Shaq Fu

From Sega Retro

n/a

Shaq Fu Title.png

Shaq Fu
System(s): Sega Mega Drive, Sega Game Gear
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer:
Sound driver: GEMS
Peripherals supported: Six Button Control Pad
Genre: Action

















Number of players: 1-2
Release Date RRP Code
Sega Mega Drive
US 		$69.9569.95[1] 728301
Sega Mega Drive
EU 		E290SMXI
Sega Mega Drive
DE
Sega Mega Drive
PT 		MDJ290
Sega Mega Drive
UK 		£54.9954.99[4]
Sega Mega Drive
AU
Sega Game Gear
US 		$39.9539.95[1] T-50038

Shaq Fu is a video game developed by Delphine Software International and was released, among other systems, for the Sega Mega Drive and Sega Game Gear. It is a fighting game which stars basketball player Shaquille O'Neal, who has accidentally been transported to "The Second World" and tasked with saving the land from a mythical sorcerer named Sett Ra.

Though it is often praised for its fluid animation and vibrant graphics, the game has been the subject of ridicule for its nonsensical plot and bad controls.

Story

Long ago and far away, in a place called The Second World, there ruled the heartless sorcerer Sett Ra. His hunger for power still gnawed at him even though his dominance over the Second World was unchallenged; he longed to extend his grasp to the fair First World, Earth.

Sett Ra's Plan was simple. He would destroy the Pharaoh of Egypt and usurp his throne. He created a perfect assassin from his own shadow who would serve him without question. This shadow became beast, the mightiest and most loyal of all Sett Ra's minions. Beast destroyed the Pharaoh, and the disguised Sett Ra soon sat upon his throne.

However, the Pharaoh son Ahmet was not deceived. He brazenly confronted the powerful sorcerer, threatening to reveal him. Sett Ra escaped from the palace to the Great Desert, where his grandfather, Leotsu the Wise, dwelt as a monk and hermit. Leotsu and Ahmet united with a coven of powerful wizards from the lands beyond Egypt, and their combined power was able to send Sett Ra back to the Second World, comatose and imprisoned within a rune-encrusted pyramid. He slumbered for a millennium, bound by the wrappings of a mummy. Beast roamed the Second World, dedicated to finding and releasing his dread master. Successful at last, Beast and Sett Ra vow to wreak havoc on those who stopped them before.They have gathered a battalion of formidable fighters to further this end.

To regain his full strength and to end his exile from the First World, Sett Ra must perform an ancient ritual upon a descendant of Ahmet. Beast has now returned from Earth with the child Nezu, a child in whose veins the royal blood runs pure. All is ready for the final cataclysmic battle-only the Chosen One can stop Sett Ra now. One who possesses strength, spirituality, courage, agility, intelligence, and unsurpassed skill in the martial arts. Where will the world find such a one? Only Shaq knows.

Gameplay

The Sega Mega Drive version is notable for including five more playable characters and three new stages (The Lab, The Wasteland, and Yasko Mines) than its Super Nintendo Entertainment System counterpart. Unfortunately the story mode is shorter than in the SNES version, but as a bonus, players can also walk down the stairs past Gargoyle's Peak to fight a blue version of Beast. The Amiga port was based on the Mega Drive port, but features less music and background animation has been removed.

The Sega Game Gear version only has six selectable characters, no tournament mode, and no in-game voices.

Basic Moves

  • Fast Kick: B
  • Power Kick: C
  • Fast Punch: Y
  • Power Punch: Z
  • Blocking: Hold Left to block high and mid-range attacks, or hold Down-left to block low attacks. Blocking Special Attacks will cause a minimal amount of damage to the blocker.
  • Shield: Pressing Down + A makes characters create a shield around them. The shield will block projectile attacks, but other attacks will go through.
  • Throw: Characters can throw when up close by pressing Left+A.
  • Taunt: Press X to taunt. Taunting will leave a character open to attack. It doesn't do anything.
  • Fury Bar: As a character takes damage, their Fury Bar will charge up. When it is full, the word "FURY" will appear on it and the character will deal slightly more damage for a while.
  • Dizzy: If a character is hit multiple times in a row without dealing any damage themselves, they risk being dizzied. When dizzy, a character will be stunned on the ground while stars rotate above them. Recover from a dizzy by pressing buttons rapidly.

