Software:Shaq Fu

From HandWiki
Short description: 1994 video game

This page is about the video game. For the album, see Shaq Fu: Da Return.
Shaq Fu
Genesis box cover
Developer(s)
  • Delphine Software (Genesis)
  • Tiertex Design Studios (Game Gear)
  • Unexpected Development (Game Boy)
  • The Dome Software Developments (Amiga)
Publisher(s)
Designer(s)Paul Cuisset
Composer(s)Raphaël Gesqua
Platform(s)
Release
  • Genesis
    • NA: October 28, 1994
    • EU: 1994
  • SNES
    • NA: October 28, 1994
    • EU: 1994
  • Game Gear
  • Game Boy
  • Amiga
Genre(s)Fighting
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Shaq Fu is a 2D fighting game published by Electronic Arts for the Sega Genesis and Super NES on October 28, 1994. It was developed by Delphine Software International. Versions for the Game Gear, Game Boy, and Amiga followed in 1995. Former professional basketball player Shaquille O'Neal is the player character.

Shaq Fu was met with mixed responses from critics upon release, though it has since come to be considered one of the worst video games ever made. A sequel, Software:Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn, was released in 2018.[1]

Plot

In the game's storyline, Shaquille O'Neal walks into a dojo while heading to a charity basketball game in Tokyo, Japan. After speaking with Leotsu, a martial arts master, Shaq is mistaken for a warrior chosen by the Stars and goes to another dimension, the Second World, where he must rescue a young boy named Nezu from the evil mummy Sett-Ra. After defeating Sett-Ra and his minions, Shaq rescues Nezu and returns to his original world in time for his big game. However, he finds Beast, one of Sett-Ra's minions, has somehow came to his world and is now playing for the opposing team in order to get a rematch with Shaq.

Development

After Shaquille O'Neal was signed on to appear in a video game for publisher Electronic Arts, the EA staff were inspired to put him in a fighting game because they had heard of O'Neal's interest in martial arts.[2]

Ports

Shaq fighting Auroch, one of the characters excluded from the SNES version.

The Genesis version of Shaq Fu has five more playable characters (Auroch, Colonel, Diesel, Leotsu, and Nezu) and three more stages (The Lab, The Wasteland, and Yasko Mines) than the Super NES version, thus the Genesis version has a longer story mode. The North Gate/South Gate stage is accessible in the SNES version with a cheat code, whereas the Genesis version has the North Gate/South Gate stage available by default. The Amiga version contains the same content as the Genesis version (it keeps the text "Licensed by Sega Enterprises, LTD" left over from that version on the title screen), though the backgrounds have no animation. It also only has three tunes; there is no background music during the fights.

The Game Boy version has the same seven characters as the Super NES version, whereas the Game Gear version only has six characters (Shaq, Leotsu, Mephis, Rajah, Kaori, and Sett Ra). Both the Game Boy and Game Gear versions lack a tournament mode and in-game voices.

Both the Genesis and SNES versions of the game contain a hidden button sequence that initiates a "blood code" in the spirit of Mortal Kombat. The blood effects are subdued and minor, which kept the game at its "MA-13" (known by modern rating standard as "T") rating, but the blood code gives access to finishing moves that are triggered by striking the opponent in a certain way to end the match.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
GameRankings45% (SNES)[3]

Shaq Fu received mixed reviews at the time of its release. GamePro gave the SNES version a positive review, saying that the unusually small size of the sprites is balanced out by the incredibly fast game speed. They also praised the "ultra sharp" controls and impressive digitized graphics.[4] They reviewed the Genesis version as superior to the SNES version due to its additional characters and improved controls, and concluded that the game is "fun once you get used to the small, fast sprites".[5] One Electronic Gaming Monthly reviewer scored the game as a 6/10, while another gave it a 4/10.[6] It received a grade of D from Entertainment Weekly.[7] GamesMaster gave the Genesis and SNES versions 81% and 83% respectively.[8] Mean Machines Sega gave the Genesis version 79%.[9] Next Generation reviewed the Genesis version of the game, rating it two stars out of five, and stated that "Shaq Fu includes everything a good fighting game needs, with the exception of good fighting".[10] In contrast to their positive reactions to the SNES and Genesis versions, GamePro panned the Game Boy release, saying it dumbs down the gameplay, loses so much graphical detail that the characters are unrecognizable, and makes the music far too pervasive.[11]

Retrospective criticism of the game has been generally negative. GameTrailers rated it number 4 Worst in their "Top Ten Best and Worst Video Games".[12] In the September 1997, Nintendo Power had 12 staff members vote in a list for the top 100 games of all time.[13] This list also included a 10 worst games of all-time list voted by the staff, which placed Shaq Fu at 3rd worst place on their list.[14] The article stated that it was "not possible to come up with a worse idea than this".[14] The same year, Electronic Gaming Monthly ranked it number 10 on their "Top 10 Worst Games of All Time".[15] In response to the negative feedback to the game, Levi Buchanan from IGN stated it was undeserved as a result of collective exaggerations.[16]

