The game to which we’re referring is Shaq Fu, a 16-bit fighting game made for the Sega Genesis and Super Ninetndo systems in 1994. The game derived its name from the fact that it featured basketball superstar, Shaquille O’Neal (PeekYou profile here), doing kung fu-ish business as a playable character.
While greeted with a merely mixed-to-lukewarm reaction at the time of its release, its reputation for being exceptionally poor has grown by leaps and bounds over the past two decades. Gametrailers, for example, features it as one of their ten worst games of all time.
The game’s poor reputation is now accepted wisdom. Even the game’s publisher, Electronic Arts, has come to admit the title was “an abomination.”
None of this deterred Big Deez Productions, and Mr. O’Neal himself, from launching an Indiegogo campaign for Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn, a sequel to the reviled original.
As of this week, the campaign surpassed its stated $450,000 goal (!) with $473,884 from 1,340 total backers at the time of closing. “We’re so excited to be working with you all. You’ve made this experience a real joy,” said Big Deez in an update to the Indiegogo page. “A sincere and heartfelt thank you to all of you.”
With the game fully funded, the developer said they’ll soon be going in to full production. An interactive platform is promised, where backers can contribute suggestions for the game. A “developer diary,” complete with videos, is also planned.
“Our success is on your shoulders. You have made this happen for all of us and we’re thrilled to have had your passion and support from start to finish,” the studio said. “Our promise still stands: This time we won’t Fu it up!”
So, potential good news if you thought what the world needed was for the brilliant idea that was Shaq Fu to finally be done right.
Below is the pitch video for the fundraising campaign, and then a gameplay video of the original.
And now, ladies and gents, Shaq Fu (the wretched controls of which cannot be fully appreciated without playing it):