Characters

Shaqfu auroch.png Auroch
Auroch is a simple outlaw that fights for pleasure. He taunts anything that crosses his path. Auroch's stage is The Wasteland.

Height: 5'11
Weight: 456
Age: 170
Origin: 2nd World Template:MoveListStart

Boomerang Left, Right+B
Pulls out a boomerang from behind his back and tosses across the screen. He cannot move until the boomerang either hits his opponent, or reaches its farthest distance, and then returns.
Ball and Pain Right, Down-right, Down, Down-left, Left+C
Pulls out a giant spiked ball and chain, then lashes out with it twice straight ahead.

Template:MoveListEnd

Shaqfu beast.png Beast
Created by Sett from his own shadow, Beast is the mightiest of Sett's servants. His stage is Dragon's Pass.

Height: 6'10
Weight: 410
Age: Eternal
Origin: Unknown Template:MoveListStart

Thermal Blast Down, Down-left, Left+B
Spits out a large, close-ranged puff of flame.
Spitfire Down, Down-right, Right+B
Spits out a fireball projectile that travels across the screen.
Sonic Roar Right, Down-right, Down, Down-left, Right+C
Roars and the screen flashes, which will hit the opponent from any place on the screen.
Roar Down+X
Roars. No damage, but an alternate taunt.

Template:MoveListEnd

Shaqfu colonel.png Colonel
A celestial champion. Battered, shattered, and almost dead, Colonel was found by Beast on an obscure battlefield, the sole survivor of a fierce struggle. His stage is The Lab.

Height: 6'4
Weight: 357
Age: 42
Origin: Bio Corp Template:MoveListStart

Heavy Metal Down, Down-right, Right, Left+B
Extends his arm, which opens up to reveal a gun. He then shoots rapidly across the screen.
Bionic Burst Down, Down-right, Right+B
Punches twice straight forward with extending arms.
Missile Launch Down, Down-left, Left, Right+A
Launches a small missile out of his back, which homes in on his opponent.

Template:MoveListEnd

Shaqfu diesel.png Diesel
A longshoreman from the San Francisco docks, Diesel spends more time brawling than handling cargo. His stage is Yasko Mines.

Height: 6'1
Weight: 205
Age: 30
Origin: USA Template:MoveListStart

Dash Upper Down, Down-right, Right+B
Dashes forward very quickly and uppercuts his opponent up close.
Crate Crusher Right,Down, Down-left, Left+B
Throws a volley of energy-charged punches in front of him at various angles.
Dockside Dagger Right, Left+B
Throws a small dagger projectile across the screen.

Template:MoveListEnd

Shaqfu kaori.png Kaori
Forced to obey Sett's will by the power of an enchanted ring, Kaori is the martial arts champion of an alien feline race. Her stage is Catwalk Falls.

Height: 5'3
Weight: 123
Age: 23
Origin: Cimotha Template:MoveListStart

Cat's Claw Down, Down-left, Left+B
Slashes with her arms and sends a spiralling wave projectile across the screen.
Cyclone Down, Down-left, Left+C
Spins into a cyclone and moves forward. Holding C will cause her to move forward until the move runs out. She will turn back to normal when she hits her opponent.
Energy Bomb Left, Down-left, Down, Down-right, Right+C
Tosses a ball of energy at the ground a short ways in front of her, which creates an explosion.
Teleport Kick Left, Down-left, Down, Down-right, Right+B
Vanishes in a puff of smoke, then appears over her opponent and drops onto them with a kick.

Template:MoveListEnd

Shaqfu leotsu.png Leotsu
Leotsu is the last grand master of an ancient martial art, one that remains a mystery to the other masters. His stage is North Gate.

