Shaq Fu Sequel Crowdfunder Headed by O'Neal Himself - Update

[Steven Bogos]

Shaq Fu Sequel Crowdfunder Headed by O'Neal Himself - Update

"This time, we won't fu it up."

Update: Added gameplay teaser trailer.

Original Story: Remember Shaq Fu, the basketball-themed fighting game released back in 1994, regarded by many to be one of the worst video games ever made? Well it's back, and the main man himself - Shaquille O'Neal - is heading the sequel crowdfunding efforts on IndieGoGo. Shaq Fu - A Legend Reborn is looking for $450,000 in funding, in order to produce a PC beat-'em-up in which players step into O'Neal's size 22 shoes and attempt to defeat the Black Star Ninja and the assassins he commands. "This time, we won't fu it up," promised O'Neal in the campaign's pitch video.

Shaq Fu is what the original game should have been - an instant classic. We're talking Streets of Rage meets Street Fighter meets Devil May Cry. It's a modern day take on the classic beat 'em up. Play as Shaquille O'Neal - learn hundreds of moves and battle techniques, take on thousands of enemies with dozens of cool melee weapons, battle bosses in dynamic arenas, master cool finishing moves and play with your buddies in COOP mode or against each other in player vs player combat.

[gallery=2164]

The game is being developed by Big Deez in collaboration with O'Neal, and the Indiegogo campaign [http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/shaq-fu-a-legend-reborn] is running for 46 days, from today through 2:59 a.m. ET on April 21. Pledges can get their hands on some exclusive Shaq memorabilia, such as a limited edition t-shirt for $55, a basketball signed by O'Neal for $475, or a signed Shaq jersey for $500. For $1,000, Shaq will follow you on Twitter, and for the ultimate Shaq fan, $15,000 nets you and five friends lunch with the man himself, followed by a game of pick-up basketball at his house.


If you just want the game, $15 will get you a copy of the game (which will cost $29.99 at launch) and $25 gets you "free DLC for life," which Big Deez values at over $200. Stretch goals will bring the game to platforms other than the PC, and O'Neal says he will donate 5 percent of all profits from the game to the Boys and Girls Clubs of America.

This is certainly one to keep a close eye on, and may be the first crowdfunder that I will actually contribute to...

Source IndieGoGo [http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/shaq-fu-a-legend-reborn]

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[Kieve]

...trying so hard not to laugh right now. Failing.

But now for the real question: WHY?!?
At what point does "Wow, this is one of the worst video games in history. Let's try it again," become a valid train of thought?

Now all we need is the much-anticipated E.T. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E.T._the_Extra-Terrestrial_%28video_game%29] reboot....

 

[AdmiralCheez]

I like how some of the rewards are just interacting with Shaq on social media, like Shaq follows you on Instagram and likes your photos, or Shaq follows you on Twitter for one year. Granted, I don't know what other types of rewards they could go with for a game like ShaqFu, seen as the whole point of the game is Shaq. Still, I like that they're going for a fun, silly aesthetic with this.

 

[Mr. Q]

I dunno what's going on anymore. I really don't.

Just watching the video for this makes me wonder if this is an elaborate hoax or they're dead serious. If the latter, then I need to call into question the sanity of the people behind this. The design of Shaq's character alone is enough to bury the needle on the WTF meter. I like me a Beat 'Em Up game but not like this.

This is too much to lay on me before bedtime. X_X

 

[HardRockSamurai]

You know I had this really weird dream a few days ago.

I was standing in the center of an empty graveyard; it was night, and there was a heavy fog in the air. Suddenly, a tall wizard in a purple robe appeared before me. With a giant grin, he lifted up his wand and cast a spell. Suddenly, a dead man rose from one of the graves. It stood up and took a dump. Then it picked up that dump, ate it, and took another dump again. This repeated for what seemed like hours, and all the while, the wizard just stood there, grinning.

NOW I KNOW WHAT IT MEANS!!!

 

[lacktheknack]

...trying so hard not to laugh right now. Failing.

But now for the real question: WHY?!?
At what point does "Wow, this is one of the worst video games in history. Let's try it again," become a valid train of thought?

Now all we need is the much-anticipated E.T. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E.T._the_Extra-Terrestrial_%28video_game%29] reboot....

Better question: When does "Wow, this is one of the worst video games in history. Let's try it again," STOP being a valid train of thought?

It's certainly better than trying again on a game that was already good and doesn't need the help.

 

[Leemaster777]

Better they remake a shit game, than a good one.
Remake a good game: If you do bad, the fans will hate you forever.
If you do good, but change to much (read: anything) fans hate you forever.

Remake a bad game: if you do bad: Who cares, Shaq fu sucked.
If you do good: Success!

The logic of this argument is simply perfect.

