Being a gamer in the 90’s meant that you were subjected to a slew of terrible licensed video games. Hell, the game didn’t even have to be based off of a TV show or movie; it could just be based on a person. One of the most infamous examples of the latter was Shaq Fu, a fighting game of questionable quality that sent basketball player Shaquille O’Neil to another world to save a civilization from its tyrannical ruler. I mean, who comes up with this stuff, right? Apparently, someone thinks it’s a good idea to crowd fund a sequel after almost 20 years, and dare I say… It actually looks promising?
Shaq Fu Returns!?
Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn is being made by a group of developers who want to right the wrongs of the first game by making a sequel that would be good without the celebrity license. By turning it into a beat em up rather than a one on one fighting game, it definitely looks more campy than the original, which is the only way a game like this can succeed in my opinion. It has to be a little self aware if it’s trying to sell this premise. But the game won’t come out without the backing of the fans, with some of the stretch goals consisting of copies of the game, DLC for life, launch parties and even a social media follow from Saq or trip to TNT Studios for those with really deep pockets.
This looks better than it should.
This ambitious attempt at a reboot promises to deliver the following:
– Play as Shaq as he kicks ass and takes no prisoners
Intricately designed combo system that leaves room for a variety of fighting tactics. Learn the moves and let Shaq rip against his enemies
-Pimp your character with new moves and abilities. Select from different fighting styles or combine styles and create your own new discipline (Shaq FU is what you make it)
-Challenges for even the best players.
-Adaptive AI keeps the game exciting
–Battles against hordes of enemies in the tradition of the lost art of the beat ‘em up. I mean, who could take Shaq one on one?
Take the challenge up to an entirely new level in unforgettable smack downs against awesome bosses.
–Once you beat a boss you unlock him and can play as him in the game.
–Fight through the slums of Asian cities, on the rooftops of skyscrapers. Battle it out inside buildings, seedy night clubs, and cause mayhem in the markets.
–Smash an enemy through the floor and leap down to a lower level. Barge through walls and forge your own path. Smash furniture, toss enemies through windows, even collapse structures – when you are the Shaqbreaker everything is possible
–A wide variety of melee and projectile weapons as well as various everyday objects that can be used as weapons – katanas, shurikens, baseball bats, the occasional basketball filled with the wrong type of gas, bottles, knives and dozens more.
–Don’t see a weapon you like? What about that manhole cover or that car door? You are Shaq after all, so maybe you want to hurl that motorcycle on a bunch of enemies at once. The world is your projectile.
–Wipe out huge numbers of enemies at once. Bowl down enemies with balls of steel, create earthquakes of unprecedented power, slam dunk baddies with ease.
-Modifiers that change your appearance and enhance your skills. Transform into the monstrous Big Daddy O and crush your enemies. Twirl into the Big Baryshnikov and pirouette your enemies like a tornado tearing through Kansas. Power up into the Big Diesel and steamroll your enemies into Kobe-Patties. A power-up for every nickname Shaq has ever had, and a few new ones for good measure.
-Co-op Gameplay. Grab a friend and battle it out in tandem. Play as Shaq’s identical twin (no he doesn’t sell insurance) or select from a host of other playable characters with different skills and power-ups. Split screen action available, baby!
Co-op’s not your bag? Build up your character and fighting style and duke it out online or on the same machine against another player.
–Once you have played through the main game revisit it to discover secret environments that you might have missed.
Think its over once the Black Star Ninja, is unmasked? Think again.
–Hosts of challenges await that pit you against the best Shaq Fu’s in the world.
On top of that, 5% of the proceeds from the game go to the Boys and Girls club, so even if it sucks, at least the money you wasted goes to a good cause!
Check out the funding site here for all of the juicy details, but not before checking out the trailer and letting us know how amazing this is in the comments!