Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn

Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn is a 2018 beat'em up video game developed by Big Deez Productions and published by Mad Dog Games. It is a sequel to Shaq Fu (1994) and it was released for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in June 2018. Former professional basketball player Shaquille O'Neal reprises his role from the original as the player character. The game received generally negative reviews upon release for all platforms except for the Xbox One version, which received a more mixed response.

Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn
Developer(s)Big Deez Productions
Publisher(s)Mad Dog Games
Saber Interactive (Mobile)
Producer(s)
  • Artem Pozhilenkov
  • Avenir Sniatkov
Designer(s)Sergey Snisarenko
Programmer(s)Andrew Kishchenko
Artist(s)Dmitriy Krayniuk
Writer(s)
  • Craig Sherman
  • Oliver Hollis-Leick
Composer(s)Steve Molitz
Platform(s)
Release
  • Windows, Switch, PS4, Xbox One
  • June 5, 2018
  • iOS, Android
  • August 2, 2018[1]
Genre(s)Beat 'em up
Mode(s)Single-player

Gameplay

A Legend Reborn features gameplay that heavily differs from its predecessor, more akin to a beat 'em up. The player character has a variety of moves, such as rolling and dashing, which stuns enemies. Players can also chain attacks together and use a special attack.[2]

Development

In March 2014, an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign was started for a sequel titled Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn. The funding goal was US$450,000. If achieved, the game creators at Big Deez Productions promised that the game would be released for consoles (PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Wii U, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360). The campaign ended on May 5, 2014, with the funding goal exceeded at $473,884.[3] The PlayStation 3, Wii U and Xbox 360 versions were later cancelled.[4]

After A Legend Reborn was successfully funded, there was little significant word on its developmental status and release timetable over the next few years. In late 2016, the sequel's developers reported on Indiegogo that its development was nearly finished, but declined to provide a concrete release date.[5] Over a month after Nintendo launched the Nintendo Switch, a special trailer confirmed that A Legend Reborn will be available on that system.[6] Saber Interactive also announced that it would offer free copies of the game to early adopters of NBA Playgrounds on the console as compensation for the initial lack of online features.[7] In early 2018, it also confirmed that the game was delayed due to unexpected licensing issues that required some significant rework.[4] The game was expected to come out in the second quarter of 2018, and the Wii U, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were cancelled.[5] The sequel was released on June 5, 2018.[8]

On June 29, 2018, a DLC add-on titled Barack Fu: The Adventures of Dirty Barry was revealed in two launch trailers that were shared by multiple gaming groups and news sites alike; it was also made available for free to those who had purchased a physical copy of A Legend Reborn. Barack Fu continues the story of A Legend Reborn, following the ending of Shaq's campaign, with the player now taking control of a fictionalized version of former United States President Barack Obama through two new stages (increasing the full level count of the game from six to eight) as he goes through France and Outer Space to defeat a fictional take on rapper/singer/songwriter Kanye West.[9]

Reception

With the exception of the Xbox One version of the game, Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn received "generally unfavorable" reviews according to review aggregator Metacritic.[10] Kellen Beck from Mashable criticized the game's humor for being offensive, repetitive and reliant on stereotypes.[11] GameRankings gave the PlayStation 4 version an aggregated score of 35/100.[12]

References
  1. Madnani, Mikhail (August 3, 2018). "'Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn' Is Now Available on iOS and Android Devices for Free With a One Time in App Purchase to Unlock All Content". TouchArcade. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  2. Cowley, Ric (June 4, 2018). "Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn Switch preview - Hands on with the sequel to one of the worst games ever made". Pocket Gamer. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  3. "Shaq-Fu: A Legend Reborn". Indiegogo.com. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
  4. McWhertor, Michael (February 15, 2018). "Shaq Fu sequel finally coming out this spring". Polygon. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  5. Parsons, Don (2 February 2018). "Shaq-Fu A Legend Reborn Delays Due To Licensing Issues". TechRaptor.net. Retrieved 11 March 2018.
  6. Downey, Kyle (30 April 2017). "Shaq Fu Coming to Nintendo Switch". TechRaptor.net. Retrieved 11 March 2018.
  7. Whitehead, Thomas (June 2, 2017). "NBA Playgrounds Switch Early Adopters to Get Free Copy of Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn". Nintendo Life. Retrieved June 4, 2017.
  8. "Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn launches June 5". Nintendo Everything. April 5, 2018. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  9. Johnson, Astrid (June 29, 2018). "Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn DLC Lets you Play as Barack Obama". Game Revolution. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  10. "Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn". Metacritic. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  11. Beck, Kellen (June 7, 2018). "The new 'Shaq Fu' game is aggressively bad and pretty offensive". Mashable. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  12. "Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn". GameRankings. Archived from the original on December 8, 2019. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  13. "Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn for Switch Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2021-10-23.
  14. "Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2021-10-23.
  15. "Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2021-10-23.
  16. "Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2021-10-23.
  17. Moyse, Chris (15 June 2018). "Review: Shaq-Fu: A Legend Reborn". Destructoid. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  18. Lopes, Goncalo (7 June 2018). "Shaq-Fu: A Legend Reborn Review (Switch)". Nintendo Life. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  19. Rose, Bryan (19 June 2018). "Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn (Switch) Review". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  20. Slater, Harry (3 August 2018). "Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn review - Shaq Fu wasn't a legend in the first place". Pocket Gamer. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
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