Height: 5'4
Weight: 118
Age: 500
Origin: Far East Template:MoveListStart

Blast Kai Down, Down-left, Left, Right+B
Launches a ball of energy from his Bo across the screen.
Bo Kai Down, Down-right, Right+B
Pulls out his Bo, then takes a quick jab forward with it.
Flash Kai Right, Down, Down-right, Right+C
Pulls out his Bo and the screen flashes, damaging his opponent from any location.

Template:MoveListEnd

Shaqfu mephis.png Mephis
Mephis is a mighty undead sorcerer who was once Sett's apprentice thousands of years ago. His stage is Gargoyle's Peak.

Height: 5'7
Weight: 165
Age: Unknown
Origin: Unknown Template:MoveListStart

Lightning Arc Left, Down-left, Down, Down-right, Right+C
Raises his hands into the air, then a second later the screen will flash and a lightning bolt will hit his opponent from any place on the screen.
Lightning Jaws Down, Down-right, Right+B
Tosses a snapping dragon head made of electricity across the screen.
Burning Touch Down, Down-left, Left+B
Spins and tosses some powder into the air in front of him.

Template:MoveListEnd

Shaqfu nezu.png Nezu
Kidnapped by Beast to free Sett, Nezu is uncontrollable when angered. Although small, Nezu is agile, swift, and cunning. His stage is South Gate.

Height: 4'6
Weight: 77
Age: 12
Origin: Far East Template:MoveListStart

Time Vault Right,Left,Down+A
Tosses a slow fireball forward. If it touches the opponent, it will make them unable to move for a bit.
Eno Blast Down, Down-left, Left, Right+C
Tosses a ball of energy at the ground, which remains there until the opponent steps on it, at which point it explodes. Nezu may only have one Eno Blast onscreen at a time.
Eno Flip Down, Down-left, Left+C
Lays an Eno Blast on the ground and backflips twice. After he's finished his backflips, the Eno Blast will explode.
Eno Shot Left, Down-left, Down, Down-right, Right+B
Tosses a fireball projectile across the screen.

Template:MoveListEnd

Shaqfu rajah.png Rajah
A young mystic and skilled swordsman, Rajah submitted to Sett's sorcery while exploring the netherplans with his spirit. His stage is Vagabond Temple.

Height: 5'11
Weight: 210
Age: 38
Origin: 2nd World Template:MoveListStart

Thunder Clap Right, Down, Down-right, Right+B
Pulls out both his scimitars and smacks them together in front of him causing the screen to flash.
Sword Shockwave Left, Down, Down-left, Left+C
Spins his scimitars and plants them into the ground, sending a wave projectile along the ground.
Scimitar Spiral Right, Down-right, Down, Down-left, Left+B
Pulls out both his scimitars and attaches them handle-to-handle, then tosses them across the screen.

Template:MoveListEnd

Shaqfu settra.png Sett
An entity of ancient evil, Sett was defeated and entombed in another dimension ages ago. His stage is Tombstone Island.

Height: 6'10
Weight: 212
Age: 3000
Origin: Unknown Template:MoveListStart

Mummy Wrap Right, Down-right, Down, Down-left, Left+B
Strikes forward with his arms, and extends a bunch of mummy wrapping for longer range.
Wedge Charge Right, Down, Down-right, Right+A
Quickly dashes straight across the screen to ram his opponent.
Cosmic Missile Down, Down-left, Left+C
Blasts an energy bolt projectile across the screen.

Template:MoveListEnd

Shaqfu shaq.png Shaq
Shaq is a dominating force on and off the hoops court, rookie of the year, perennial all star and founder of Shaqido.. an extremely lethal martial art form.

Height: 7'1
Weight: 301
Age: 22
Origin: USA Template:MoveListStart

Inferno Kick Down, Down-right, Right+C
Performs a high flaming roundhouse kick.
Shaq-urikin Right,Left,Right+A
Tosses a spinning blade projectile across the screen.

