Shaq-Fu: unfairly attacked?

[2600Lives]

No, Pac-Man is a cartridge currently being used to hold up a wobbly table in my kitchen.

[Jess Ragan]

They should have done a Shaq horror themed game. "Count Shaqula" has a nice ring to it.

 

"I vant to suck!"

...

"No, that's it... all I want to do is suck."

[Animan]

While I think of it, Clayfighter has lately been getting bad scores and what not. I fail to see why. The controls are good, and the characters are clever and well animated.

 

Well, I can't say too much of fighters, since I'm not a huge fan of them. M.U.G.E.N. Being an exception. It practically creates another game of finding characters on the internets.

[2600Lives]

Clayfighter, especially on the SNES, was awesome. Some of the best graphics and sound for it's time. It's far superior to Suck-Fu, that's for sure.

[Austin]

Clayfighter, especially on the SNES, was awesome. Some of the best graphics and sound for it's time. It's far superior to Suck-Fu, that's for sure.

 

Agreed.. The original Clayfighter is an excellent fighting game for the time. Great visuals, solid controls, Street Fighter moves ripped off in a good way, awesome use of humor.. Generally a lot of fun to play.

Edited June 1, 2010 by Austin

[DickNixonArisen]

So if we move Clay fighter into the better list, along with a few others just for fun, it's a below average game. I can live with that too. I just can't live with it being touted as groundbreakingly bad. Don't believe the hype.

 

I bought a bunch of new fighters for the GEN after starting this topic just to make sure I wasn't talking out of my butt on any of them (since I hadn't played some in years and hadn't ever played a few). I ended up spending the most time with Fatal Fury, even though I still hate the dual-plane thing, I like the controls. I did get ROTR, and it does indeed suck.

 

I also found fatal labyrinth, which turns out to be a roguelike. One of my favorite genres - score!

[2600Lives]

Oh god did Fatal Labyrinth give me FITS. I utterly hated the whole "run into an enemy to attack it" thing, like they did with Hydlide. Aaagh! So frustrating to make it up a few levels then die just because you attacked something you had NO idea would be so powerful!

 

Still, one of the VERY few graphical roguelike's for any console, so it does get cool points for that.

 

The original Fatal Fury wasn't all that good, actually. FF2 started it in the right direction, and it ended with what I consider to be one of the best fighters (hell, one of the best games) ever, Garou. The home versions added the ability to play as the "boss" characters, but took away what I found to be the best feature of the arcade, the 2-Player versus the computer mode.

 

 

Still, I fuckin' LOVE Time Killers. Not only is it rare, it's a really fine port. There's something sort of sublime in ending a round within 2 seconds because someone walked into your decapitation move.

[chrisbid]

shaq fu equation

 

bad game + reputable company + shoehorned license + intense marketing = permanent member of worst game of all time security council

 

 

 

ET also fits into this

 

 

 

if you turn on the game and have no idea who shaq is, then it is simply a mediocre game.

 

 

 

but to make any all-time list, there has to be something extra to put your entry in front of the pack. sure there were worse 2600 games than ET, but none of them had the marketing push from atari. in the case of shaqfu, it was the ridiculous notion that shaq was playing real-life street fighter with aliens. it was a complete big money whiff of an idea. every other mediocre genesis fighter was simply trying to cash in the street fighter craze. they were extremely low budget and made a profit without much effort.

 

so in the end, shaqfu indeed deserves its obligatory spot on every worst game of all time list precisely because of the circumstances beyond the game itself. it was a bad idea all around, and a prototypical epic failure in every way a video game can fail. the stories behind the failures are also what make lists like these interesting to read for non-gamers. copies of ET being burried in the desert is a fascinating story. company x hacking crappy game y for a quick buck... not so much

[DickNixonArisen]

Oh god did Fatal Labyrinth give me FITS. I utterly hated the whole "run into an enemy to attack it" thing, like they did with Hydlide. Aaagh! So frustrating to make it up a few levels then die just because you attacked something you had NO idea would be so powerful!

