Shaquille O’Neal once attached his name to one of the more…well, “polarizing” video games of the 90’s – Shaq-Fu. Now the unthinkable has occurred – an upcoming sequel to the game is being produced for PC. Here’s everything you need to know about the game’s offical title, the Indiegogo campaign behind it and more.
1. The Sequel is Being Titled Shaq-Fu: A Legend Reborn
Shaq-Fu 2 is now officially known as Shaq-Fu: A Legend Reborn. This now-in development title is no longer just a fighting game – it operates as a modern day beat ’em up that harkens back to the glory days of Street of Rage and Final Fight. Players will get to control Shaq as he battles baddies and huge bosses with his martial arts techniques, weapons and finishing moves. The main villain of the game is the mysterious Black Ninja. Co-op multiplayer will now become a part of this brand new sequel. The soundtrack will use remixed Shaq tunes that will be redone on by keyboardist and producer Steve Molitz.
The creators of this gaming project realize how bad the first Shaq-Fu is, which is why they released this statement on how they’re looking to create a much better game:
There are two, and only two, similarities between our Shaq Fu, and the abomination that was born in the nineties: The name, and the starring character.
We are gamers, not executives. We know what’s good and we know what stinks. This isn’t about trying to make a quick buck, it’s about creating something that both we and Shaq can be proud of. We want to make a slick, fun, rock-solid game.
We’ve assembled a team of creative people who have this vision at the heart of what they do and we’re really excited about this. We want you to be a part of that excitement and a part of this awesome project.
Most celebrity games take a well known face and build a crappy game around it, knowing it will sell. We want to build a game that would kick ass even without Shaq. As the main character, however, Shaq, really wants to be a part of this and we love that he’s onboard. He’s going to have a huge involvement in this and he is not about to let the same mistake happen twice, and neither are we.
Check out the video above to see the first official game trailer.
2. An Indiegogo Campaign Has Been Put Up to Garner Funding for the Game
The overall funding for the game’s production and development will handled through the crowd funding site known as Indiegogo (here’s the game’s offical LINK). Shaq and the game’s development team is indeed investing both theuir time and finances into the game, but their Indiegogo campaign is being put together to gauge public interest.
For those who want to invest in this project, a huge variety of perks are being offered. Here are just some of the cool opportunities that will be given to those who offer their financial support:
– Bag a signed original size 22 Shaq Attack sneaker!
– Play basketball with Shaq, on his own court, at his house!
– Have Shaq, become your personal secretary by recording your voicemail!
– Have lunch or dinner with the big man for you and your friends!
– Be part of the taping of a TNT show at an NBA game!
The Indiegogo website has all the full perk details for you to see, so go ahead and check them out along with the video seen above. Note – the game’s campaign stated on March 6, 2014 and will run until April 20, 2014 at 11:59 p.t.
3. Big Deez Productions is Developing the Game
Big Deez Productions is the video game development team behind Shaq-Fu: A Legend Reborn. Big Deez offered up a description on their company and their partnership with big Shaq:
We are Big Deez Productions, a team of video game industry professionals that comes from legendary projects like HALO, Street Fighter, Final Fantasy, Alan Wake, Spec Ops: The Line, Battlefield, Killzone, Max Payne, Duke Nukem, and many other huge franchises.
We are in partnership with the man, Shaquille O’Neal, an avid gamer himself. We got tired of bowing to the monolithic men with the money and wanted to work with people who care about the quality of the product. We are people with passion that intend to make solid, addictive, kick ass games, without a whiff of BS. And who are our big executive partners in this effort…? YOU! Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn, is where it all begins.
The video above details the production/development team.
4. Shaq Actually Revealed It as CES 2014
During an interview with GamerFitNation’s, Shaq actually dropped the news of a new Shaq-Fu game being in production. Check out that interview and reveal in the video above.
5. The First Shaq-Fu Wasn’t Exactly A Quality Fighting Game…
Some gamers are quite skeptical of another Shaq-Fu game becoming a reality. Those feelings are primarily due to the horrible quality of the original 1994 release. It was notable for featuring Shaquille O’ Neal in a 2D fighting game, but it was lamented for it’s un-fulfilling gameplay. Upon release, GamePro gave the game a high score (4.5/5). But Next Generation Magazine gave the game a low 2 out of 5.
The video above explored the full history behind the first game and its upcoming sequel.