Template:MoveListEnd

Shaqfu voodoo.png Voodoo
Many have fallen prey to Voodoo's ancient magic. She uses her power to hunt Sett's enemies. Her stage is The Forest.

Height: 5'8
Weight: 143
Age: 27
Origin: Haiti Template:MoveListStart

Eagle Claw Left, Down-left, Down, Down-right, Right+B
Raises her hand and conjures an eagle onto it, which she tosses across the screen.
Voodoo Doll Down, Down-left, Left+C
Pulls out a doll of her opponent and a knife as well. Pressing any attack button will make her stab the opponent and damage them from anywhere on the screen.
Earthquake Right, Down, Down-right, Right+A
Slams the ground with both hands and damages any opponent standing on it.

Template:MoveListEnd

Stages

Shaqfu wasteland.png

The Wasteland
Auroch's stage

Shaqfu dragonspass.png

Dragon's Pass
Beast's stage

Shaqfu thelab.png

The Lab
Colonel's stage

Shaqfu yaskomines.png

Yasko Mines
Diesel's stage

Shaqfu catwalkfalls.png

Catwalk Falls
Kaori's stage

Shaqfu northgate.png

North Gate
Leotsu's stage

Shaqfu gargoylespeak.png

Gargoyle's Peak
Mephis's stage

Shaqfu southgate.png

South Gate
Nezu's stage

Shaqfu vagabondtemple.png

Vagabond Temple
Rajah's stage

Shaqfu tombstoneisland.png

Tombstone Island
Sett's stage

Shaqfu theforest.png

The Forest
Voodoo's stage

History

Development

While initially pitched as a basketball game, Shaq Fu became a fighting game after talks with Shaquille O'Neal (a self-proclaimed fan of Mortal Kombat)[5].

Delphine acknowledged that they could not compete directly with Street Fighter II from a technical perspective, instead building a game that highlighted the team's strengths at computer animations[6]. The same rotoscoping techniques were used as in the earlier release, Flashback, where actors would be filmed against a blue screen, the frames would be digitised with the help of an SGI workstation, and artists would touch up the results using some of the roughly 7,000 original character sketches[6] as a base for defining characters[7].

Shaquille O'Neal plays himself in the game, though many sequences were directed by a kung-fu expert[7]. Other characters were filmed by movie stuntmen and women[7]. O'Neal also assisted with some of the dialogue[7].

Roughly 40 people worked on the project in total[7].

Release

To promote the game's launch, Shaquille O'Neal released his second studio rap album, Shaq-Fu: Da Return. It peaked at #67 in the US the Billboard 200 chart, and #19 in Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.

Production credits

Mega Drive version

  • Project Manager: Paul Cuisset
  • Design Lead: Paul Cuisset
  • Lead Programmer: Thierry Gaerthner
  • Programmer: Arnaud Carre
  • Lead Graphic Artist: Thierry Levastre
  • Graphic Artist: Valerie Amghar, Stephane Aussel, Michele Bacque, Thierry Bansront, Gregory Beal, Eric Caron, Michaël Douaud, Laurent Dreno, Serge Fiedos, Herve Gaerthner, Elie Jamaa, Frederic Michel, Christophe Moyne, Olivier Nicolas, Fabrice Tete, Cecile Thomas, Jean-Marc Timert, Paul Tumelaire, Roman Vaidis
  • Music: Raphael Gesqua
  • Assistant Producers: Jeff Brown, William Schmitt, John Vilandre
  • Testing: Jeff Brown, Ryan Enslow, Chris McCall, Chip Probst, Matt Vella, John Vilandre, Michael Yasko
  • Executive Producer: Don Traeger
  • Producer: Jim Rushing
  • Associate Producer: Greg Suarez
  • Product Manager: Lisa Higgins
  • Documentation: Valerie Hanscom, Michael Humes
  • Package Direction: Nancy Fong
  • Package Design: 13th Floor, Dave Parmely
  • Stuntmen: Remi Canaple, Patrick Cauderlier, Abi Espanol, Marc Le Loeuff, Dany Rocca, Phil Vitt
  • Special Thanks: Leonard Armato, Tim Brengle, John Brooks, Lori Christensen, Jean Charles Meyrignac, Shaquille O'Neal, Management Plus, Sarah Smith, Dennis Tracey

