Analysis: Shaq-Fu

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I analyze Shaq-Fu.
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BGM in order:
Street Fighter III 2nd Impact - Ibuki Theme
Street Fighter III 2nd Impact - Ken Theme
Street Fighter III 3rd Strike - Makoto Theme
Street Fighter III 2nd Impact - Ibuki Theme

[@CoreAGaming]

Shaq-Fu is the best cinematic platform fighter ever made.

[@Tactical_Dan117]

I legit just checked my subscriptions to see if you posted a new video a few minutes ago. happy to see another video..k gonna actually watch it now. *grabs popcorn*

[@hhdhpublic]

Really hope you ate those flakes in oj!

[@largolagrande]

SPOILER: Because it's the only cinematic platform fighter?! ;)

[@javisarias]

Nope, Art of Fighting 3 is

[@saikik4982]

+javisarias Exactly what I was thinking!

[@triple_lei]

Clearly we as a community should come up with Shaq-Fu patches. Heck, we did it for Mortal Kombat on the Genesis...

[@marcosmendez6833]

It would be just to add inputs to a list when transitioning states, speed up the states, make the specials moves have reasonable inputs, and you have yourself the best mugen

[@naejimba]

@@marcosmendez6833 , bleh, to even make it worth doing the end result would have to be worth it. I would argue for many points he made like redesigning the interface (timer/life bars), completely redoing the tiny sprites (which would mean new hit/hurt boxes), completely redoing the sound (or at least using sound effects from SF2/SF2Turbo), etc.... going that far you are essentially remaking the game from scratch. It would be fucking epic to see all of that done though, and I think with the infamy of the original title it would be pretty popular. I was hoping that was what they were going to do with the sequel; how great would it be if it came out as a polished fighting game. I would have played the shit out of that.

[@theWIIISEguy]

I've wanted this for years and am willing to help. Though I don't think there's others willing to be a part of something like this.

[@naejimba]

@@theWIIISEguy , I don't think I'm at the point yet where I can do much to help. The coding is beyond what I can currently do, and at best, I could possibly only do the artwork. I don't have any experience in animation though, so committing to something I haven't done yet on such a large project would be a detriment to it if I can't pull it off. I'm willing to help but not willing to possibly kill something I would want to see finished. =(

[@sirreginaldfishingtonxvii6149]

Shaaq-Fu Ultra

[@DisgustedBatman]

1:17 "The Room is now used as study material for film students" I can attest to that. My screenwriting teacher made us do that.

[@hariman7727]

"It's such a beautiful trainwreck that we can point out SO MANY ERRORS, how could we NOT use it as an example of mistakes a director/actor/writer can make?!"

[@oreofudgeman]

Disgusted Batman YOU'RE TEARING ME APART LISA

[@convolution223]

what are some of the main takeaways, i mean where do you even begin to dissect that movie from a screenwriting perspective?

[@tomstonemale]

It has fantastic cringe humor, even if unintentional. I watched Garth Merengui's Darkplace before The Room and I'm convinced I laughed more with Tom Wiseau's masterpiece than the fake show made by actual comedians.

[@FingerinUrDaughter]

what exactly do they make you study? i mean literally every scene, every conversation, everything period is absolute trash to the Nth degree, to the extent its hard to believe he wasnt intentionally writing shit.

[@xJ4R3x]

Shaq fu should be in evo 2018

[@walkerswayweighttrai]

I'm wit that

[@BlinJe]

In*

[@darudesandwich]

rip this comment

[@leovuitton9117]

Def jam should be in evo

[@TyRiders2]

You're going to hell. 666 likes

[@MasterNinjaXz]

It's funny because when I was a kid, I had Shaq-Fu on my Super Nintendo, and I thought it was the fucking coolest thing ever, not because Shaq was in it, but I liked the characters and the stages and shit. I barely even played Shaq himself. And I was so little that I barely knew who Shaq was. Also, I had such a small TV back then that the characters looked normal sized to me. And now that I'm older, I see that literally everyone hates that game and it's so funny lmao Edit: my TV wasn’t that small I guess, but I guess I just interpreted the game normally still lol.