OT: Frankly... I'm actually for this. It looks like it's JUST dumb enough to succeed on sheer balls alone. But the question is: Can they be dumb enough on a spectacular enough level to make the game endearing, while still making it ACTUALLY fun to play?

Whether this game is good, bad, or never even makes it off the ground, I eagerly await the result.

 

[NerAnima]

.....Oh my. This will be interesting to watch.
Personally I don't plan on touching this game with a forty-nine and a half-foot pole, but it will be entertaining to see how it turns out.

And is it just me, or does Shaq look even worse in that video than in the original game?!

 

[Dr. Crawver]

While I'm not giving this a penny, I'm going to watch this closely, and desperately hope it reaches it's goal. Then the fun begins. I'm actually hoping this game will be good. It'll probably go down in gaming history as one of the "how the hell did this happen and turn out good?" moments.

 

[nightmare_gorilla]

does shaq really need further ego stroking? I mean really how many people have to line up to suck this idiots cock before it's enough and he gets over himself. i'm sure he's a nice guy and all but holy three tited jesus has he got a big ego.

is there an option to pledge against them? like if we raise enough money they won't be able to make this awful shit storm of a game concept into reality

 

[TheIceQueen]

Surely Shaq has $450 k lying around to be able to pay for the game's development cost.

Oh? No? He's going to have other people pay for it when they didn't even like the first one?

Oh, Shaq. Oh you.

 

[ScrabbitRabbit]

I like how some of the rewards are just interacting with Shaq on social media, like Shaq follows you on Instagram and likes your photos, or Shaq follows you on Twitter for one year. Granted, I don't know what other types of rewards they could go with for a game like ShaqFu, seen as the whole point of the game is Shaq. Still, I like that they're going for a fun, silly aesthetic with this.

I like how some of the rewards are just doing work for them. I thought paying $500 for the privilege of writing music for them was bad until I saw that you could pay $6500 to work as a concept artist for "credit."

What the fuck?

 

[ASnogarD]

Smells like a rat, through and through...

Hundred moves , thousand enemies ? Finisher moves as well, and mixes Streets of Rage and DMC while its at it, and tosses in COOP or even PvP... sure it doesnt brew beer and stock my fridge as well ?
All for only $450k ? Yeah right.

The price structure is ludicrous as well, they already admitted they will DLC the crap out of it to the tune of $200 unless you buy the DLC free for life rubbish.
All on the promise of some basketball player who has already backed a failed game before (to be honest I didnt think the original was the worst game ever, just not very good).

This is a start up doomed to fail right at the start, I mean if it goes well and gets the backers much of the cash will be used up on the shirts , balls and jerseys before any coding... or worse this is a title already done and this 'starter' is to hype and initiate money hoovering out the wallets before exposing the actual game to critique.

Guess old sports stars cant really make a comeback like old music stars when the money bin runs dry.

 

[Diablo1099_v1legacy]

I have to admit...I was a lot more Hype watching that Game Teaser then I should have been...

 

[Naqel]

Surely Shaq has $450 k lying around to be able to pay for the game's development cost.

Oh? No? He's going to have other people pay for it when they didn't even like the first one?

Oh, Shaq. Oh you.

Maybe $450k is just the 10-20% they want from the players to gauge interest before they go all in on the project with the remaining 80-90%(50-50 is more realistic though)?

It wouldn't be a dumb move considering the subject matter.

 

[Scarim Coral]

Wait there are fans of the game or fans of Shaq O'neal? (Must be the latter.)

Also why they did mention people who worked from Falo, Final Fantasy etc but they didn't give the exact names who worked on those games.

Besides there are worse legacy than having a sucky game about you.

 

[oplinger]

Smells like a rat, through and through...

Hundred moves , thousand enemies ? Finisher moves as well, and mixes Streets of Rage and DMC while its at it, and tosses in COOP or even PvP... sure it doesnt brew beer and stock my fridge as well ?
All for only $450k ? Yeah right.

The price structure is ludicrous as well, they already admitted they will DLC the crap out of it to the tune of $200 unless you buy the DLC free for life rubbish.
All on the promise of some basketball player who has already backed a failed game before (to be honest I didnt think the original was the worst game ever, just not very good).

This is a start up doomed to fail right at the start, I mean if it goes well and gets the backers much of the cash will be used up on the shirts , balls and jerseys before any coding... or worse this is a title already done and this 'starter' is to hype and initiate money hoovering out the wallets before exposing the actual game to critique.

Guess old sports stars cant really make a comeback like old music stars when the money bin runs dry.

Course they're gonna hype the shit out of it. And maybe it'll stock your fridge later if you buy the DLC.

Also speaking of jerseys, balls, and shirts. I think Shaq has plenty just laying about he'll give up.

OT: ...If they keep it silly as all hell like the teaser, I would maybe buy this game. You know, after I know it functions properly..