Game Gear version

  • Shaq Fu Game Gear Was Converted by: Tiertex Ltd
  • Programmers: Donald Campbell, Dave Stead
  • Project Management: Dympna Forkin, Thierry Gaerthner
  • EA Management Team: Don Traeger, Jim Rushing, Greg Suarez, John Vilandre
  • Tiertex Testing: Gary Marshall, Lee Walker
  • EA Testing: Anji Mayfield, Heather Meigs
  • Original Graphics: Thierry Levastre for Delphine
  • Converted by: Kevin Knott at Tiertex
  • Music Originated by: Raphael Gesqua
  • Game Gear Music and Effects: John Prince
  • Special Thanks: Dany Boolauck, Lori Christensen, Paul Cuisset, Anne-Marie Joassim, Shaquille O'Neal, Management Plus, Sarah Smith, Dennis Tracey, Jean Charles Meyrignac
  • Product Management: Lisa Higgins

Magazine articles

Main article: Shaq Fu/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

Main article: Shaq Fu/Promotional material.

Screenshots

  • Overworld map

Physical scans

Mega Drive version

Sega Retro Average 
Publication Score Source
89
82 №155, p94[4]
79
81 №23, p50[8]
65 №64
76 №7, p14
90 №36, p118-121[9]
76 №28, p28-29
79 №24, p76-78[10]
40 №1, p101[11]
69 №48, p156
76 №61, p64
75 №44, p10
57
60 №72, p63[12]
Sega Mega Drive
 73
Based on
15 reviews
Sega Retro Average 
Publication Version Score
1700 igr dlya Sega (RU)
50
[13]
Alaab Alcomputtar (SA)
76
[14]
Cool Gamer (RU)
60
[15]
Computer & Video Games (UK)
82
[4]
Computer + Video Giochi (IT)
84
[16]
Entsiklopediya luchshikh igr Sega. Vypusk 1 (RU)
50
[17]
Game Players (US) NTSC-U
79
[18]
GamePro (US) NTSC-U
78
[19]
GamesMaster (UK) PAL
81
[8]
GamesMaster (UK) PAL
65
[20]
Games World: The Magazine (UK) PAL
76
[21]
Joypad (FR) PAL
90
[9]
LeveL (CZ)
65
[22]
MAN!AC (DE) PAL
70
[23]
Mega (UK) PAL
76
[24]
Mean Machines Sega (UK) PAL
79
[10]
Next Generation (US) NTSC-U
25
[11]
Player One (FR)
69
[25]
Play Time (DE) PAL
54
[26]
Score (CZ)
84
[27]
Sega Magazin (DE)
60
[28]
Sega Power (UK) PAL
76
[29]
Sega Force (SE)
57
[30]
Sonic the Comic (UK) PAL
75
[31]
Todo Sega (ES)
82
[32]
Tricks (RU)
78
[33]
Tricks 16 bit (RU)
78
[34]
Video Games (DE) PAL
66
[35]
VideoGames (US)
60
[12]
Sega Mega Drive
 70
Based on
29 reviews

Shaq Fu

Mega Drive, US
Shaqfu md us cover.jpg
Cover
Shaqfu md us cart.jpg
Cart
Shaq Fu MD US Manual.pdf
Manual
Mega Drive, EU
Shaqfu md eu cover.jpg
Cover
Shaqfu md eu cart.jpg
Cart

Game Gear version

Game Gear, US
ShaqFu GG US Box Back.jpgNospine.pngShaqfu gg us cover.jpg
Cover
Shaqfu gg us cart.jpg
Cart
Shaq Fu GG US Manual.pdf
Manual