 

Still, one of the VERY few graphical roguelike's for any console, so it does get cool points for that.

 

The original Fatal Fury wasn't all that good, actually. FF2 started it in the right direction, and it ended with what I consider to be one of the best fighters (hell, one of the best games) ever, Garou. The home versions added the ability to play as the "boss" characters, but took away what I found to be the best feature of the arcade, the 2-Player versus the computer mode.

 

 

Still, I fuckin' LOVE Time Killers. Not only is it rare, it's a really fine port. There's something sort of sublime in ending a round within 2 seconds because someone walked into your decapitation move.

 

 

Yeah, I've done that a few times already. I haven't checked to see if the continues are infinite or not... I really enjoyed the two Izuna games for DS and will eventually get Shiren the wanderer. Hydlide and the Y's aren't really exactly roguelikes in my opinion since the enemies move freely, rather than everyone moving at once, up to their maximum slot value. Pretty close though. I played through hydlide... quite a slog. There's a weird one called desktop dungeons now, and it's more of a puzzle game - it actually gives you a prediction if you'll be able to beat an enemy just by mousing over. I haven't quite figured it out yet.

 

I think FF was a great port, especially graphically. Sure, the controls aren't perfect, a touch clunky, but it's quite playable. I look forward to FF2 on the GEN and Garou/Mark of the wolves (Just got my first dreamcast, in fact).

 

I have played time killers, and it's worse than Shaq-Fu. That does sound pretty funny though.

[DickNixonArisen]

 

if you turn on the game and have no idea who shaq is, then it is simply a mediocre game.

 

so in the end, shaqfu indeed deserves its obligatory spot on every worst game of all time list precisely because of the circumstances beyond the game itself.

 

it was a bad idea all around, and a prototypical epic failure in every way a video game can fail.

 

 

The game, like anything, should be judged wholly on it's own merits. I got it recently, had never played it before, and I know very little about Shaq. It is indeed simply a mediocre game - an average one. Many, many, many slots away from the worst game of all time, many, many slots away from the worst GEN game of all time, and about 12 or so slots away from the worst GEN fighting game of all time.

 

The circumstances beyond the game are almost by definition wholly irrelevant. A weird story about a bad game doesn't make it good, and a good game saddled with a bad license (MC kids for example) is still a good game. This is an average game with a bizarre concept, and remains an average game whether you know who Shaq is or not, whether you've read about the promotion of the title or not. If it's a list of 'top ten most ridiculous game premises' or 'top ten ego-driven vanity project games' or 'top ten games that needlessly feature a celebrity', then sure, stick it in there.

 

It's hardly a failure - it obviously sold plenty of copies, or else I wouldn't see it everywhere like I do. It's still being talked about, unlike many other games. It's still playable, unlike some games. Games are normally judged on 3-5 qualities which may include words like "Graphics", "Gameplay", "Replayability", "Sound", etc. It scores well on many of these. It was and is a successful title.

 

Actually, it's kind of ironic that the game was hyped so hard initially, because it's being hyped so hard right now.

[DickNixonArisen]

I just came up with another bizarre premise - a fat italian plumber and his brother are transported to 'the mushroom kingdom', which is filled with sentient mushrooms, where he must save their strangely human princess from a bipedal dragon. Even well into their forties they still wear matching outfits.

 

Now THAT has GOT to be the worst game of all time, because the concept is so ridiculous.

Edited June 1, 2010 by DickNixonArisen

[mbd30]

"Shaq Fu" might be a weird concept, but there is some precedent. Shaq isn't the first basketball player to be involved in the martial arts.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsSoX6qB9N0

[godslabrat]

Just fired up Shaq-Fu for the first time (SNES version). Cripes, what's the big deal? Yes, the controls are a little off, but it's certainly playable. No way is this game even close to being "the worst game ever". If you can't find at least 10 games worse than Shaq-Fu, you've probably never played more than 11 video games in your entire life.

