So, here’s the score: I’ve gone and played through Shaq Fu, and now I’m here to write about what exactly made it such a hated game to begin with. But Shaq Fu is obviously more than just myth: There really is an actual game cartridge buried beneath it all! So much of what is “known” about the game is rooted in reputation and oral tradition rather than actual hands-on experience, giving the game this sort of mystical aura about it. The problem here is, more folk have only ever talked about Shaq Fu than have actually ever played it for themselves. As a result of all this, Shaq Fu might very well be the most well-known bad game of all time.Īt a certain point, Shaq Fu seemed to transcend the very medium of video games, and became something more… how you say, incorporeal? Folk seem to think of it less as a physical cartridge to be plugged in and played, and as more of an idea - some intangible, purely imaginable thing, spoken of more along the lines of legend rather than as a real product that was ever offered for sale. Even O’Neal himself has gone on to spoof his involvement with the title in all manner of media, able to find the humor in his name being tied to such an infamous product of 90’s excess. So reviled is this game, it’s spawned a website dedicated entirely to the purpose of tracking down and destroying every last copy of it. It is the product of a very particular era in licensed games history, where celebrity brands found themselves associated with all manner of unlikely, seemingly unrelated genres of game. Sadly, this last bit isn’t really an accomplishment all that worthy of celebrating.ġ994’s Shaq Fu likely needs no introduction, but it’s gonna get one here anyway: It’s known as one of the very worst games of all time, making a multitude of lists and countdowns on the subject. And of course, he was even the star of his own video game, now with a sequel set to release nearly 25 years after the fact. He’s also a man who refuses to be labelled as just being a figure in sports, willing to try his hand at anything he seems to develop an interest in whether it be acting, rapping, or even pursuing a doctorate degree. At the same time, you get the feeling that no matter what this dude sets his mind to, he just commits to it 200%, and I admire that a lot. Outside of his career as an NBA MVP, he’s also earned himself the reputation of being one of basketball’s most lovable goofballs: Constantly charismatic, and never taking himself too seriously. Knick-knack Shaq-attack, give Important Business Dinosaur a bone. His opponents usually wear them on their face.” Obviously, I haven’t yet read every last book there is about games, and I’ve currently got a queue that’s pages-long in itself, so I’m not calling this list “concrete” or “definitive” anything It’s all just my current personal preference, folks. Maybe one day, it’ll be a skill I actually pick up for myself! But until that day comes, I suppose I’ll have to settle for just recommending some of my favorite books on the subject of video games.
I believe it takes a certain skill set to be able to write about video games in a fashion that’s actually compelling or entertaining. I’m sorry if that’s all, like, super predictable of me? And naturally, being the dweeb that I am, a number of the books on my digital bookshelf pertain to the subject of video games, and the history of their development / the industry itself. If a book can cover that criteria and do so in a way that’s entertaining and narratively engaging, that’s all the better. In case the nature of my very own overly-long writing wasn’t something like a giveaway, I’m big into books - specifically those of the non-fiction, historically-oriented sort of variety.