Shaq-Fu

"Even though it's a bad game, you have to admit that it's ****ing hilarious"

Shaq-Fu

Gameplay: 3/10
Graphics: 6/10
Sound: 2/10
Ingenuity: 3/10
Replay Value: 4/10

Shaq-Fu, a game so infamously horrible that it has a cult following saying how good it is. As the name implies, it's a fighting game starring none other than NBA star Shaq. The story is really confusing. Shaq is wandering around Japan site seeing before a charity basketball game and for some reason he walks into a dojo and this old man (think about the guy in the beginning of Gremlins) tells him that he must travel into this other dimension/world/something to save his grandson. I think. It doesn't really make that much sense, but then again neither does the entire premise of the game. Since when did Shaq know kung fu and do hadouken rip offs? Anyway, Shaq has some time to kill before the game, so he travels to the other dimension to fight the monsters or whatever.

In the words of Bart Simpson, the gameplay is pretty craptacular. You control Shaq around an over world (yes, a fighting game with an over world) and go to various places to fight monsters in Street Fighter II style matches……except it's not as good as Street Fighter II. The controls are horribly clunky, and it makes it very hard to pull off any moves. Shaq doesn't have any cool moves compared to the other fighters, and he's the only selectable character. There's nothing wrong with playing as Shaq since he's cool and all, but some of the other characters would've been neat to play as. The game isn't very challenging either, as the AI is really stupid. I won most matches just by jump kicking the opponent over and over again (for some reason Shaq can jump across the entire screen). Other times though, the opponents have really cheap moves that are next to impossible to block. The AI is not only really stupid, but it's really inconsistent. The opponents needed to be designed better with balance in mind. If you have friends around, this game can be fun to sit around and laugh at since it's really hilarious to just sit and play. Shaq always says really stupid things after each match, and the expression on his face is just priceless. The game is slightly innovative simply because it has an over world. This is probably one of the first fighting games to have somewhat of a “Quest” mode. Although I don't think I would say it's that elaborate, you get to walk around and pick which opponent you face next. Even though it has that, that's only a tiny fraction of the game. Maybe like five minutes in all. The rest of the game is just a terrible Street Fighter clone.

The graphics aren't really terrible. They're surprisingly the best part of the game next to seeing Shaq fighting gargoyles. They aren't amazing though as they're just about on par with most other Genesis games, but at least they aren't really bad like everything else in this game. Shaq's expression after every match is so hilarious that you will probably pee yourself the first time you see it.

The sound is pretty bad. It's there, but it's annoying. I just mute the game a pop in some other music. It's nothing worth listening to, and it doesn't add anything to the gaming experience. It probably wouldn't kill you to listen to the music, but whenever it's bad enough for me to just mute it, then you probably don't want to listen to it.

Shaq-Fu is a novelty game. Nothing more, nothing less. It's great since you get to see Shaq fighting monsters and doing karate moves, but nothing else really. If you're looking for a good gameplay experience beyond laughing with your friends, then you'll be disappointed. It might be worth adding to your collection though since you can find it for less than a dollar at most places.

Final Score (Not an average): 28%

Reviewer's Score: 3/10, Originally Posted: 07/15/04