Is it time for Shaq Fu, the mid-'90s 2D fighter featuring the 4x NBA Champion, to make a comeback?
On January 18th I noticed #ShaqFu was trending on Twitter, with most tweets ranging from happy nostalgia to disbelief or bemusement ("WTF is a #shaqfu?"). It got me thinking that it might be time to bring the game back.
Shaq Fu was a 2D fighter, starring Shaquille O'Neal, released in 1994 for the Sega Megadrive/Genesis, Super Nintendo, and even Game Boy. It holds a place in gamers' hearts with Michael Jordan: Chaos In the Windy City and Barkley Shut Up And Jam!, though it wasn't necessarily a hit with critics. However, Electronic Arts probably still holds the rights and should probably try to exploit them for a few reasons
REASON 1: The Current 2D Revival
Since Capcom dropped Street Fighter 4, 2D fighting games (and fighters in general) have enjoyed a big comeback. The Street Fighter, Marvel vs. Capcom, and Mortal Kombat franchises have all returned. New properties like BlazBlue made a splash. People are ready to mash buttons and learn combos again.
REASON 2: Reviving '90s franchises in general
EA has already brought back NBA Jam and NFL Blitz, so we know they're not adverse to revisiting old, sports-related franchises. Getting Shaq's license would probably be way cheaper than that exclusive NFL license they shelled out for a while back.
REASON 3: Shaq has free time these days
Shaq retired recently and has been spending his nights providing color commentary for Inside the NBA on TBS. Since he doesn't have to worry about showing up for practice and games, Shaq has plenty of time to provide some mo-cap and sound bytes for grunts. This could be Shaq's Space Jam.
REASON 4 1/2: Shaq's beard is totally macho and perfect for a fighting game
Seriously…the dude looks like mixed martial artist Kimbo Slice.
REASON 4: Potential Shaq Fu Re-Release
Drop it for a few bucks on Virtual Console/XBLA/PSN, promote it, and make some free money. Heck, all the hard work to put it on iOS or Android has already been done…just throw it in an emulator.
REASON 5: Keep Shaq from doing another movie or album
Because we'd rather have a video-game revival than another Kazaam or Steel, right? Critics and audiences hate those movies. His rap career featured some notable guest stars but was generally unimpressive…unless you really want to go to Club Twism.
This is Shaq's rapping entrance from Kazaam. If you really want to watch the whole thing, then it's on YouTube and Netflix…but you can safely avoid it. It currently holds a 4% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Shouldn't we prevent this at all costs?
So if you're out there, Electronic Arts, you might want to get a studio together and get working on bringing back this 16-bit gem.