Technical information

ROM dump status

System Hash Size Build Date Source Comments
Sega Game Gear
 ?
CRC32 6fcb8ab0
MD5 ea608a53121d0c905dcfe6544248c275
SHA-1 bc9d0b0dc2b22b9530660f0a04b865492766c9d0
512kB Cartridge (US/EU)

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Press release: 1994-10-26: SHAQUILLE O'NEAL TO STAR IN FIRST EVER VIDEOGAME
  2. ↑ File:MeanMachinesSega24UK.pdf, page 3
  3. ↑ File:GamePro DE 1994-09.pdf, page 35
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 File:CVG UK 155.pdf, page 94 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name ":File:CVG UK 155.pdf_p94" defined multiple times with different content
  5. ↑ File:MeanMachinesSega22UK.pdf, page 28
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 File:MeanMachinesSega22UK.pdf, page 31
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 File:MeanMachinesSega22UK.pdf, page 32
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 File:GamesMaster UK 023.pdf, page 50 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name ":File:GamesMaster UK 023.pdf_p50" defined multiple times with different content
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 File:Joypad FR 036.pdf, page 118 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name ":File:Joypad FR 036.pdf_p118" defined multiple times with different content
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 File:MeanMachinesSega24UK.pdf, page 76 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name ":File:MeanMachinesSega24UK.pdf_p76" defined multiple times with different content
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 File:NextGeneration US 01.pdf, page 107 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name ":File:NextGeneration US 01.pdf_p107" defined multiple times with different content
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 File:VideoGames US 72.pdf, page 63 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name ":File:VideoGames US 72.pdf_p63" defined multiple times with different content
  13. ↑ 1700 igr dlya Sega, "" (RU; 2001-xx-xx), page 203
  14. ↑ Alaab Alcomputtar, "" (SA; 1995-06-xx), page 80
  15. ↑ Cool Gamer, "9" (RU; 2002-10-13), page 184
  16. ↑ Computer + Video Giochi, "Dicembre 1994" (IT; 1994-xx-xx), page 130
  17. ↑ Entsiklopediya luchshikh igr Sega. Vypusk 1, "" (RU; 1999-xx-xx), page 357
  18. ↑ Game Players, "Vol. 7 No. 12 December 1994" (US; 1994-1x-xx), page 170
  19. ↑ GamePro, "December 1994" (US; 1994-xx-xx), page 124
  20. ↑ GamesMaster (UK) "Series 4, episode 2" (1994-09-27, 24:00) (+6:54)
  21. ↑ Games World: The Magazine, "January 1995" (UK; 1994-11-xx), page 14
  22. ↑ LeveL, "Únor 1995" (CZ; 1995-02-24), page 40
  23. ↑ MAN!AC, "11/94" (DE; 1994-10-12), page 62
  24. ↑ Mega, "January 1995" (UK; 1994-12-30), page 28
  25. ↑ Player One, "Décembre 1994" (FR; 1994-1x-xx), page 156
  26. ↑ Play Time, "2/95" (DE; 1995-01-04), page 111
  27. ↑ Score, "Únor 1995" (CZ; 1995-02-01), page 44
  28. ↑ Sega Magazin, "Dezember 1994" (DE; 1994-11-17), page 22
  29. ↑ Sega Power, "December 1994" (UK; 1994-10-20), page 64
  30. ↑ Sega Force, "3/95" (SE; 1995-06-20), page 22
  31. ↑ Sonic the Comic, "3rd February 1995" (UK; 1995-01-21), page 10
  32. ↑ Todo Sega, "Diciembre 1994" (ES; 1994-1x-xx), page 66
  33. ↑ Tricks, "3/95" (RU; 1995-xx-xx), page 11
  34. ↑ Tricks 16 bit, "Tricks Sega Gold 800 igr" (RU; 1998-03-20), page 154
  35. ↑ Video Games, "12/94" (DE; 1994-11-23), page 92
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