[@ZedArray]

Yeah, a similar thing happened to me. My brother and I loved the star wars prequels. Now I found out that people hated them. Yes, I can see your comment is 4 years old. No, Idk why I'm replying to a comment that's 4 years old

[@samiolenberg4642]

@@ZedArray Yeah me too I loved Shaq Fu and just found out that nobody liked it. Kinda sad because it destroys your own childhood. I also loved the Prequels and I will never care what anyone says because they are awesome and I grew up with them ! Same goes for Shaq. Let us ignore what others say man I enjoyed it fr

[@user-wl2xl5hm7k]

The point is we shouldn’t care even .00001% when the ‘major discourse’ calls a game bad. Aesthetic enjoyment is 100% personal. That’s cool you enjoyed this game

[@Gettles]

The tiny sprites are a very weird design decision by the developers. It's a game called Shaq-Fu it stars a 7-foot tall basketball player, you'd assume that they would try to emphasize that a bit. Shaq should tower over the rest of the cast and seem gigantic instead of being that tiny thing. Shaq should have been the proto Hugo

[@ahmadzahraniAAZ]

Hugo is the proto abigail

[@wynterbleu989]

@@ahmadzahraniAAZ abigail is the proto birdie

[@jozajab6849]

To be fair, he is taller than all the other characters. the spirits I’m general are small, but shaq is still taller than the other sprites.

[@InbournAnkleBiter]

I wonder...with this being the age of modding games and fixing things or even creating new ones. Could a group possibly mod this game into an actually good/fun fighter?

[@t4d0W]

Mugen maybe. But even then its probably not worth the time or effort. I have fun chasing down and playing complete fighting games that are unpopular like the rest of the stuff SNK was putting out.

[@t4d0W]

Doctor Butler waku waku 7, Kabuki Klash, Agressors of Dark Kombat, BREAKERS Revenge.

[@kopjjipj5743]

garou Kreygasm, pretty much every snk fighting game that isn't kof or fatal fury..

[@Rhino-n-Chips]

There's a Shaq for Mugen which is unironically pretty goddamn legit, he can cancel specials and do a lot of hitstun, which leads to some impressive combos, the problem still stands that his OG moveset is shit, but it helps that he's given an airthrow which slamdunks the opponent trough a net.

[@xMasterSparku]

Yep that's The_None's Shaq, he's well done for sure and he has many other characters like that.

[@LeKingCarnage]

This video is more on actually game design similar to Extra Credits. I really like this format, good job man.

[@ViktorKruger99]

*Fighting game design.

[@MystyrNile]

or Cagey Videos

[@soopGnat]

Yeah! What he said!

[@Ramzuiv]

Except this is so much better than Extra Credits

[@Pan_Z]

It's like Extra Credits but not terrible

[@TunaDMoney]

the cereal triggered me beyond belief

[@CoreAGaming]

mission accomplished.

[@thelavaslug5465]

@SNES Nes "Keep searching boys, we gotta find who tf asked for these shitty ass opinions!"

[@yomama4240]

@SNES Nes Their pfp is from a game. And imagine thinking that people hate Ace Attorney lol

[@yomama4240]

@SNES Nes ik it was bait, I just couldn't help responding lol

[@Ularg7070]

It didn't click until you brought up Another World. Shaq Fu has some pretty cool animations.

[@especialdeporrada9843]

Whoa, that's random, it's 6 AM and I'm watching a Shaq-Fu video... what am I doing with my life.

[@mondocool5670]

Oh man thought I'd be the only one! I'll sleep a little better tonight

[@wildreams]

It's 5am for me after a long day, we are no different!

[@Khrene]

A least you're not making pudding...

[@mondocool5670]

Khrene Cleaver Man I could use some pudding, here I am past 5AM again being not asleep

[@Khrene]

Thats rough man. Drop a couple bucks on some pudding. Or better yet man, take some chocolate pudding mix and mix it with coffee! Pudding mixes usually need like a cup and half of milk, so sub out half a cup of the milk with some black coffee and top it off with some whipped cream. Its on point mang.

[@jiheishou]

I like the idea of taking a analytical take on shitty fighting games. You should do more of these kinds of videos! I'd like to see one on Bio Freaks personally.