[malducci]

I just came up with another bizarre premise - a fat italian plumber and his brother are transported to 'the mushroom kingdom', which is filled with sentient mushrooms, where he must save their strangely human princess from a bipedal dragon. Even well into their forties they still wear matching outfits.

 

Now THAT has GOT to be the worst game of all time, because the concept is so ridiculous.

Say what you want about SMB 1, but it doesn't resolve the matter of shaq-fu sucking ass

 

godslabrat:

 

(try to) Beat the game first, then come back with a comment. But yeah, it's not the worse game out there (there are plenty of train wreck games out there). But that doesn't change the fact that it's a shitty game. Come on, now

[Jess Ragan]

If you're a dedicated fighting fan, you can point out all the ways that Shaq-Fu went wrong. Here's an article I wrote about the game (along with several others) which shines a light on all its issues. It's not just Shaq that's the problem... although believe me, he's certainly a factor.

 

http://www.lakupo.com/grblitz/fighters%20misery.htm

[DickNixonArisen]

Aha - there's a derogatory list it DOES belong on - worst Characters.

 

Great article! Your criticisms of Shaq-Fu are fair and accurate. And I am a dedicated fighting fan - sadly, the GEN just isn't the system for that, and the SNES is better, but not by a huge amount. That's why Shaq-Fu is an average game and not a terrible one - it's measured against an iffy average. If it was released on the Geo, or Saturn, or PS, it'd be the worst for sure. It just doesn't have a ton of great competition on the GEN despite a few notables, and it has plenty of shit to keep it from being the worst.

[DickNixonArisen]

I know you, you're Kareem Abdul Jabar! You play basketball for the Los Angeles lakers

[chrisbid]

 

if you turn on the game and have no idea who shaq is, then it is simply a mediocre game.

 

so in the end, shaqfu indeed deserves its obligatory spot on every worst game of all time list precisely because of the circumstances beyond the game itself.

 

it was a bad idea all around, and a prototypical epic failure in every way a video game can fail.

 

 

The game, like anything, should be judged wholly on it's own merits. I got it recently, had never played it before, and I know very little about Shaq. It is indeed simply a mediocre game - an average one. Many, many, many slots away from the worst game of all time, many, many slots away from the worst GEN game of all time, and about 12 or so slots away from the worst GEN fighting game of all time.

 

The circumstances beyond the game are almost by definition wholly irrelevant. A weird story about a bad game doesn't make it good, and a good game saddled with a bad license (MC kids for example) is still a good game. This is an average game with a bizarre concept, and remains an average game whether you know who Shaq is or not, whether you've read about the promotion of the title or not. If it's a list of 'top ten most ridiculous game premises' or 'top ten ego-driven vanity project games' or 'top ten games that needlessly feature a celebrity', then sure, stick it in there.

 

It's hardly a failure - it obviously sold plenty of copies, or else I wouldn't see it everywhere like I do. It's still being talked about, unlike many other games. It's still playable, unlike some games. Games are normally judged on 3-5 qualities which may include words like "Graphics", "Gameplay", "Replayability", "Sound", etc. It scores well on many of these. It was and is a successful title.

 

Actually, it's kind of ironic that the game was hyped so hard initially, because it's being hyped so hard right now.

 

 

 

like i also said, think about ET. it is not the worst 2600 game, but it was bad enough. the expectations and the highly visable license are what made its mediocrity legendary. shaq fu is in the same boat. the factors outside of the game itself are what differentiates it from all of the other nameless mediocre games ever released. beast wrestler... that game is bad, shaq fu? who the hell green lighted that one?

[DickNixonArisen]

... Here's the song...

 

I didn't want it to come to this...

 

 

it was fun to record.

