Collection essentials #245 & 246: Shaq Fu (Genesis & SNES)

Here’s a weird game. It’s a one-on-one fighting game starring real-life basketball superstar Shaquille O’Neil! This was from early in his career when he was still on the Orlando Magic. The story of the game involves Shaq being whisked away to another dimension, where he must fight fantastical opponents and rescue a kidnapped boy. In multiplayer, the two players can select between any of the enemy characters found in the game’s story mode.

Now, if you know what this game is, you probably know what I’m about to say. That being, this game is notorious for being terrible. It’s certainly one of the most maligned games from its generation. And it’s not too hard to see why, as right when you start playing, you’ll realize that the controls are far too stiff, making the game nowhere near as fun to play as far better games in the genre. However, I do have to say that I don’t think Shaq Fu is one of the absolute top worst games of its time. I think it’s better than, say, Pro Quarterback, which I recently covered. It’s memorable as a bad game because of the unusual way of utilizing a celebrity.

I think most people would agree that the Genesis version is better overall, as it has more playable characters. But some may, for example, prefer the audio of the SNES version.

I actually don’t really have a personal history with Shaq Fu, really. I can’t remember when I first found out about it, but I was aware of it and its dubious reputation from a fairly young age. I suppose being a sports fan endears me to seeing an icon like Shaq star in his own fighting game. It does kind of stand out in these consoles’ libraries in that way, even though you’d probably never want to actually play it. I guess you’d call this another “mess-ential”. 

Also worth noting that many years later, in 2018, a sequel was made for modern platformers called “Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn”, and it’s a beat ‘em up rather than a fighting game. I haven’t played it, though I heard it’s not very good, which honestly seems kind of fitting.