Basketball legend Shaquille O'Neal is attempting to bring back the mid-'90s fighting game he starred in, Shaq Fu, with a $450,000 Indiegogo campaign for a sequel, Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn.
Electronic Arts released the original Shaq Fu on Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1994, and it is now widely regarded as one of the worst video games of all time. O'Neal is partnering with a new studio, Big Deez Productions, that features industry veterans who have worked on franchises like Halo, Street Fighter and Final Fantasy, according to A Legend Reborn's Indiegogo page.
"I'll admit it, Shaq Fu was a horrible game. I'm a huge fan of video games and want to have my name associated with a Shaq Fu game that I'm proud of and would like to play," said O'Neal in a press release today. "This is my second chance and it's even better this time since I'm able to partner with the fans to make this happen." O'Neal first mentioned the existence of a sequel to Shaq Fu in an interview with GamerFitNation during the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show.
A Legend Reborn is in development on Windows PC. The game is a beat-'em-up in which players step into O'Neal's size 22 shoes and attempt to defeat the Black Star Ninja and the assassins he commands. You'll have the ability to customize O'Neal's fighting style as you upgrade his combos and skills, and pick up power-ups within stages to use special moves featuring O'Neal's numerous nicknames. Musician and composer Steve Molitz is putting together A Legend Reborn's soundtrack, which will feature remixes of songs from O'Neal's rap career.
Big Deez is running its Indiegogo campaign for 46 days, from today through 2:59 a.m. ET on April 21. Because it is a flexible funding drive, the studio will receive whatever money has been contributed to the campaign by that time, even if the $450,000 goal is not met. Backing at the $15 level will get you a copy of the game, whose final retail price is expected to be $29.99; O'Neal will donate 5 percent of all profits to the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. Rewards include the opportunity to meet O'Neal, and hang out with him and his cohorts on the set of the NBA on TNT. Stretch goals will put A Legend Reborn on platforms beyond PC. There's no information yet on a release window.
"This time, we won't fu it up," said O'Neal in the Indiegogo pitch videos.
You can see a teaser trailer above and two screenshots below for Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn.
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