[@fenistereinc.5797]

PooperPete Shaq fu wasn't that bad

[@wingspantt]

Bio Freaks was amazing! You could rip off limbs mid fight!

[@pdcsky]

Always wondered why this game was so panned. You explain the history before and consequences after to give proper context, not many people are good at that but you are. Cheers

[@RednekGamurz]

I wouldn't mind seeing this as a series where you look at weird, obscure, or bad fighting games from time to time. Maybe Balls 3D, Clayfighter, or Sonic the Fighters next.

[@cosmosofinfinity]

Those are good games.

[@debooo32]

Clay fighters was awesome.

[@q295]

Clayfighter is good bro

[@Claudia-km9lo]

those're all good games, what?

[@jaymiddleton1782]

7:02 I know this channel focuses on 2D fighters but it’s weird that you don’t mention Tekkens “While Rising” state. Some moves you can only perform while rising from crouch to standing. Usually, one of your While Rising moves will be a juggle starting launcher. The idea being that you duck under a high attack and punish with a launch.

[@pabloinz382]

It's like Extra Credits say in one of it's videos: "proper physicallity usually has to be sacrificed for responsiveness" If not, fighting games, or any game that requires reactions will feel sluggish

[@adkseth5466]

memes

[@PotionDweller]

3 frames better than SFV

[@chip-lol]

+RWPCreations Ikr xd

[@AndrewCrimefighter]

Fuzzy guards don't happen because of a transition (at least not in most games, maybe SF4 is weird in this way but I don't think so). They work because the game locks you into either standing or crouching when you block. You're still allowed to switch your block direction, but your character's hurtbox doesn't change until the next time you block an attack or get hit. That means overheads that normally whiff vs crouching can still hit since you're stuck in the standing hurtbox. Also telling someone to look up fuzzy guarding is a terrible idea because there are like, 8 things called fuzzy guard and they're all unrelated to each other.

[@xyon9090]

*That Cereals and Orange Juice part* Got on my nerves for a second.

[@Eastsid3]

Great analysis, I always liked the music and art in Shaq fu. This video was a great look at what this games problems were especially the jumping and small sprites

[@orlanzo2621]

Love the sf 3 second impact music, that was an awesome soundtrack, one of my favorites. Nice.

[@CoreAGaming]

Yeah, it's pretty dope.

[@headoverheels88]

What an amazingly well-thought out video. I'm not the biggest fan of fighting games (but a big fan of awesomely bad games/movies/etc), so I stumbled on this video. This totally gave me a much deeper appreciation for the love that goes into fighters. Great video.

[@ChimeraReiax]

I love how you compare and reference Smash when talking about fighting games, as while it does break a lot of rules, it shares quite a bit too.

[@supersonicstep]

Core A you Inspired me to take Up tutorials for Newer fighting games and Fighting game players Thanks Guys hope to see more great content

[@CoreAGaming]

That's awesome to hear!

[@supersonicstep]

Core-A Gaming hope one day fighting games will become mainstream enough with good guides like yours

[@nakiah7987]

I sub

[@temtempo13]

Brilliant! I love these in-depth analyses on why things /don't work/, possibly even more than ones on why they do.

[@thedrunkmonkshow]

I always thought Shaq Fu was a good game in terms of graphics and music but I always blamed the controls for my frustration at times. Now after watching this I agree that the issue at hand is the game's mechanics more than it's raw controller inputs. I'm also glad you pointed out the intentions of Delphine Software and what they were aiming for. At the time developers were playing it safe and trying to cash in with Street Fighter clones or Mortal Kombat gore fest knock offs but Delphine had the courage to think outside of the box and pursue the world's first cinematic rotoscope animated fighting game. Although the game flopped do to their inexperience with fighting games it's refreshing to finally hear an unbiased and articulated take on this game. Thank you for this and keep up the fantastic work!

[@superbnns]

Quality as always. I smile every time I see your vids in my sub box

[@jimdino77]

what an in depth analysis… wasn't expecting that at all, subscribed

[@aidanschofield2743]

Gerald, I love your work. I'd be so cool to see an analysis or even a series on the staples of fighting games and how they draw such a diverse and hot-blooded audience. In a way, almost like a designers guide to fighting games. I'm really interested in the inner workings and dynamics of fighting games, and I feel like you have such a great platform to do something like that.

