If there is one thing that everyone can agree on, it's that for the last 18-plus years, we have patiently awaited a follow-up to "Shaq Fu," the 1994 video game that told the story of Shaquille O'Neal wandering into a kung-fu dojo on his way to a charity basketball game, stumbling into an alternate dimension and battling various enemies (like evil mummies) with an array of fighting moves (like flaming roundhouse kicks). Now, at long last, our wait is over, thanks to Hiptic Games' new release, "ShaqDown." Behold:
While not a sequel, per se, Hiptic did envision "ShaqDown" as a spiritual successor to one of the most reviled games of all time, as Yahoo! Games colleague Chris Morris wrote at Plugged In:
"When we were working on the game, we codenamed it Shaq Fu 2," Long Vo, cofounder and creative director of developer Hiptic, tells VentureBeat. "This game is set in a postapocalyptic world where Shaq has become a legend, and it’s up to him to save humanity from mutant zombies."
That’s right. The Big Survivor.
As you might have guessed, O'Neal has a sense of humor about his gaming legacy, having told the developers to "have fun with it." And it looks like they did. In addition to bringing the pain to legions of undead jerks, Shaq will team up with a variety of allies, including three-time world wrestling champ Lee Kemp.
Plus, according to App Shopper, the game features "easy to pick up controls," which is always my favorite part of a game, and the opportunity to "earn Shaqra to unlock new game modes for hours and hours of gameplay." I don't know what that last part means, but it sounds dynamite.
If the trailer and that description have sold you — and I'm sure they have — you can begin killing mutant zombies on your iOS or Android device for the low price of just 99 cents. Seriously, a game that enables you to Juggernaut your way through the undead as a Zangiefed version of Shaq who bests his opponents with jump shots and free throws (just like the real Shaq!) would be a steal at twice the price.
Hat-tips to TBJ's Trey Kerby, Joystiq and Friend of Devine Scott Meaney.
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