Shaq Fu... What's there to really say with that name?

Shaq is everywhere. On the front of the box, the back of the box... with some sort of weird pseudo martial arts pose... I mean, it's just Shaq. There is no way he cannot look goofy doing it. Getting past the comic relief, and the horrendous criticism that Shaq Fu is the absolute worst game of all time, it's rather decently playable. And even if one does not like it, they should still keep it in their collection, because not only will the numerous carts of it that are being destroyed cause it to eventually be a collector's item, but there's no way you can resist such laughable cover art. And with a zany and absolutely nonsensical storyline, it only gets better. Perhaps it is the overall cheesiness of the game. Nobody ever said Undefeatable was the absolute worst kung fu movie ever, but if you want an abysmally bad fighting game, try Slaughter Sport. Contained herein, the product is a wonderful slew of nicely animated graphics, which is to be expected when the developers were Delphine Software, responsible for games like Flashback. The sounds are a muffled mess, but are not grating, and that's what I happen to like about the Genesis version, compared to the SNES. The music is rather forgettable, but you don't normally play fighting games for the music. It's actually pretty listenable by itself, and isn't that bad at all. Voodoo's stage in particular has an interesting rhythm. The controls are likely what Shaq Fu gets the most flack for, other than the fact that it's a fighter that has Shaq. They're not exactly perfect, and the special move combinations won't always register correctly, but you have to keep in mind that it plays slightly similar to the first Street Fighter. There are no "Quarter-circle" combinations, or anything like that. BUT, that's kind of how it is like in Mortal Kombat as well. It seems pretty bad, especially when Shaq absolutely soars through the air compared to his opponents, and only has two special moves compared to the rest of the characters. In reality, that only makes all the easier to master. You have two punches and kicks, a useless taunt, and the "Power" button, enabling you to run forward, hop backward, pull off some special moves, and even block some projectiles without suffering damage. The fact of the matter is, none of the attacks can be pulled off on a dime, so the game rather strategically becomes a matter of timing and getting the combinations correct. Some opponents you must adjust your strategy for. Even when you lose, you get a screen telling you one special move that the character had for their arsenal. All in all, this game has a really bad rep, whilst almost every review for it I've seen has been for the SNES version, containing even less characters and stages, and much more lacking music. In that sense, and in light of all that I have stated above, I heartily recommend this on the Sega Genesis console. I also must stress that practice makes perfect; moreso than Eternal Champions, anyway. You will either enjoy the nonsensical story, the epileptic presentation, or heck... even the cover art itself. For roughly 5 or 6 bucks, this won't set your wallet back by very much, and you may even enjoy it. Hard to believe how positive I am? Well, I'm dead serious. You can't always go on everything the reviewers say. Me included. You just have to find out for yourself. My two cents, and in finding out for myself, I can honestly say I've enjoyed it well. In closing, I hope I've helped with your decision.Read full review