[@SquirtleHermit]

Man I love your videos. Always finding the logic in insanity.

[@qwetroop]

I'm a big fan of this type of video, you taking a look at one game and analyzing it under the broader lens of 2D fighters.

[@artofmarcos1992]

amazing channel. loving the content

[@chapterblaq]

I had no idea Yoko Shimomura did the sound effects for Street Fighter II. let alone that I would find that out in a Shaq Fu video. I love these videos man.

[@Agamemnon2]

I know next to nothing about fighting games in the technical sense, yet have tried Shaq-Fu and it just felt weird to me but I never could figure out what it was before this video. Thanks for spelling it out. And I never even realized the game was by the same people who did Another World and Flashback, even though the animation style is very similar.

[@Allplussomeminus]

I like how you gave us the reason WHY Shaq Fu was a bad game instead of just calling it trash and moving on. You went into the background and history of the company that made it which leads to more understanding. Definitely subbing just because of that. Props and EXCELLENT video.

[@IchigoVizardful]

One of the best analyst of KZbin boldly analyzed one of the worst fighting games in existence. This man deserves a chocolate chip cookie.

[@djpheeze]

So here's a question: is Shaq-Fu actually that bad? I mean sure, I know it sucks, but I think perhaps people have forgotten how many krappy MK klones there were at the time. I only ever played any of them for half an hour or so, but Is Shaq-Fu _really_ worse than Rise of the Robots, SF: The Movie or Catfight?

[@boptillyouflop]

The problem is that the badness is kindof in the worst area it could have been (controls/playability due to the transition frames issue mentioned above)... but yeah it's not THAT bad.

[@misterbadguy7325]

I suspect a lot of it is just the name. Shaq Fu is one of those names where you just hear it and you know the game is gonna be kind of terrible.

[@clutchkman]

Nice job breaking down Shaq-Fu. I didn't think anyone would ever put this much thought or effort into that game ever again, but you made it interesting. I only rented it back when it came out, and that was that, but hearing about the animations makes me think it could've been good. I've always wondered if a realistic, sort of kung fu movie style fighting game could work. With no fireballs or other special stuff, only things that can be done in real life, but still quick and fun gameplay, with all of the blocks and parries.

[@tibschris]

So glad I've got my Genesis copy. I got it used for $0.99 and it was worth every penny.

[@spazzdineveryway]

Great commentary. It explains why Shaq Fu combat felt floaty and dreamy like compared to Street Fighter II Turbo

[@PkmariO64]

These videos are very interesting, especially considering that I want to be a video game developer when I'm older, and one of the games I would create would be a crossover fighter.

[@Icewielderguy]

God i love the content on this channel

[@GustavoSilva-ny8jc]

1:53 WOW, i never thought about this!!!! I couldn't imagine such a details as hands and feet could be so important.

[@carloscaro9121]

Awesome video. A word about Shaq Fu's controls: they are those of a "cinematic platformer" and they become the best example ever that what works for one genre fails in another. Those cinematic platformers were about caution and deliberate progress in a world where you weren't a badass and getting caught by a trap or an enemy could end you quickly. You had to think ahead and you couldn't just twitch your way through everything. Every leap was planned. Every unknown had to be approached with caution. And the controls were great at making you feel that tension and apprehension. But they bombed for a fighting game because the engagement of a fighting game is completely different. Always use the right tool for the game you are making.

[@dylanchadderton1]

I highly respect the quality of content of this channel.

[@austinpowers3659]

This channel is so amazing

[@ChaosTool93]

i like the tekken approach for the transition from crouching to standing. by introducing a attack opportunity which differs from both crouching and standing attacks.

[@Toomnyusernae]

Bravo man. You ought to do a topic on stage design and immersion. Ringout levels typically feel very hollow but the new DOA game has made it more dynamic transitioning from one area to the next.

[@Ekshmon]

Really interesting. Thanks for all the info

[@itis3000]

My favs is Tekken and The King of Fighters series. Hello from Russia

[@BHS289]

Just want to say that I appreciate the little touches of editing in addition to your analysis :D

[@to0nstyle]

Damn, your videos are good. Keep it up man

[@greedfgc1830]

love your vids bro, keep it up!!