 

Dick Nixon Arisen

[4Ks]

It seems AtariAge has some sort of trend going were people claim to love bad games, just so they can be "different" and "radical". Everytime anyone brings up Pac-Man or ET someone has to post a reply saying how they love those games and that they are unfairly bashed. But the only reason people consider those two game terrible is that they have popular liscences and were promoted like they were going to be awesome. If it weren't for this, everyone would just dismiss them as bad games and leave it at that. But the liscencing and huge advertising is what pushed them over the edge. This is why no one can forget these games. And the fact that people hate them so much is why everyone else claims to love them so much. It's practically the same thing with Shaq-Fu and Clayfighter and all these other games you guys "love".

[DickNixonArisen]

Actually, I never said I loved the game. If you read closely, you'll see that I agree it is an average or slightly-below-average game compared to it's contemporaries, other GEN and maybe SNES fighters. It's clearly not brilliant - just average. The folks who put it on lists and make it infamous are the ones who are overblowing the issue. I am bent on correcting that hyperbole.

[2600Lives]

Garou/Mark of the wolves (Just got my first dreamcast, in fact).

 

Haha, good luck with that one. That is one of the hardest to come by games on the entire system. Personally, I'd rather get an import for the PS2, as from what I've heard, it's a more arcade perfect port.

 

It seems AtariAge has some sort of trend going were people claim to love bad games, just so they can be "different" and "radical".

 

That's a statement that I will agree with, actually, but it's not just AA. I see comments on the SHITTIEST things of all time in support/praising it. Look at almost any video the Angry Video Game Nerd or the Nostalgia Critic puts out and read the comments on it. You'll see. When the Nerd reviews something KNOWN to be horrid, for a number of reasons, like say, Dragon's Lair on the NES, it seems that just to be contrary, there's a contingent that jumps in and tries to defend it.

 

Of course this is the interenet, or "douche central" as I like to call it. This is a place where people comment in support of killing gay people in Africa and post flashing pictures to an epilepsy website. So, yeah. Fuck you, internet!

[DickNixonArisen]

 

Haha, good luck with that one. That is one of the hardest to come by games on the entire system. Personally, I'd rather get an import for the PS2, as from what I've heard, it's a more arcade perfect port.

 

 

The JAP version seems to be about 30 on ebay? I planned to just get that. Don't have a ps2 anyway. Also planning on getting Guilty Gear, SC1 of course, SF games, giga wing, and .. maybe some of those pricey jap shooters, depending on how job hunt ends up. As of now, I own only Shenmue, toy commander, blue stinger and code veronica. and some mech game.

Edited June 3, 2010 by DickNixonArisen

[CRV]

That's a statement that I will agree with, actually, but it's not just AA. I see comments on the SHITTIEST things of all time in support/praising it. Look at almost any video the Angry Video Game Nerd or the Nostalgia Critic puts out and read the comments on it. You'll see. When the Nerd reviews something KNOWN to be horrid, for a number of reasons, like say, Dragon's Lair on the NES, it seems that just to be contrary, there's a contingent that jumps in and tries to defend it.

 

The only thing more annoying is people telling me why I kinda like (not "love") ET. I wish there was a "minus" button here.

[chrisbid]

It seems AtariAge has some sort of trend going were people claim to love bad games, just so they can be "different" and "radical". Everytime anyone brings up Pac-Man or ET someone has to post a reply saying how they love those games and that they are unfairly bashed. But the only reason people consider those two game terrible is that they have popular liscences and were promoted like they were going to be awesome. If it weren't for this, everyone would just dismiss them as bad games and leave it at that. But the liscencing and huge advertising is what pushed them over the edge. This is why no one can forget these games. And the fact that people hate them so much is why everyone else claims to love them so much. It's practically the same thing with Shaq-Fu and Clayfighter and all these other games you guys "love".

 

 

i think people on this board tend to be more analytical than others. its a trait engineers and nerds tend to have. there is nothing wrong with this. it just needs to be understood that the world is not a black-and-white sum of its operating parts. a horrible idea with average or good mechanics is still a horrible idea.

 

on the other side of the coin, it wouldnt be so bad for hater sheep (zomg, avgn says this game sucks!!!) to think a bit more critically about why something is so bad, instead of just repeating what they heard elsewhere.