to be a lack of special moves.

So do you consider it bad now or still like it in a weird way because of the nostalgia factor?  That's kinda what happened to me with several of the games I played as a kid and liked without realizing how terrible they were....  but I still like them now for the nostalgia.

@Den, Dan - I couldn't agree more.  The graphics really were very nice, but everything else is just bad.  Dialogue, controls, design.  Seriously, what were they thinking?  A basketball player doing kung-fu?  Totally weird and totally bizarre.

Worst game ever?  Not by a long shot (heh heh).  But, it's definitely not the kind of game I would pick to take with me on a deserted island.

I've never played it, altough I have it.

Here's something pretty frightening that I just found today.

http://www.shaqfu.org/

Somebody not only runs a "fan site" for this game, but has also made a Shaq-Fu RPG for PC.  I downloaded it, and it plays a lot like a certain SNES-era RPG.  It features such characters as Shaq, Kobe Bryant, and Michael Jackson.  I'm not even sure what to think.

Wow.  Just wow.

Did you play it or are you just in shock that such a thing exists?  I guarantee you that if you download that game (free legal download), you will be even more in shock and awe of the things you can find on the internet.  Here's a quote from their web page:

Just that it exsists.  I'm going to download the game when I get home.

for how much people talk about this game....i really think i need to pick it up and give it a shot....just to say i have played it

Yeah, you probably should.  It can be had for $2 or $3 I would think, so even if you don't play it much (you won't), it will be one more game added to your collection count.

The Genesis version goes for 1 dolar complete around here.
SNES is a buck loose i think.
The only copmplete SNES copy i have seen is also sealed and they want 10 bucks for it.