[@ShinxBOOM247]

Lab Zero games is my favorite fighting game dev team, due to their work on skullgirls

[@ShinxBOOM247]

Soft circle French bread would be my second choice

[@domi2002]

Shaq-Fu is extremely fun and a very chill game to play. I loved it as a kid.

[@keithr.4645]

Fantastic, informative video!

[@b4ttlemast0r]

in tekken there is also a transition state between crouching and standing that takes some time if you don't crouch-cancel it, but there are dedicated moves that can only be done during this transition time, it's an intentional mechanic

[@soopGnat]

Great video. Lots of food for thought.

[@pickledparsleyparty]

I remember liking the music, a lot.

[@kngfstgaming]

Wow this was very informative! Great breakdown learned a lot ☺️👌🏽

[@jasongarrett768]

I never looked too deeply into who made Shaq-Fu and was nodding along with the talk about how the above-average animation got in the way of responsiveness and as soon as you mentioned Delphine Software it all finally made sense how this game happened. Love them, but they were so not a good math for this genre.

[@RETIREDD4RK]

In smash we call "Pre Jump Frames" The "Jump Squat"

[@debooo32]

😂😂😂😂

[@epekka]

we have acronyms and short names for everything

[@camostrike4395]

Steve ain’t got no pre jump frames also his mechanics are weird but fun so that’s why I main him

[@PiKayDaps]

Wait really? How do you SH as Steve then?

[@wvjeepguy8178]

I rented this once....figured out that when using the Voodoo chick, you could literally spam her doll stab move the entire way through the game and still beat it.

[@Loveistheirwholehapp]

At least it doesn't have 8 frames. And SNK makes the best fighting games.

[@TheFirstRamenKamen]

Arc sys is my fav developer for fighting games. 2 years into the future from when this was asked lol. Ive been binge watching these videos for the past 3 hrs hahha

[@SextoSer]

Good job analysing this man. Thank you.

[@RealEnglishNow]

...but then again so is cereal and orange juice - hahah!

[@outsidercain3038]

WoW I'm in love with your Etokki ! It's sad where I live the total cost for the stick is like 4x a Hori RAP Pro ... Ouch... I cry evrytiem

[@FatalRose]

Great vid! You need more vids dedicated to Virtua Fighter though.

[@casimirlawnicki8990]

Just discovered your channel on a whim. Gotta say, I'm really impressed. the editing and analysis is top notch. Really enjoyable. Consider me a sub.

[@KingRabid]

congratulations on being the first and only video ive ever seen that made shaq-fu interesting. also this was incidentally the only game i remember as a kid glad that i 1. didnt have enough money to buy and 2. had such a bad name i could never remember to ask for it in my ever growing wishlist

[@craytoncaswell4558]

I remember the sound effects from Street Fighter 2 World Warriors as clearly as anything about that game. Distinct differences for light, medium, heavy and between punches and kicks. After Super came out, they simplified it, along with the soundtrack.

[@supradoom]

Tekken by far my favorite fighting game series. Really well made video though!

[@skylarwontshutup4125]

Heck! I'd love to hear an analysis on any and all fighting games. If you wanted to do Rage of Dragons, Tuff E Nuff, Rise of the Robots, or any 2d fighter! Guaranteed I'll watch.

[@andymrb]

I'm pretty sure in most fighting games(the good ones) a lot of state transitions can be canceled by simple directional/action inputs making these games feel responsive. But if you just let the animation finish you still can. For example in KOF XIII when Kyo does a long forward jump, you can see there's a slightly long animation of him recovering after the jump and then going back to his neutral stance, but if you press any inputs that animation is canceled. Big characters like Maxima have longer recovery animation after any types of jump but again players can cancel the animation. And hence the controls feel good.

[@muzaky515]

the "bridge stage" with the big dragon statue in the backround looks pretty sick tho

[@chrisperciavalle3142]

Very good breakdown and explanation of why it feels laggy. I never even thought of stuff like the recovery on changing stances. And I do play fighting games. I had a Sega as a kid, but never played shaq Fu I don't think. But I played it recently before playing the new shaq Fu. The game had pretty decent mechanics, but that lag just killed it. Otherwise it may have been a good game. Shaq Fu a legend reborn, however, I thought was absolutely awesome. I recommend anyone who hasn't done so yet go pick it up.