Sequel

Main article: Software:Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn

A sequel, Software:Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn, was released on June 5, 2018, for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, iOS and Android.[17]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn launches June 5". April 5, 2018. https://gematsu.com/2018/04/shaq-fu-a-legend-reborn-launches-june-5. 
  2. ↑ "What the Hell Happened?". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (40): 45. April 1998. https://archive.org/details/NextGeneration40Apr1998/page/n46/mode/1up. 
  3. ↑ "Shaq Fu Review score". https://www.gamerankings.com/snes/588653-shaq-fu/index.html. 
  4. ↑ "ProReview: Shaq Fu". GamePro (IDG) (64): 124. November 1994. https://archive.org/details/game-pro-issue-64-november-1994/page/124/mode/2up. 
  5. ↑ "ProReview: Shaq Fu". GamePro (IDG) (65): 98. December 1994. 
  6. ↑ Lachel, Cyril (August 17, 2013). "Shaq Fu: What Did Critics Think at the Time?". http://www.defunctgames.com/reviewcrew/5/shaq-fu-what-did-critics-think-at-the-time. 
  7. ↑ Strauss, Bob (December 16, 1994). "Shaq-Fu". Entertainment Weekly. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,304886,00.html. 
  8. ↑ "Shaq Fu". GamesMaster (23). November 1994. https://archive.org/details/GamesMasterIssue023199411FuturePublishingGB300dpi/page/n49/mode/2up. Retrieved January 7, 2019. 
  9. ↑ "Mean Machines Sega Magazine Issue 24". October 1, 1994. pp. 76–78. https://archive.org/details/mean-machines-sega-magazine-24/page/n75/mode/2up. 
  10. ↑ "Finals". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (1): 101. January 1995. https://archive.org/details/nextgen-issue-001/page/n106/mode/1up. 
  11. ↑ "ProReview: Shaq Fu". GamePro (IDG) (88): 110. January 1996. 
  12. ↑ "Top Ten Best and Worst Games of All Time". http://www.gametrailers.com/video/top-ten-gt-countdown/15147. 
  13. ↑ "100 Best Games of All Time". Nintendo Power 100: 88. September 1997. https://archive.org/details/nintendo-power-issue-100-september-1997/page/n99/mode/2up. 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "100 Best Games of All Time". Nintendo Power 100: 97. September 1997. https://archive.org/details/nintendo-power-issue-100-september-1997/page/n107/mode/2up. 
  15. ↑ "The Top 10 Worst Games of All Time". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (100): 107. November 1997. https://archive.org/details/electronic-gaming-monthly-issue-100-november-1997_202106/page/n114/mode/2up.  Note: Contrary to the title, the intro to the article explicitly states that the list covers console video games only, meaning PC games and arcade games were not eligible.
  16. ↑ Buchanan, Levi (October 20, 2008). "In Defense of Shaq Fu". http://retro.ign.com/articles/921/921714p1.html. 
  17. ↑ McWhertor, Michael (February 15, 2018). "Shaq Fu sequel finally coming out this spring". Polygon. https://www.polygon.com/2018/2/15/17016144/shaq-fu-a-legend-reborn-release-date-switch-ps4-xbox-one-pc. 
  • Short description: Video game database
MobyGames
Logo since March 2014
Screenshot
Frontpage as of April 2012
Type of site
Gaming
Available inEnglish
OwnerAtari SA
Websitemobygames.com
CommercialYes
RegistrationOptional
LaunchedJanuary 30, 1999; 26 years ago (1999-01-30)
Current statusOnline

MobyGames is a commercial website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes nearly 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] The site is supported by banner ads and a small number of people paying to become patrons.[2] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It is currently owned by Atari SA.

Content

The database began with games for IBM PC compatibles. After two years, consoles such as the PlayStation, were added. Older console systems were added later. Support for arcade video games was added in January 2014 and mainframe computer games in June 2017.[3]

Edits and submissions go through a leisurely verification process by volunteer "approvers". The approval process can range from immediate (minutes) to gradual (days or months).[4] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copyediting.[5]

Registered users can rate and review any video game. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own subforum.

History

Logo used until March 11, 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999 by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, then joined by David Berk 18 months later, three friends since high school.[6] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience.

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[7] This was announced to the community post factum and a few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.

On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San-Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[8] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel.[9]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[10] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[11][12]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ "MobyGames Stats". https://www.mobygames.com/moby_stats. 
  2. ↑ "MobyGames Patrons". http://www.mobygames.com/info/patrons. 
  3. ↑ "New(ish!) on MobyGames – the Mainframe platform.". Blue Flame Labs. 18 June 2017. http://www.mobygames.com/forums/dga,2/dgb,3/dgm,237200/. 
  4. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  5. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/32856/Report_MobyGames_Acquired_By_GameFly_Media.php. 
  8. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  9. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/207882/Game_dev_database_MobyGames_getting_some_TLC_under_new_owner.php. 
  10. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  11. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site’s Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  12. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 



Template:Shaquille O'Neal



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