Shaq Fu
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (March 2009) |
| Shaq Fu | |
|---|---|
 Shaq Fu logo for the Genesis. | |
| Developer(s) | Delphine Software International |
| Publisher(s) | Electronic Arts |
| Engine | Proprietary |
| Platform(s) | SNES, Mega Drive/Genesis, Game Boy, Game Gear, Amiga |
| Release | October 28, 1994 |
| Genre(s) | Fighting |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, two-player simultaneous, Tournament Mode |
Shaq Fu is a 2D fighting game released on the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Sega Game Gear, Super Nintendo, and Game Boy game platforms on October 28, 1994. It was later ported to the Amiga platform, exclusively in Europe. The game was published by Electronic Arts and developed by the now-defunct Delphine Software. It features professional basketball player Shaquille O'Neal as a playable character.
Story
In the game's storyline, Shaquille O'Neal wanders into a kung fu dojo while heading to a charity basketball game in Tokyo, Japan. There, he stumbles into another dimension, where he must rescue a young boy named Nezu from the evil mummy Sett-Ra.
Variations
The Sega Genesis version of Shaq Fu has 5 more playable characters (Auroch, Colonel, Diesel, Leotsu and Nezu) and 3 more stages (The Lab, The Wasteland, and Yasko Mines) than the Super NES version, therefore the Genesis version has a longer story mode. The North/South Gate stage is accessible in the SNES version with a cheat code, whereas the Genesis version has the North/South Gate stage available from the start. The Amiga version is the same as the Genesis version, but the backgrounds have no animation. It also only has three songs; there is no music during the fights.
The Game Boy port has the same 7 characters as the Super NES version, whereas the Game Gear port only has 6 characters. Both the Game Boy and Game Gear versions have no tournament mode or in-game voices. Due to the Game Boy's monochrome screen, the Game Boy version is in colour.
Reception
Shaq Fu was a critical and commercial failure. In the game's debut weekend in North America, it sold 330,000 copies,[1] and had reached sales of 500,000 units in less than three weeks. The momentum built in the game's opening weeks continued for several months; Nintendo announced the game had sold one million copies on the continent by early December. Shaq Fu had sold over 9.8 million copies worldwide as of December 2005.
Upon release, the game received near universal panning from critics. GameSpot commented that "horrible control, a laughable story, and narrative combined as well as in Shaq Fu", expressing particular adaquate graphics, audio, and a subpar story.[2] IGN's Jay Boor insisted the game's graphics were "light years beyond anything anyone would ever want to see on the SNES". RPGamer panned the game's soundtrack both in variety and sheer volume.
Since 1997, Shaq Fu has been selected by many game magazines—including Electronic Gaming Monthly, IGN and Gamespot—as one of the worst video games of all time, and has placed at or near the top in many reader polls of all-time worst games. Upon its release it was referred to by Gamefan as "quite possibly the worst game ever made". In January 2005, it was selected by Electronic Gaming Monthly as sixth on their list of "the 10 worst games ... that helped redefine the industry since ... 1989". Citing its "horrible cut-scenes, bad controls, and a ridculous plot ". Shaq Fu placed second in the "Top 100 Worst Games of All Time" poll by Japanese magazine Famitsu during March 2006,[3] while users of the video game website GameFAQs voted Shaq Fu as the "Worst Game Ever" in November 2005 and in 2004, and placed second in 2009. The annual MAGfest confrence has a section devoted to destorying shak fu cartridges