[@AdusBay]

Hey Gerald. This is Peter from Korea. Great video and have fun at Evo! Dig the analysis of sound design on Shaq Fu.

[@jp299]

Really interesting, thx!

[@bhoylhogro5093]

This video earned you a new subscriber.

[@MatthewThornhillTheDoctor]

I loved Delphine games. Another World remains one of my favorite stories of all time - and Flashback was awesome too.

[@splainintodo4061]

I was a kid when Shaq-fu came out. I rented it for genesis and it was awesome. It was one of the first fighters I ever played.

[@TaskMaster5]

I'd have to say Namco is on top of my favorite fighting game devs. Tekken and Soul Caliber were my childhood. Capcom comes very close only because of SF Alpha and the Marvel line of fighters being some of the most fun I've ever had with sprite fighters. Can't forget 3rd Strike though.

[@shiningwizard327]

I knew there was gonna be "Fresh off the Boat" clips on this video lol. They reference Shaq so much. Love that show haha!!!

[@WillZero005]

It's a special kind of terible but I had fun with Shaq fu "genesis ver.", and we all love capcom, but I feel like SNK has the biggest heart for the genre.

[@Alex_Logan22]

I loved it as a kid, it made sense not just to a board room but to kids growing up with fighters and basketball.

[@Ikanamable]

Daisuke Ishiwatari from arc system works is my favorite FG dev. He's such a one man team that i wonder if he has some kind of time chamber in which he can do his stuff in some kind of slown down time. Well, also he did the voice for Sol Badguy in the earlier Guilty Gear games.

[@alt0248]

I never realized DSI made Shaq Fu. They also made Moto Racers, best motor bike racer.

[@KillYounglings]

In my heart, my fav FG developer will always be the Capcom of old, but I gotta give props to LabZero for implementing so many of the genre's years of lessons-learned into Skullgirls, their first fighting game. Very rarely does a dev get so many things right on their first try, and that was even before they started patching the game.

[@deftomnivore215]

Man I played this when I was like 9 and I swear this game was so good, was one of my favorites behind killer instinct and super mario world on the nintendo.

[@fuglore2482]

Surprisingly, I think that the perception of unresponsive controls could have actually been fixed by making the character flash/glow when state transition/recovery frames are finished and also when they start, a lot of the other flaws you pointed out with the UI and other presentation aspects if fixed, would also make it better, but I feel like by specifically showing a better way to tell when you can't actually attack, would turn Shaq-Fu into an interesting game of sorts, where timing is key, and a lot of actions are punishable, players would have to carefully choose what they're going to do, in the way that no other fighting game has ever done it before, no, that doesn't make it good, although, it might be, it just makes it different and interesting to think about.

[@MasterNinjaFighter]

Great analysis! However, I must admit that I love the background art on shaq-fu. =)

[@purcellworthman3199]

Lab zero are my favorate fighting game developers. I learned so much about game design just from them talking about how they made skullgirls.

[@DoomRater]

Earning A grades and putting the A in Core-A Gaming especially with this one.

[@almozayaf]

I Love SNK they made my childhood, KOF96 is what make me love fighting game to this days.

[@SnappySanad]

On the topic of sound design, I think GG Strive absolutely nails it with the attack sounds

[@tacosmash3487]

Probably ASW, i still haven't played more than one franchise, but blazblue caught me in a sweet spot that helped me a lot to introduce myself into fighting games

[@egontokessy1610]

Have yet to watch this but I love this game and yes, I know the verdict is terrible but loved it anyway as a kid. Didn’t know who Shaquille was until I played this.

[@BrunoB78]

excellent analysis! any chance you could do something similar for pre-SF2 beat'em ups? like International Karate or Yie Ar Kung-Fu

[@Schattenfaust2]

I think the bit about the importance of sound is part of why I have trouble getting into Virtua Fighter. The characters never make any sound, including just dropping silently to the floor when defeated, and they feel stiff and lifeless.